WRI’s ability to deliver a transition that is good for people, nature and climate rests heavily on the effective functioning of our organization. Our five- year strategy tells us to be “more agile, closely aligned and cohesive...operating as a globally coordinated network” that acts as a foundation for our global impact. In 2024 we made great progress in implementing this strategy as a global organization. We also found ways to improve our operational performance to ensure that WRI is efficient and cost- effective as well as impactful.

Global impact through country strategies

WRI’s strategy focuses our efforts on systems change that has impact for people, nature and climate. We achieve this through shifting three human systems (energy, cities, and food, land and water), the enabling systems that underpin them (economics, finance and governance) and country transitions. Focusing on a limited number of countries allows us to go deeper and make longer term commitments in places with the potential for achieving systemic impact at scale.

For example, WRI’s Energy Access Explorer can catalyze change at scale by demonstrating impact in local energy systems in India and East Africa. In Kenya it is helping smaller localities make effective investments in solar energy for healthcare centers. This has cut energy costs in Makueni County by $55,000 a year, improved power supply reliability for vulnerable communities and cut 100,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions per year. This makes a difference in those communities, demonstrates effectiveness and provides models for scaling up to catalyze country-scale transitions.

Each of our country teams has developed theories of change across all their areas of work, aligned to WRI’s institutional results framework. This focuses our work and connects us to the enabling systems that unlock systems change and country transitions. Projects and interventions must be sensitive to a country’s political economy and address its specific development needs if they are to succeed.

Building strong in-country programs is one of the four priority areas for WRI’s Enterprise Funding. This uses flexible funding to equip our teams working on country strategies with the tools and resources that allow them to build systems change with impact for people, nature and climate. It also allows us to be dynamic and react rapidly to opportunities and challenges as they arise.

Committed to continuous operational improvement

In 2024, WRI made significant progress towards greater operational effectiveness. However, the institute’s growing global footprint and large range of projects and activities has led to challenges with efficiency and alignment. Recognizing this, WRI’s operations department introduced a standardized project management tool as a key part of the solution.

Rolling out Asana’s collaborative project management software across offices, programs and projects gave WRI a single unifying platform that has allowed teams to structure processes, manage timelines and assess progress. Asana unlocked much greater cross-collaboration between teams, drawing more effectively upon the wealth of expertise and experience of nearly 2,000 WRI staff across the globe. It also increased transparency and more efficient use of money and resources.

In 2024, around 6,000 project activities were managed via Asana, saving over 542 workdays by streamlining workflows, automating tasks, and centralizing and connecting work. It also enhanced tracking and reporting across teams, enabling them to implement their projects more effectively, in turn driving more impactful outcomes for people, nature and planet. Nearly 236,000 cross-functional interactions have been recorded.

These operational achievements were recognized with the 2024 Asana Work Innovation Award for Social Impact. The Award highlights WRI’s ongoing commitments to foster collaboration, transparency, alignment and operational efficiency to drive meaningful environmental and social outcomes.

This effective operational use of technology sits alongside our transition from external to in-house technical support, improving our IT service, enhancing user experience and saving money. Our commitment to continuous operational improvement ensures that every contribution to WRI achieves the greatest impact.