Being a Land Trustee

1
Being a Land Trustee
2
Whats in store for you as a member of a land
trust Board?
3
Land Trust Board Roles and Responsibilities

• Ensuring sound land transactions
• Fundraising to keep your organization solvent
• Ensuring the sustainability of your organization
• Doing all that legally and ethically

4
Board Roles and ResponsibilitiesExecuting Sound
Land Transactions

• Setting Project Selection Criteria

• Establishing Policies Governing
• Recordkeeping
• Conservation Easement management amendments,
  violations and enforcement
• Back up procedures
• Insider transactions

• Understanding legal requirements

5
Board Roles and ResponsibilitiesExecuting Sound
Land Transactions
What about doing a land conservation project on a
Board members land? Concerns?
Conflict of Interest Policy 3rd Party Back up
6
Board Roles and ResponsibilitiesFundraising

• Fundamentals of Fundraising for Land Trusts
• Operational expenses
• Project costs land transactions, etc.
• Long term management expenses

7
Board Roles and ResponsibilitiesFundraising

• Its much more than just asking for donations!
• Writing a feasible fundraising plan tied to
  annual budget
• Making sure all new members of the board
  understand their responsibilities regarding
  fundraising
• Ensuring donors are acknowledged promptly,
  repeatedly, publicly

Remember You are not begging! You are
providing opportunities for people to get
involved and support an organization that shares
their vision.
8
Board Roles and ResponsibilitiesEnsuring
Sustainability
Your term on the Board is limited what can you
do to maintain continuity and build a stronger
organization for those who come after you?

• Board orientation
• Board evaluation
• Recruiting and nominating
• Recordkeeping

9
Record Keeping Responsibilities

• What do you leave for the
• next generation of your board?
• How can your organization use data more
  efficiently?

10
Board Roles and ResponsibilitiesCovering your
legal bases

• Incorporation as a non-profit is only the first
  step
• annual reporting on finances
• adhering to limitations on lobbying
• meeting the public support test
• avoiding private benefit

• Tax exemption
• exempt from paying state or federal income tax
• signing form 8283 for landowners
• property tax exemptions know your state laws!

11
Board Roles and ResponsibilitiesFinancial
Management

• Financial Policies
• internal controls on assets
• recordkeeping
• annual audits or financial reviews

12
Whats in store for you as a member of your land
trust Board?
13
Rate Your Land Trust!

• How does your organization ensure your land
  transactions are lasting and defensible?
• What does your organization do to ensure adequate
  funds for programs and ongoing needs?
• Does your organization have the skills and
  representation it needs on the Board?
• What systems are in place to protect your
  non-profit status?

14

• Lasting, defensible transactions
• legally drafted contracts
• documents are filed appropriately
• baseline documentation w/photos
• annual monitoring
• defense fund
• E.D. attentive to detail, legal requirements
  setting systems in place
• multiple interests reviewing process
• zoning tools to reinforce conservation
• requirement in easements of notification of
  title transfer w/transfer fee

15

• Ensuring adequate funds
• dont commit to transactions if funding not
  available
• mix of long and short range grants
• review annual budget and make sure there is a
  reasonable plan to achieve income need
• monthly review of budget
• planning priorities vision, check against the
  vision
• good reputation
• proactive fundraising

16

• Board representation
• matrix of needs on the Board to help fill in
  gaps appropriately
• considering geographic representation
• people representing landowners w/whom land trust
  is negotiating
• diversity ethnic, age, sector
• strong nominating committee

• Protecting non-profit status
• filing 990
• outside audits
• recognize lobbying is limited
• documentation of public benefits of land deals
• knowing sources of funding that they
  understand non-profit status
• documenting restricted funds
• understanding IRS restrictions on fee for
  services, etc.
• internal controls on funds
• good reputation

17
Whats going to make you stay committed to this
organization? Stay on this Board?
18
Maximizing Your Performance As a Board Member

• What do you wish you knew when you joined the
  Board?
• The fundraising role of the Board
• Process of funding land transactions
• Introduction to the organization
• Timely orientation
• Meeting Board members through social events
• The workload
• Understanding land acquisition process
• Outline of process the length of time

19

• What would help you be a great Board member?
• set fundraising targets
• set operational targets to build the
  organization and a PLAN to get there
• educational opportunities like today
• tools for fundraising sample letters,
  notecards, etc.
• ensure meetings happen as scheduled, on time,
  efficient
• strategic plan updates
• offer opportunities for participation via
  alternate means teleconferencing, etc.

• How can you best serve your organization?
• participate in organizational activities field
  trips, etc.
• show up, be on time, ready to play
• continual learning
• be engaged
• be the organizations voice in my community

20
Setting Up for the Long HaulEnergizing Your
Land Trust
Mission Vision what do you want to accomplish
and what will your community look like when
youve accomplished it?
Strategic Plan your road map for getting there,
with mile markers to assess how far youve come
and alternate routes if an obstacle is thrown in
your way.
Evaluation do you have the resources you need?
Are you personally contributing effectively?
21
Setting Up for the Long HaulEnergizing Your
Land Trust
Celebrate! Dont forget to recognize your hard
work and successes!
22
Your role is invaluable to the organization, but
it shouldnt be painful. Ask questions, seek out
advice, keep yourself informed.
Land Trust Alliance www.lta.org Land Trust
Standards Practices Board Source www.boardsourc
e.org Compass Point www.compasspoint.org
23
Be well, do good work, stay in touch. Garrison
Keillor