Land Trust Alliance

Free Tour: The Learning Center

Kimberly Seese — 2013-01-11T23:55:00Z

Date: March 19, 2013

Time: 1:00 PM ET

Land conservation is a process- filled with many twists and turns. And we’re here to help you steer! Whether you have a quick question for our knowledgeable forum experts or need to dig deeper for sample documents and articles, the Learning Center will quickly become your land trust’s most valuable learning and information tool to get the information you need.

Don’t know where to start? Take a free online tour of the Learning Center in our monthly webinar, offered every third Tuesday at 1:00 PM ET. Email tlc@lta.org to register.

Free Tour: The Learning Center

Kimberly Seese — 2013-01-11T23:55:00Z

Date: April 16, 2013

Time: 1:00 PM ET

Free Tour: The Learning Center

Kimberly Seese — 2013-01-11T23:55:00Z

Date: January 15, 2013

Time: 1:00 PM ET

Free Tour: The Learning Center

Kimberly Seese — 2013-01-11T23:55:00Z

Date: February 27, 2013

Time: 1:00 PM ET

Rescheduled from third Tuesday to Wednesday, February 27 due to scheduling conflict.

Don’t Throw Charities Off the Fiscal Cliff

Kimberly Seese — 2012-12-21T05:00:00Z

There have been heated discussions in the news about cutting the tax deductions you take for giving to charities. Assertions I’m hearing about who benefits from the charitable tax deduction are short-sighted.

No one is better off financially after making a charitable gift. While a donor may get some reduction in taxes, their gift to benefit others is vastly larger than the tax deduction. Plus, charities have a multiplier effect on donations: every dollar that the tax deduction costs the government generates more than $4 in charitable programs.

Through the charitable deduction, Americans are provided an incentive to support a wide range of charities working to solve problems in communities across the country, contributing immeasurably to the health and welfare of our country. At a time when government resources are shrinking, it makes no sense to discourage people from giving to charities when they need it the most.

Tax benefits for charitable contributions started in 1919 and has persisted through any number of major tax reforms. Hundreds of thousands of charitable enterprises of all sorts – from the Red Cross to Feeding America to Opera America – have built their business models around it, and they have asked for our help in defending it. I think defending tax benefits for charitable contributions is a good idea.

Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) was right when he said “Charities today face the prospect of enduring another recession that will again put downward pressure on charitable giving. This is not the time to reduce the charitable deduction and further suppress the incentive to give.”

The Land Trust Alliance represents 1,700 land conservation groups that work with willing land owners to protect our natural heritage and provide benefits of clean water and air, fresh, local food and healthy places to live and work.

We can certainly argue about the merits of various attempts to wrangle more out of the tax code for conservation (there have been lots of those). But on the current issue of capping deductions on charitable giving now in front of policymakers, I see only negative effects and little or no interest amongst policymakers in finding an appropriate way to mitigate those or create a useful alternative.

All Americans should support greater fiscal responsibility for the federal government, and we are already seeing real consequences of irresponsibility in the form of cuts in spending – including spending for conservation in a host of government programs (including LWCF, NAWCA, FRPP, WRP and NFWF). This despite the fact that real spending on conservation programs is not a driver of our fiscal problems, having only increased 2% over the last 30 years in real dollars. We can’t put ourselves above the need for a solution – but we need to speak up so that policymakers understand what is at stake.

Any limits to the charitable deduction would hurt America’s charities by directing resources away from them and the millions of people they serve. As Congress and the White House look for a way to back off the fiscal cliff, they need to find a way to keep charities in the U.S. from going over one themselves.

Rand Wentworth
President, Land Trust Alliance
202-841-0886 | rwentworth@lta.org

Increasing Membership and Engaging Your Community

Kimberly Seese — 2012-12-20T22:15:12Z

Date: February 14, 2013
Time: 2:00-3:30 pm ET
Instructor: Judy Anderson
Cost: $55 before 2/13, then cost will increase to $65
Level : Beginner / Intermediate

REGISTER ONLINE >>

Land trusts are the only nonprofits that pledge to be here in perpetuity-a pledge that necessitates support over generations. But conservation has to be relevant and important on a personal level for people to support your land trust into the future. There is growing recognition that changing demographics, including an aging population of current conservation supporters, will mean that land trusts need to develop programming and projects (and ways to describe them) that resonate with new, younger, socio-economically diverse and changing communities.

In this webinar, you will learn how land trusts of various sizes and capacity are using community-based techniques to connect their mission and work with the interests and needs of new and existing supporters. We will discuss how this approach, when combined with upgraded outreach/communication techniques, has increased their membership support up to 70% over three years, broadened their conservation impact, and engaged new partners and people. The webinar will touch upon the communication upgrades that helped make this turn-around possible and encouraged longer-term support.

Advanced Appraisal Issues

Kimberly Seese — 2012-12-18T01:33:21Z

Date: February 13, 2013
Time: 2:00-3:30 pm ET
Instructors: Bill Silberstein, Mark Weston
Cost: $55 before 2/12, then cost will increase to $65
Level: Intermediate / Advanced

REGISTER ONLINE >>

Qualified appraisals are the lynchpin of the process that allows landowners to benefit from federal income, estate and state tax incentives flowing from the donation of a conservation easement. A poorly supported appraisal, whether fraudulent or merely sloppy, damages the integrity of a conservation easement transaction regardless of the conservation values involved. It also damages the reputation of the land trust involved in the transaction, risks violating the public trust, and may reduce support for conservation in general.

This webinar will provide an overview of the requirements for appraisal of real estate and conservation easements used to seek charitable deductions outlined in §1.170A(13)(c) and §1.170A(14) of the Treasury Regulations. Participants will learn:

Recent appraisal-related case law
Strategies for selecting an appraiser
Common mistakes made in valuing easements
Tips for communicating with donors.

How to Be a Great Board Member, Part I: Fundraising Success

Kimberly Seese — 2012-12-17T18:45:00Z

Date: January 30, 2013
Time: 2:00-3:30 pm ET
Instructor: Marc Smiley
Cost: $55 before 1/29, then cost will increase to $65
Level: Beginner / Intermediate

REGISTER ONLINE >>

We all believe in the value of fundraising, and may even understand the process of fundraising. But board involvement in fundraising is always a challenge, and wishing won’t make it so.

Board members play a vital role in supporting an effective fundraising program. That role too often is unclear and underdeveloped. Land trusts need specific strategies to clarify the best role for board members, and for getting them to step up and fill that role successfully.

Participants will learn: the best ways to engage board members in their designated roles; to create mechanisms for accountability and follow-through; to identify other ways community leaders can be part of your fundraising team, and how to keep them motivated to help you raise money.

This webinar is the first of a three-part series on how to be a great board member. Parts II and III will cover governance and resolving disagreements to advance your mission. Look for those webinars in March.

How to Be a Great Board Member, III: Negotiating Differences and Disagreements to Advance Your Mission

Kimberly Seese — 2012-12-13T23:47:53Z

Date: March 27, 2013
Time: 2:00-3:30 pm ET
Instructor: Jane Zirlis
Cost: $55 before 3/26, then cost will increase to $65
Level: Beginner / Intermediate

REGISTER ONLINE >>

Differences and disagreements among Board Members aren’t necessarily a bad thing. They can be the source of valuable initiatives, and the antidote to group-think. The key is reframing an argument into a problem-solving process that advances the mission of the land trust, while maintaining or even improving relationships among board members.

This webinar teaches the essential skills of Principled Negotiation, a.k.a., Win-Win:

- Reframing an argument to a joint problem-solving process

- Engaging in active listening to promote effective communication

- Differentiating positions from interests

- Planning and using a BATNA (best alternative to a negotiated argeement)

- Generating and selecting options for mutual gain

After taking this webinar, participants will be able to use effective negotiation techniques themselves, as well as role-model and coach those techniques with their Board.

Conservation Easement Amendments

Kimberly Seese — 2012-12-12T23:45:00Z

When: Thursday, January 31, 2013 2:00-3:00PM ET
Discussion Leaders: Sylvia Bates and Leslie Ratley-Beach

To amend or not to amend? That is the question we will tackle on this conference call. It is an important matter for land trusts to consider, and there are no easy answers.

Conservation easements are intended to protect land in perpetuity. But sometimes conditions change or mistakes were made in drafting. Crafting an amendment can be a good way to strengthen an easement, clarify provisions or improve enforceability. Amendments involve risk, and some amendments are riskier than others. It's important to understand how to weigh the costs and benefits before your land trust and landowner decide whether an easement amendment is appropriate or necessary to meet conservation goals.

Please join us to discuss evolving practices, legal principles and risk management regarding easement amendments, including:

What guidance does Land Trust Standards and Practices offer?
How does state law affect amendment decisions?
What is the IRS position on amendments?
What should you include in your land trust's amendment policy?
Are you amending your easements for the right reasons? And saying no to amendments for the right reasons?
How do you analyze and manage potential risks when amending an easement . . . or when choosing not to amend?

Sylvia Bates and Leslie Ratley-Beach will lead the discussion. Sylvia is the director of standards and research and, since 2006, leads the Alliance's work on Land Trust Standards and Practices, land trust assessments, the Standards and Practices Curriculum and other cutting-edge issues. Leslie joined the Land Trust Alliance as conservation defense director in August 2007. Prior to joining the Alliance, she worked at the Vermont Land Trust for 13 years, where she led teams of professionals delivering conservation services to landowners, partners and staff. She has drafted and helped negotiate more than 500 conservation easements.

To register email to southeast@lta.org, with the subject line "Conservation Professional Conference Call." Prior to the call, we’ll provide registrants with the call-in number.

Cabinet Revives Limited Land Conservation Program

Kimberly Seese — 2012-12-11T05:00:00Z

December 11, 2012 | Orlando Sentinel | FL

Partnering with Trout Unlimited for Conservation and Restoration

Kimberly Seese — 2012-12-06T23:20:00Z

Date: February 5, 2013
Time: 2:00-3:30 pm ET
Instructors: Chris Herrman, Damon Hearne, Kevin Anderson
Cost: FREE
Level: Beginner / Intermediate

REGISTER ONLINE >>

The webinar will explore Trout Unlimited’s “Protect, Restore, Reconnect and Sustain” strategy of watershed sustainability. Driven by the organization’s Conservation Success Index, TU is working on watershed-based approaches that engage a variety of partners including land trusts. Particular attention will be given to efforts to increase species resilience in a changing climate by insuring in-stream flows and protected riparian habitat. Presenters will also provide an overview of the Coldwater Land Conservancy Fund, which provides grants to land trusts and state agencies to permanently protect priority streams and watersheds throughout North America.

What You Need to Know About Amendments

Kimberly Seese — 2012-12-03T18:35:00Z

Date: February 12, 2013
Time: 2:00-3:30 pm Eastern
Instructor: Jane Ellen Hamilton
Cost: $55 before 2/11, then cost will increase to $65
Level: Beginner / Intermediate

REGISTER ONLINE >>

When a land trust accepts a conservation easement, it promises the original easement grantor, its land trust members, its funders and the public it serves that it will uphold the conservation easement forever. How, then, is it possible to amend “perpetual” easements? What does forever mean in the context of conservation easements? This webinar will provide land trusts with guidance in answering key questions when considering amendments:

What criteria should be considered when evaluating an amendment request?
How do state and federal laws affect land trust decisions on amendments
How can an amendment policy help land trusts determine if an amendment is sound?
What alternatives to amendments exist?

This webinar will help prepare participants to manage change with integrity and appropriately respond to unanticipated needs and events, always making sure to keep the public benefits in mind.

Practices Covered: 11I: Amendments

Key Things to Remember When Drafting Easements

Kimberly Seese — 2012-12-03T18:33:27Z

Date: January 31, 2013
Time: 2:00-3:30 pm ET
Instructor: Jane Ellen Hamilton
Cost: $55 before 1/30, then cost will increase to $65
Level: Beginner / Intermediate

REGISTER ONLINE >>

Drafting conservation easements that are enforceable, achieve their conservation purpose and satisfy legal requirements for federal tax benefits is a challenging task to undertake. Choosing from among the many possible easement clauses can be confusing and knowing which ones are right for your land trust can be difficult. This webinar will help land trust personnel who negotiate and draft conservation easements address several key points in crafting an easement that will last in perpetuity, including:

Recitals clauses
A Purpose clause that supports perpetuity
Essential clauses for tax-deductible easements
Tips on crafting easement restrictions

This webinar will help participants distill key information about conservation easement drafting to enable them to craft documents that achieve their intended conservation goals.

Practices Covered: 9E Easement Drafting

Easement Monitoring Done Right

Kimberly Seese — 2012-12-03T18:31:13Z

Date: January 29, 2013
Time: 2:00-3:30 pm Eastern
Instructor: Jane Ellen Hamilton
Cost: $55 before 1/28, then cost will increase to $65
Level: Beginner / Intermediate

REGISTER ONLINE >>

Monitoring conservation easements will help ensure the land you saved yesterday remains protected tomorrow and beyond. This online workshop provides the nuts and bolts of monitoring from pre-monitoring preparation to post-monitoring work. This course will provide staff and volunteers with an overview of how to conduct a visit and an understanding of what monitoring is and its importance to land conservation.

You will learn how to:

Prepare for a safe and effective visit
Conduct a thorough monitoring visit
Complete post-monitoring work
Address possible violations

The workshop is based on the Standards and Practices Curriculum course “Conservation Easement Stewardship” (electronic copy available here )