Seminars
Some topics require more time than is available for a Rally workshop. Daylong and half-day seminars are your chance to experience high-quality, intensive trainings that allow you to delve further into important issues in land conservation.
Choose from 23 diverse seminars that will be taught by prominent, experienced course leaders. Come away with fresh ideas and a new understanding of the subject matter.
Register early! Many seminars sell out quickly. Additional fee required.
Helpful Symbols
To assist you in choosing a seminar that is just right for you, your skill level and interests, look for these symbols:
* indicates seminars of interest to board members
CLE indicates continuing legal education credits
CFRE indicates certified fundraising executive continuing education credits
For questions about any of these seminars, please e-mail rally@lta.org.
Thursday, October 13
Half-day Seminars
SEM-1 - SOLD OUT
Roundtable Discussion: Conservation Easements Over Time
CLE
Jessica Jay
Thursday, October 13, 8:00am – 12:00pm
Advanced/Expert | $85/$100
Specially designed for advanced practitioners, this open roundtable explores the values, purposes, goals and recent guidance concerning the perpetual nature of conservation easements. This guided discussion will seek to establish values based on the guidance and identify common ground with respect to easement amendment and termination and articulate options and next steps to protect the integrity of perpetual conservation easements.
SEM-2
The Art of Choosing an Appraiser*
Matthew Larrabee
Thursday, October 13, 8:00am – 12:00pm
All Levels | $85/$100
Learn to distinguish between the various appraiser credentials, develop a scope of work in concert with your appraiser and appraisal reviewer, and learn requirements for federally funded projects. Includes considerations for timber, valuation concepts for rural acreage, public interest value and economic use, and waterfront.
SEM-3
Land Protection Techniques for Urbanized Environments
Jane Calvin, Colin Novick
Thursday, October 13, 1:00pm – 5:00pm
All Levels | $85/$100
As metropolitan areas grow, land becomes increasingly scarce and land protection becomes ever-more complicated. At the same time, land trusts across the nation are struggling with how to connect with urban residents. Tackling more urban "neighborhood scale" projects can have large-scale impacts for significant numbers of people. Come discover successful strategies used by urban land trusts and professionals across the country – and bring your own story of a challenging project to get advice on new approaches and strategies.
SEM-4
Effective Supervision of Staff and Volunteers
Lyn Freundlich, Joanne Horgan
Thursday, October 13, 1:00pm – 5:00pm
All Levels | $85/$100
Effective supervision contributes directly to organizational mission effectiveness. Yet, few supervisors have been trained and even fewer receive regular support and professional development specific to their supervisory skills. Learn successful supervisory relationships that lead to productive, committed and happy staff and volunteers, which in turn lead to vibrant, impactful organizations.
SEM-5
Leaders That Excel: Creating a Stellar Board Member Program
Kathy Leavenworth, Leah Whidden
Thursday, October 13, 1:00pm – 5:00pm
Intermediate | $85/$100
We’ve heard the complaints: boards that are underutilized, unengaged or simply ineffective at delivering what they should be doing for a nonprofit organization. What if your board could be directly engaged in your work, without micromanaging it? Learn how it has happened at Western Reserve Land Conservancy. A member of the staff along with a board member will share how you can build an effective board development program for leadership excellence.
Thursday, October 13
Daylong Seminars
SEM-6
Evaluating and Selecting Conservation Projects
Ole Amundsen, Peg Kohring, Anne Murphy, Tom Scharffenberger
Thursday, October 13, 8:00am – 5:00pm
All Levels | $165/$195
Standards and Practices Curriculum
This seminar will focus on guiding staff and board members through a process of evaluating potential conservation projects using land protection criteria and analysis of public benefits. Learn the IRS regulations related to public benefit as well as a method for evaluating your organizational capacity for acquisition and stewardship. Participants receiveEvaluating and Selecting Conservation Projects by Jane Ellen Hamilton and Jonathan Moore. Field session with the afternoon spent outdoors at the Mequon Nature Preserve. Please dress appropriately and bring a daypack.
SEM-7
Real Estate and Tax Law for New Conservation ProfessionalsCLE*
Paul MacDonald, Stefan Nagel, Steve Swartz
Thursday, October 13, 8:00am – 4:00am
Basic | $150/$180
Ideal seminar for new land trust staff, board members, and other conservation professionals. Offers an in-depth introduction into basic real estate and tax concepts, legal elements of real estate transactions and related tax aspects, the acquisition process, possible pitfalls with routine land conservation transactions and practical advice for avoiding them.
SEM-8
Major Gift Development: Fundraising that MattersCFRE *
David Allen
Thursday, October 13, 8:30am – 4:30pm
Intermediate | $150/$180
Delve into major gift fundraising and learn why major gift development is important, where major gift development should fit in a fundraising program, how to find major gift prospects, how to think creatively about and plan for cultivation activities, the differing roles of staff and board, and how to ask for major gifts in person. Seminar is for both development staff and board volunteers.
SEM-9
Conservation Easement StewardshipCLE
Laurel Florio
Thursday, October 13, 8:30am – 4:30pm
All Levels | $165/$195
Standards and Practices Curriculum
This seminar will help prepare you to manage the critical responsibility of caring for your easements in perpetuity, with an overview of easement monitoring and building long-term relationships with landowners. Learn the different methods for monitoring easements; how to select and implement the method that works best for your land trust; and how to use a baseline documentation report to protect the land. Participants receive Conservation Easement Stewardship by Renee Bouplon and Brenda Lind.
SEM-10
A Survey of Innovative Conservation Finance Strategies*
Story Clark
Thursday, October 13, 8:30am – 4:30pm
All Levels | $150/$180
To pay for land protection, land trusts must use private and public funding and innovative sources wherever they can be found. This interactive seminar will survey an extensive array of revenue-generating and financing techniques, touch on optimal organizational positioning, identify pending trends and offer supporting case studies. Expand your funding and financing toolkit and identify networks for ongoing support. Attendees should bring projects with funding challenges to the session as a selection of examples will be addressed.
SEM-11
Making Good on the Audacity of PerpetuityCFRE*
Marc Smiley
Thursday, October 13, 9:00am – 5:00pm
All Levels | $150/$180
Perpetuity requires re-thinking fundraising as a tool for building community, connecting to local priorities, and sharing the wealth of great conservation projects. This seminar will re-frame the basic assumptions about organizational sustainability and in doing so, create better fundraising strategies, develop stronger motivation for board involvement, and create momentum to immediately improve conservation quality and permanence.
SEM-12
Developing an Accreditation Work Plan for Your Land Trust - CANCELLED
SEM-13
Based on a True Story: The Life Cycle of a Conservation EasementCLE
Rob Levin, Karin Marchetti Ponte
Thursday, October 13, 9:00am – 5:00pm
Intermediate | $150/$180
Take a wild ride as we re-enact the life cycle of a famous conservation easement and gain a deeper understanding of the project-to-stewardship connection. Starting with planning, negotiation, drafting and deal closing, the session will proceed to stewardship, reflecting on issues such as landowner relations and monitoring protocol. Includes review of amendment scenario, and a threatened violation that leads to a full-blown lawsuit. Seminar is instructive for project managers, stewardship staff, administrators, board members and attorneys.
Friday, October 14
Half-Day Seminars
SEM-14
Baseline Documentation: Principles and Basics - SOLD OUT
Steve Boyle, Olivia Bartlett, Renee Bouplon
Friday, October 14, 8:00am – 12:00pm
Basic/Intermediate | $85/$100
Creating baseline documentation reports that meet the Land Trust Standards and Practices is essential to assuring conservation easements are enforceable in perpetuity, and for effective stewardship. Review the essential elements necessary for baseline documentation reports, including what data to include, timing of the reports, and how to use and update the reports over time. Seminar includes an interactive portion where instructors will work with participants to create a baseline report for a hypothetical conservation easement.
SEM-15
Advanced Tax Strategies in Land ConservationCLE
William Hutton
Friday, October 14, 8:00am – 12:00pm
Advanced | $85/$100
Developed with the experienced land trust project manager or legal counsel in mind, this seminar will presume your acquaintance with the basic concepts of the federal income and wealth transfer tax regimes — including experience with an array of charitable planning mechanisms. Discussions will be problem-based, covering such topics as proposed estate and gift tax changes, potential private-benefit transactions, like-kind exchanges and condemnations, current conservation easement issues (including the presently enhanced income tax benefits), transactions with partnerships and corporations, and land trust operational concerns. The problems will be sent to participants in advance for preparation and on-site participation.
SEM-16 - SOLD OUT
Conservation Easement Stewardship Funds
Anne Murphy, Sarah Strommen
Friday, October 14, 1:00pm – 5:00pm
All Levels | $85/$100
Determining the cost of caring for easements in perpetuity can be complicated. This seminar will cover the obligations a land trust assumes with each conservation easement; how to calculate the full stewardship expenses of easements; present and/or anticipated future staff costs; potential enforcement/ defense costs; and any necessary legal or technical advice, and more. Seminar corresponds to Land Trust Standards and Practices 6F, 6G and 11A.
SEM-17
Financial Management of Land Trusts*
Eric Rowley
Friday, October 14, 1:00pm – 5:00pm
Basic | $100/$115
Standards and Practices Curriculum
Explore major aspects of financial management including budgeting, financial reporting, financial analysis and accounting systems. Learn about Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) applicable to the financial reporting of land trusts and applicable pronouncements of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). Includes discussion of functions and responsibilities of board, officers and committees relative to financial oversight and management. Participants receive Financial Management of Land Trusts by Kay Sohl and Eric Rowley.
SEM-18
How to Be an Excellent Board Member - CANCELLED
Friday, October 14
Daylong Seminars
SEM-19 - SOLD OUT
Increasing Land Trust Visibility with a Dynamite Marketing PlanCFRE
Mary Hughes, Illene Roggensack
Friday, October 14, 8:00am – 4:00pm
All Levels | $150/$180
Local land trusts recognize the need for a comprehensive marketing effort, but time constraints, funding and even lack of know-how make this a difficult task. In this session, a full-time land trust development officer and fundraising/ marketing consultant will guide you through the steps to creating and implementing a workable three-year marketing plan for your organization.
SEM-20
Why a Case for Support Enhances Your Unrestricted AskCFRE*
Maria Elena Campisteguy, Ezra Milchman
Friday, October 14, 8:00am – 4:00pm
Intermediate/Advanced | $150/$180
Is your organization trying to more powerfully engage your donors? Do you need to raise more unrestricted revenue? These and many other fundraising issues can be resolved with a well-constructed Case for Support that articulates your vision, goals, strategy, programs, credentials, financial needs and giving opportunities. This seminar will teach the art and science of Case development, and each attendee will then craft an individualized Case and use it in the session to practice requesting and closing unrestricted major gifts.
SEM-21
Building a Practitioner’s Network for Large Landscape Conservation
Shawn Johnson, Brenda Faber, Bill Labich, Jim Levitt, Matthew McKinney, Breece Robertson, Gary Tabor
Friday, October 14, 8:30am – 4:30pm
Intermediate/Advanced | $100/$130
This seminar will introduce a new Practitioner’s Network for Large Landscape Conservation – a network that is linking place-based efforts working at the large landscape scale to achieve land and biodiversity conservation, natural heritage, and community and economic development objectives. Explore the substantive challenges and opportunities of large landscape conservation and how a Practitioner’s Network can increase capacity for problem solving and help advance a common agenda.
SEM-22 - SOLD OUT
How a Capital Campaign Can Transform your Organization, Build Community AND Raise FundsCFRE*
Sarah Brooks, Natalie Lamberjack
Friday, October 14, 8:30am – 4:30pm
Intermediate | $150/$180
In 2006, the Methow Conservancy laid the groundwork for an ambitious $20 million campaign for conservation in the remote Methow Valley of North Central Washington State (pop. approx. 5,000). In 2010, they not only celebrated successfully meeting their goal, but also how the campaign helped improve all aspects of their organization and increased the community’s conservation ethic. Learn the nuts and bolts of their successful fundraising efforts along with the key steps you can take to ensure you accomplish a lot more than just raising money.
SEM-23
Engaging Diverse Communities: Why and How - CANCELLED
SEM-24 - SOLD OUT
Creating a National Pool of Tax Experts IIICLE
Steve Small
Friday, October 14, 9:00am – 4:00pm
All Levels | $150/$180
This tax seminar will build on the foundation laid during Rally 2009 and Rally 2010. Participants will work from Mr. Small’s expanded and comprehensive outline (which will be linked to most authorities) that will cover relevant income and estate tax rules, appraisal issues, taxation of entities, dealing with family land "in trust," the conservation buyer dilemma, tax disincentives to land conservation, "deals" that syndicate conservation easement donations, how to keep donors out of trouble with the IRS, and other advanced subjects. Participants will receive the outline prior to Rally and will be asked for input so the outline can become a resource for the land trust community and others.
SEM-25 - SOLD OUT
Five Essential Leadership Practices - SOLD OUT
Tom Bailey, Jim Morris
Friday, October 14, 9:00am – 5:00pm
All Levels | $150/$180
You can increase your effectiveness as a leader! Leaders are not born into their role and as such, leadership competencies can be learned. The instructors will use a model developed by Kouzes and Posner, creators of The Leadership Challenge™. The model includes: Challenge the Process; Inspire a Shared Vision; Enable Others to Act; Model the Way; and Encourage the Heart. Participants will be given tools and exercises to continue their personal development work beyond the seminar.
SEM-26 - SOLD OUT
It All Starts with the Dirt: Drafting Conservation Easements from the Ground Up
CLE
Kris Larson, Jane Prohaska
Friday, October 14, 9:00am – 5:00pm
Intermediate | $150/$180
Strong conservation easements are the result of a seamless process that begins with understanding the land proposed for protection and then translating and incorporating that information into an unambiguous and enforceable document. Using a case study designed to highlight some of the more complex issues in easement design and drafting, this seminar will discuss all of the components found in typical conservation easements and will explore various approaches to drafting easement language, as well as address specific issues related to tax-deductible easements.
Document Actions
