For Land TrustsFor Land Trusts

Land Trust Standards and Practices Curriculum

The 17 courses in the Standards curriculum are a great way to train new board members, volunteers, or staff — or grow the skills of your experienced personnel. The more you know, the more efficiently your team will get things done! The courses are:

  • Authoritative: Developed by experts, then rigorously reviewed to make sure that they’re accurate and up-to-date.
  • Accessible: Written in clear English, with key points highlighted and examples to show how principles work in practice.
  • Practical: Designed for people who want to know how to do high-quality land conservation.
  • User-friendly: Available at your own pace, in the format that works best for you — online or in-person.
  • Free: If you’re with an Alliance member land trust or a supporter at the $250 level or higher, you can take the online courses or download PDFs of the coursebooks for free! Alliance members also get discounts if you want to order publications or join an Alliance conference.

How do you like to learn?

It’s up to you. Here are your options:

Online: The advantages of the online approach are: 1) It’s free! 2) It comes with online discussion groups so you can talk through the issues with colleagues and experts. You can access the self-guided online courses or download coursebooks in the Learning Center.

In-person: Workshops and seminars based on the Standards Curriculum are regular features at land conservation conferences. Check out upcoming opportunities. Or sponsor your own training event. For more options, contact the Alliance at 202-638-4725.

What’s your favorite subject?

It’s like being back in school, picking your major and your courses. Here are the four main categories and 18 courses for you to choose from:

Governance

Strong Organizations

Land Protection

Stewardship

Resources and Tools

Webinar

Drafting Current Conditions Reports

Baselines are critical to ensuring what you protected stays protected. However, what do you do if your land trust has baselines that are insufficient or even worse don’t exist at all? Join stewardship experts Toby Jacobs and Heather Jobst as they discuss their land trusts’ two very different approaches to filling in the gaps in their portfolios.

February 23, 2021
Time: 
2 p.m. ET
Instructor(s): 
Toby Jacobs
Heather Jobst

Webinar

The Americans with Disability Act: What It Means for Land Trusts

Increasing accessibility of natural areas and online is an important endeavor, but not always easy to navigate. Join conservation attorneys Rachel Hampton, The Nature Conservancy, and Ray Lyons, as they discuss how the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to nature preserves, conservation easement properties, websites and social media.

February 03, 2021
Time: 
2 p.m. ET
Instructor(s): 
Rachel Hampton
Ray Lyons

Publication

Nonprofit Law and Recordkeeping for Land Trusts – Volume I: Complying with Federal, State and Local Law

Author: 
Jane Prohaska
Year Published: 
2008

This course book gives you what you need to know about the legal requirements for operating a land trust and cover the issue of tax exemption, including the major requirements for maintaining charitable tax-exempt status and an overview of IRS Form 990.