Land trust accreditation is voluntary and requires compliance with a set of accreditation indicator practices selected from Land Trust Standards and Practices. Accreditation is awarded by the national Land Trust Accreditation Commission.

Summary

The Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance, provides independent verification of 37 indicator practices from Land Trust Standards and Practices that show a land trust's ability to operate in an ethical, legal and technically sound manner and ensure the long-term protection of land in the public interest. The Commission accredits nonprofit applicants who demonstrate compliance with all of the accreditation indicator practices. The Commission’s accreditation seal is a mark of distinction in land conservation. It recognizes organizations for meeting national standards for excellence. Land trusts may use the accreditation application process as a way to fine-tune their policies and improve their operations. Accreditation is voluntary.

Track Record

The Land Trust Accreditation Commission was established in 2006 as an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance. As of August 2009, 78 land trusts nationwide are accredited, ten of them Pennsylvania land trusts. These organizations are listed below along with testimonials attesting to the benefits of going through the accreditation process.

Typical End Users

Nonprofit organizations that hold conservation easements, acquire land or manage land for conservation purposes.

Conservation Impact

Accreditation was developed to recognize a land trust's ability to operate in an ethical, legal and technically sound manner and ensure the long-term protection of land in the public interest.
Experience shows that organizations with well-documented policies and procedures often have effective and lasting land conservation programs.
Independent accreditation provides the assurance of quality and permanence of land conservation the public is looking for and publicly recognizes a land trust's ability to protect important natural places and working lands.

What You'll Need

Requires full commitment by the land trust board and staff as it will consume many hours in application preparation and documentation requirements. Basic accreditation requirements are:

501(c)(3) tax-exempt or quasi-governmental organization
Incorporated for at least two years
Focused on acquiring and/or stewarding conservation land or conservation easements
Have completed two direct land or easement acquisition projects
Adopted Land Trust Standards and Practices (2004)
Self-assessment against the full Land Trust Standards and Practices completed within the last three years

Obstacles and Challenges

Accreditation is an intense process that requires many dedicated hours and full commitment from the land trust staff and board. Organizations with few or no staff may find it to difficult to dedicate the necessary hours for the accreditation process especially while simultaneously completing land transactions and administrative responsibilities.
Accreditation may require land trusts to change internal policies and implementation strategies relating specifically to those practices scrutinized by the Commission. Informal policies and practices may have to be formalized in written policies and with written documentation confirming conformance.
Organizations should review the Organization Readiness section below to better understand the expectations of organizations undertaking the accreditation process.

Contents of Main Description

Comments by Accredited Pennsylvania Land Trusts
   Bedminster Land Conservancy
   Brandywine Conservancy
   Countryside Conservancy
   Heritage Conservancy
   Lancaster County Conservancy
   Lancaster Farmland Trust
   Natural Lands Trust
   North Branch Land Trust
   Tinicum Conservancy
   Willistown Conservation Trust
Background
The Land Trust Accreditation Commission
Eligibility
Organization Readiness
Indicator Practices
Accreditation Process
   Step 1. Registration
   Step 2. Pre-Application
      Pre-Application Requirements (effective January 1, 2010):
   Step 3. Application
      Application Requirements
   Step 4. Application Review
   Step 5. Full Commission Decision
Help with Accreditation

Comments by Accredited Pennsylvania Land Trusts

Bedminster Land Conservancy

“We are delighted to receive this very valued ‘seal of approval’ and will display our accreditation seal with honor. The pilot program helped us refine and improve some of our practices and ensure that we are on the right path with regard to others. Although it was a big undertaking for our small land trust, we knew it would help us ensure we were doing the ‘right thing’ for land preservation in our area.” - Wendy Battisti, President

Brandywine Conservancy

“Accreditation brings credibility and accountability to the land trust community through national recognition of our commitment to excellence and the highest professional standards. The process is a great team-building effort and creates an opportunity for young and old organizations to step back, evaluate land trust policies and procedures, and make improvements.” - Sherri-Evans Stanton, Director / Environmental Management Center

Countryside Conservancy

“Applying for accreditation was demanding and time-consuming, especially for the staff, but it began paying off even before we submitted our application in terms of making us improve our professional practices. After going through the accreditation process, we really have thought through the big questions in land conservation.” - Mary Felley, Executive Director

Heritage Conservancy

“The accreditation process was challenging at times, but it’s very gratifying to have participated in the pilot program and achieve the milestone of being a part of the first group of land trusts to be accredited. Heritage Conservancy is proud to have received this national recognition from the Land Trust Alliance and will display the accreditation seal with great honor.” - Cliff David, President

Lancaster County Conservancy

"Going through the accreditation process was a way for us to fine tune our operations and to publicly demonstrate how seriously we take our mission to permanently protect our lands and natural resources. It both increases our accountability and transparency, and further instills a sense of confidence with our partners, members, friends, and the public in our ability to fulfill this mission. Achieving the status of an accredited land trust is truly a distinction." - Ralph Goodno, Executive Director

Lancaster Farmland Trust

"Lancaster Farmland Trust is proud to display the accreditation seal. It is a visible illustration of our commitment to excellence in permanently protecting Lancaster County's precious farmland." - Karen Martynik, Executive Director

Natural Lands Trust

“Imagine reviewing and documenting fifty-five years worth of an organization’s work. It was well worth the effort, though. Applying for Accreditation gave us the opportunity to reflect on our current management and ensure that we were operating at the very highest level." - Andy Pitz, Vice President, Policy & Planning

North Branch Land Trust

“When the prospect of accreditation appeared on the horizon, the staff and board at the North Branch Land Trust were intrigued. When the pilot rounds opened, we immediately formed an accreditation committee, submitted our paperwork and were accepted into Pilot Round Two. The application process was daunting, and often tedious; however, our organization, clients and supporters are so much better off for our experience.” - Linda Thoma, Director of Operations

Tinicum Conservancy

"I am very proud of our trustees and staff, who have made this designation possible. Supporters, and those considering support for the Conservancy, can feel confident that their generous contributions of money and time will be well invested in Tinicum's future." - Jim Vaseleck, President

Willistown Conservation Trust

“We did not make the decision to apply for accreditation lightly, and it took a great deal of staff and board time and resources to complete. But, there is no doubt that it was worth the effort, and that we now are a stronger and more efficient organization. The process helped us refine our systems and rethink some of our internal procedures. With this accreditation, our supporters should feel confident that we have the resources in place to ensure the permanence of our conservation efforts.” - Jeannie B. Van Alen, Executive Director

Background

Independent accreditation provides the assurance of quality and permanence of land conservation while publicly recognizing a land trust’s ability to protect important natural places and working lands forever.

Land trusts may use the accreditation application process as a way to fine-tune their policies and streamline their operations. The Land Trust Accreditation Commission conducts an extensive review of each application. The accreditation seal is a mark of distinction in land conservation. It recognizes organizations for meeting national standards for excellence, upholding the public trust and ensuring that conservation efforts are permanent. Applicants for accreditation must demonstrate compliance with all of the accreditation indicator practices (listed below).

The Land Trust Accreditation Commission

The Land Trust Accreditation Commission was incorporated as an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance in 2006. The Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance, provides independent verification of the 37 indicator practices from Land Trust Standards and Practices that show a land trust's ability to operate in an ethical, legal and technically sound manner and ensure the long-term protection of land in the public interest.

The Land Trust Accreditation Commission awards the accreditation seal to community institutions that meet national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever.

For more information regarding the Commission, including annual reports, updates and press releases, visit www.landtrustaccreditation.org.

Eligibility

If your land trust does not meet the following criteria, it is not eligible for accreditation at this time:

Is your land trust a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization?

Has it been incorporated for at least two years?
Is your organization focused on acquiring and/or stewarding conservation land or conservation easements?
Has your land trust completed two direct land or easement acquisition projects? (In a direct land or easement acquisition project the applicant organization is included in the chain of title on a fee parcel or is the grantee of a conservation easement.)
Has your land trust adopted Land Trust Standards and Practices (2004)?
Has your organization conducted an assessment against the full Land Trust Standards and Practices within the last three years?

Organization Readiness

According to the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, land trusts considering applying for accreditation should be committed to continuous improvement and building a strong land trust; committed to the long-term stewardship of land and/or conservation easements; and committed to upholding the credibility of the land trust community.

If a land trust can affirm each of these statements, than the land trust should next consider the following questions:

Is the land trust implementing the indicator practices? Accredited land trusts must carry out each of the accreditation indicator practices. Conducting an assessment against Land Trust Standards and Practices is a helpful way to evaluate implementation and plan accordingly. Reviewing the application for accreditation is also a good way to assess implementation.
Does the land trust have the necessary documentation? Accreditation applications must provide evidence that the land trust is carrying out each of the indicator practices. If the organization recently adopted new policies, the accreditation application must include evidence that the policies are being implemented. The Commission will also look at the paper trail for land projects to see if transactions are screened against criteria and are carefully planned and to determine if stewardship obligations are met.
Can the land trust show how it approves land transactions? Does the land trust have evidence of how land transactions are approved in the organization? Can the organization provide the information that the board receives before it makes a decision to acquire land or conservation easements? If a committee of the board or another entity makes the decision, can the land trust show what authority was delegated, the information provided to the decision-makers and the information provided to full board?
If the organization holds conservation easements, does it have baseline documentation (or current condition) reports for all and does it monitor them annually? Applicants must have baseline documentation reports for every conservation easement they hold. They must demonstrate a pattern of monitoring each easement annually. If this is a new practice, the Commission will look for a minimum of two consecutive years of annual monitoring records to show compliance.
If the land trust owns land in fee, does it maintain management plans or written guidance for each property and are the properties inspected regularly? Applicants must have written management plans or written guidance for each property they hold in fee. They must be able to show that these properties are inspected regularly – on a schedule that is appropriate for the use of the property and resources protected.

Indicator Practices

Applicants for voluntary land trust accreditation must demonstrate compliance with a set of accreditation indicator practices selected from Land Trust Standards and Practices. These practices were designated by the Land Trust Alliance and indicate the land trust’s ability to operate in an ethical, legal and technically sound manner and ensure the long-term protection of land in the public interest.

Responsible governance of the organization;
Protection of the public interest with sound and sustainable land transactions and stewardship;
Ethical operations;
Accountability to donors and the public; and,
Compliance with all laws, such as IRC §170(h) and §501(c)(3).

Accreditation Process

Step 1. Registration

Land trusts ready to apply for accreditation can complete an online registration form and submit an electronic payment of a $750 nonrefundable, nontransferable registration fee. The registration system allows land trusts to register for a specific application due date or "application round". This is a required first step in the accreditation application process. When the land trust selects its round, the organizations are committed to submitting an accreditation pre-application and application on the due dates for that round. The organization will need to pay the balance of the accreditation fee when the application is submitted. See eligibility requirements above.

Step 2. Pre-Application

Applicants for accreditation will submit a pre-application approximately 10 weeks before their complete application is due. The pre-application will enable the Commission to verify that applicants meet basic program requirements before they submit a complete application. Data from the pre-application will be used by the Commission to select projects for which the applicant will need to submit detailed documentation.

Pre-Application Requirements (effective January 1, 2010):

complete pre-application and all required attachments.
In addition, an applicant must demonstrate the following at the time of pre-application:
- That each conservation easement has a baseline documentation report.
- That each conservation easement has a record of at least two consecutive years of annual monitoring.
- That each fee property has been periodically inspected.

Step 3. Application

The application for accreditation is designed to gather information on how an applicant carries out the indicator practices from Land Trust Standards and Practices. The indicator practices were designated by the Land Trust Alliance Board of Directors and were selected to indicate a land trust's ability to operate in an ethical, legal and technically sound manner and ensure the long-term protection of land in the public interest. The application asks for a significant amount of detail. The focus on documentation is a foundation of a responsible accreditation program. Experience also shows that organizations with well-documented policies and procedures often have effective and lasting land conservation programs. See Library Items for additional resources on application, including the Applicant Handbook and the Application Toolkit.

Application Requirements

Complete application questionnaire.
Evidence that the applicant is meeting each of the indicator practices by including:
- All required attachments indicated on the Master Attachment Checklist, and
- The project documentation indicated on the Project Documentation Checklist

The way that organizations implement the accreditation indicator practices varies widely depending on the location, size, and characteristics of the organization. That is why the application provides flexibility in many places for applicants to choose the documents that they feel best illustrate how they implement each practice. Commissioners have extensive experience in land conservation and nonprofit management and will use sound judgment in making decisions that take geography, size and other factors into account.

Step 4. Application Review

A review team of one or more commissioners and a Commission staff member will review each complete application in detail. Relying on multiple sources of information helps ensure credible decisions that maintain the integrity of the accreditation program. The majority of the information evaluated by the review team will be provided by the applicant or accredited land trust, some information may be provided by the public and still other information may be the result of research conducted by the Commission.

The review team may also engage in research relative to an applicant or accredited land trust. This research may include Web or print searches, documented interviews with individuals knowledgeable about the land trust's activities, informal visits to conservation properties and/or review of other data. The review team will hold at least one phone call with the applicant to help answer questions the review team may have about the application and to provide for an opportunity to discuss the application. Some organizations may be selected to receive a site visit. After the conference call or site visit, the review team may follow up with the applicant. At this time it will request any additional documentation or written clarification of the land trust’s activities it needs to complete its review of the application.

Step 5. Full Commission Decision

The full Commission makes final decisions on each complete application based on the review team’s evaluation of the applicant’s compliance with each of the indicator practices. The Commission can decide to grant or deny accreditation, or it can make a decision to table an application pending additional information. Each applicant will be notified of the Commission’s decision.

Further explanation of Commission Decisions:

Accredit - Organizations that demonstrate acceptable compliance with all of the indicator practices are awarded accreditation for a period of five years. Decisions to grant accreditation may be accompanied by expectations for improvement for practices where the Commission believes the land trust must take action over time to improve compliance. If an accredited land trust submits an application for renewal, the Commission will evaluate the land trust’s progress toward meeting these expectations at that time. Accredited organizations will be granted a license to use the accreditation seal. Commission staff will work with accredited organizations to promote their accredited status.

Table - The Commission may decide to table an application until its next meeting, or for a period of no longer than 12 months, pending additional information from the applicant. If an application is tabled, an organization must provide information and/or demonstrate acceptable compliance with the indicator practices within the timeframe set by the Commission.

Deny - Organizations that do not demonstrate acceptable compliance with all of the indicator practices will be denied accreditation. Applicants that are not awarded accreditation will be provided with information on the reason(s) for denial. If an application is denied, the Commission may establish a waiting period before the applicant can reapply.

Land trust accreditation is a voluntary program. A land trust may withdraw from the accreditation process at any time during the application process for any reason. An accredited land trust may also withdraw from the program, unless it is facing disciplinary action. A land trust may also withdraw from accreditation by allowing its accreditation to lapse by not participating in the renewal process.

Help with Accreditation

Land Trust Alliance Curriculum - The Land Trust Alliance has an affordable curriculum related to Land Trust Standards and Practices with special focus on the accreditation indicator practices. Study can be done online, in person, or with a consultant. Learn more at http://www.landtrustalliance.org/training/curriculum.

Land Trust Alliance Learning Center – Online resource, free to Land Trust Alliance members, that enables users to improve on conservation skills and grow his or her organization to its full potential. The Learning Center also contains archives of Exchange going back to 1996, the new Saving Land magazine, presentations from conferences, as well as numerous other documents, publications, worksheets, and more. Visit the Learning Center.

Guided Organizational Assessments – The Pennsylvania Land Trust Association provides support through its Technical Assistance Program to Pennsylvania land trusts interested in seeking accreditation. Accreditation requires that an organization complete an assessment against the full Land Trust Standards & Practices before applying, though land trusts are not required to complete this assessment through PALTA. PALTA invites member land trusts operating in Pennsylvania to apply for a grant for a Guided Organizational Assessment. Guided Organizational Assessments provide:

An engaging and intensive on-site assessment with a qualified professional of your choice.
An objective tool to identify a land trust’s strengths and areas for improvement.
A cooperative process to guide an organization towards full implementation of Land Trust Standards & Practices.
A plan to assist a land trust in making improvements (including recommendations, sample documents and references to technical assistance).
A great way to begin preparation for Accreditation.

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