JMRPWG agenda 102898 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Stewardship entails many costs . A land trust must maintain and manage the property that it owns . It must comply with any deed restrictions on donated property . It must also actively manage the property ' s resources to meet the conservation goals for the parcel . Finally, if the land is open to the public, upkeep is especially important , both for the trust ' s image and to prevent liability problems . These are perpetual responsibilities , requiring time and money . A land trust needs to monitor the land and easements at least annually . For property it owns, a land trust must make sure that management goals are met, safety hazards are identified , and any trespass or vandalism is detected and dealt with . For the conservation easements it holds, e . a land trust must insure that the owner is complying with the easement ' s terms . Running a Land Trust Being a land trust means being a business, and running a land trust is a lot of work. Most boards include many busy, professional people who will lose interest if too many demands are made that do not use their special skills . Land trusts thus need to supplement the work of the board with the help of volunteers and, if necessary, hired staff. In addition, careful financial management is essential so that the trust can carry out its mission and because the trust is accountable to the public for its use of funds . Finally, community support is vital and involves _ three activities : building public awareness, developing membership , and fundraising . Volunteers & Staff Most land trusts rely heavily on volunteer efforts . However, while some land trusts feel they don ' t have the money to hire staff, many believe that paid professional staff makes the difference between a trust that only reacts to opportunities and one that can set goals and meet them. Volunteers . To make effective use of volunteers, a land trust needs to operate a carefully thought out program of recruitment, supervision, recognition, and trairsng . Before recruiting volunteers, however, the land trust needs to know what it wants to do . Screening volunteers is also essential . The land trust needs someone who is cooperative, is able to do the assigned job, and reflects well on the trust . Prospective volunteers should be interviewed by a board or staff member or a volunteer coordinator . Whatever the approach, the point is *o uemonstrate that the trust realizes the volunteers are an essential part of its success and not taken for granted . Staff. Some land trusts believe the cost of hiring staff is prohibitive . However, many land trusts have learned that staff more than pays for itself. Full- rime staff can allow a land trust to do I L more and more complex projects, raise the trust ' s visibility, step up its fundraising, build membership, and make new contacts . All of this ultimately contributes to an increased financial a base for the organization . �. The kind of staff that enables a land trust to elevate its effectiveness is professional staff, usually an executive director . The salary for a full-time director depends on the experience of the person hired, and the cost of living and salary ranges in the area. Another important point to 15