Assessing Your Organization:Gauging Your Land Trust’s Progress

Maryland Land Conservation Conference 2009

Sylvia Bates, Land Trust AllianceBeki Howey, Maryland Environment Trust

Why should a land trust evaluate its performance?

Assessment of performance allows land trust leaders to…

• Reflect on individual responsibilities• Clarify expectations• Identify issues and concerns that need

attention, including training needs• Recognize and reward good performance• Set goals for the future• Use the results as a springboard for

performance improvement

Assessing Your Organization

Land Trust Standards and Practices (revised 2004)

Definition

• Land Trust Standards and Practices are the ethical and technical guidelines for the responsible operation of a land trust

Land Trust Standards and Practices and your Land Trust

• Land Trust Alliance members must adopt the 2004 Standards and Practices revisions

• All land trusts are encouraged to implement Standards and Practices at a pace appropriate for their organizations

What does it mean to “adopt”?

• Adoption indicates that a land trust has…– Reviewed– Accepted– Made a commitment

What is Accreditation?

• Voluntary• Independent verification of standards• Based on 37 indicator practices from Land

Trust Standards and Practices

Introduction to AYO• Background• How AYO has been used

– Strategic planning– Organizational challenges– Expanding staff or programs– Mentoring– Grant-making requirement– Membership in statewide land trust council– Land trust accreditation

AYO Levels

• Self-assessment done by land trust without outside help

• Paper-based guided assessment with phone support from Alliance staff or consultant

• “Standard” guided assessment with Alliance staff or consultant

• High-level AYO with document review

Choosing the Assessment Method

• Guided assessments – the recommended approach

• Self-assessments – two alternative approaches

• Decision-making guide

General Steps in the Guided AYO Process

1. Land trust is engaged in the process2. An assessment meeting is scheduled3. Land trust completes the workbook and submits

background materials to the assessor4. Assessment meeting is held5. Written recommendations are prepared and

delivered to the land trust6. The assessment process is evaluated7. Additional follow up

Initiating the Process

• Identifying an assessor to help• Targeted invitation to pre-identified land trust• General announcement

– Brief informational form– Memorandum of understanding

Guided Assessments• All-volunteer land trusts

– Entire board completes workbook OR– Standards assigned to committees

• Land trusts with small staffs– Entire board and staff leadership team OR– Standards assigned to committees and key staff

• Large, staffed organizations– Standards assigned to staff person or board committees

AND– Entire board reviews workbook OR summary prior to the

assessment meeting

Self-Assessments

• Assessor plays more limited role• Receives workbooks• Collects background materials• Reviews and evaluates information• Makes preliminary recommendations• Presents results• Finalizes written recommendations

• No involvement by outside assessor

Self-Assessments• All-volunteer land trusts

– All board members individually complete workbook OR– Standards assigned to committees OR– Board completes workbook together

• Land trusts with small staffs– All board members and staff leadership individually complete

workbook OR– Standards assigned to committees and key staff OR– Board and staff leadership complete workbook together

Self-Assessments (cont.)

• Large, staffed organizations– Standards assigned to staff person or board

committees OR– Board and staff leadership complete workbook

together

Before the Assessment Meeting

1. Schedule the meeting2. Distribute workbook3. Participants may complete questionnaire

• Sample A• Sample B

4. Sample documents, background materials submitted to assessor

• Sample A• Sample B

5. Pre-meeting phone conference

At the Assessment Meeting

1. Introduction and background

2. Review and discussion of each practice

3. Reach general consensus concerning ranking

4. Identify priorities for improvement for Parts 1 and 2

5. Wrap-up, summary and next steps

Components of the Written Report

• Brief summary of the meeting• Summary of findings• Recommendations• Priorities• Reference materials and resources

Sample Reports

• Sample A• Sample B• Sample C

Delivering the Final Report

• By mail– With cover letter

• Phone conference• Face-to-face meeting

– Board planning agenda

After the Assessment

• Evaluation forms– For the land trust to complete– For the assessor to complete

• Six-month progress report• Additional follow-up (examples)

– Additional coaching– Technical assistance plan– Individual follow-up

Other Tools

• Many different organizational assessment tools available– BoardSource– Institute for Conservation Leadership– Others

• Land Trust Alliance– Assessing Your Organization– Conservation Easement Program Assessment

Standards and Practices Curriculum

• 15 courses on indicator practices– Prepares land trusts for accreditation– Not required for accreditation– No guarantee of accreditation– Not just for accreditation!

The Learning Center

• Free to Alliance members anytime, anywhere• Same content as the books/instructors• Access and more information:

http://learningcenter.lta.org• Accessible to members with dial-up