You won’t want to miss Day 3 of the 2023 Wisconsin Land Trust Conference! We recently previewed the opening sessions of the Conference—Essential Skills for Success—on our blog. Here, we preview sessions for the final day, Friday, May 5. From the Anatomy of a Land Deal to Advancing Together, these sessions will highlight concepts and processes that are important for everyone to understand about land trust work. It promises to be interactive and thought-provoking morning!
Anatomy of a Land Deal
There’s a land trust adage that “no two deals are the same”. It may also be true that no two land trusts would take the same approach to doing a deal. We are bringing back a popular session from the 2017 Conference to examine this phenomenon, with a new, hypothetical conservation project as a basis for:
- Exploring the various approaches land trusts might take and the challenges they might encounter during a deal.
- Considering how those approaches and challenges might shift given the social, economic, and other trends impacting land trusts in Wisconsin.
- Discussing other factors affecting the anatomy of a deal at your land trust—board and staff composition and capacity, operating budget, and compliance with Land Trust Standards and Practices.
Moderator: MaryKay O’Donnell, Land Trust Alliance
Panelists: Terrie Cooper, Door County Land Trust; Chris Gutschenritter, Gathering Waters; Rick Remington, Landmark Conservancy
Advancing Together
Working across roles at your land trust is vital for building relationships and trust in your community to advance your conservation mission. The closing session of the Conference will send you on your way with inspiration for advancing your work together—today and in perpetuity.
Whether your primary responsibilities are advancement, land acquisition, stewardship, communication, or outreach, you have an important role to play. Experienced land trust fundraisers will share how all staff and board members can enhance the work of your land trust in dealing with donors, investigating land gifts, planned gifts, legacy planning…and more. The conversation will also address how to sustain donor relationships over time, even with staff and board turnover.
