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.

Indicator practices were chosen based on the following criteria:

• 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).

Please note that this list refers to practices as they are numbered in Land Trust Standards and Practices. If a practice is not one of the accreditation indicator practices, it does not appear in this list, and thus the numbering of practices in this list is not sequential.

Standard 1: Mission
1A. Mission
1B. Planning and Evaluation
1D. Ethics

Standard 2: Compliance with Laws
2A. Compliance with Laws
2B. Nonprofit Incorporation and Bylaws
2C. Tax Exemption

Standard 3: Board Accountability
3B. Board Composition
3C. Board Governance
3F. Board Approval of Land Transactions

Standard 4: Conflicts of Interest
4A. Dealing with Conflicts of Interest
4C. Transactions with Insiders

Standard 5: Fundraising
5A. Legal and Ethical Practices

Standard 6: Financial and Asset Management
6A. Annual Budget
6B. Financial Records
6D. Financial Review or Audit
6F. Investment and Management of Financial Assets and Dedicated Funds

Standard 7: Volunteers, Staff and Consultants
7A. Capacity

Standard 8: Evaluating and Selecting Conservation Projects
8B. Project Selection and Criteria
8D. Public Benefit of Transactions
8G. Project Planning

Standard 9: Ensuring Sound Transactions
9A. Legal Review and Technical Expertise
9E. Easement Drafting
9G. Recordkeeping
9H. Title Investigation and Subordination
9J. Purchasing Land
9K. Selling Land or Easements

Standard 10: Tax Benefits
10A. Tax Code Requirements
10B. Appraisals

Standard 11: Conservation Easement Stewardship
11A. Funding Easement Stewardship
11B. Baseline Documentation Report
11C. Easement Monitoring
11D. Landowner Relationships
11E. Enforcement of Easements
11I. Amendments

Standard 12: Fee Land Stewardship
12A. Funding Land Stewardship
12C. Land Management
12D. Monitoring Land Trust Properties