Become an Ambassador

For Accredited Land Trusts Only

Overview and Purpose

The Accreditation Ambassadors Program is a new program for 2011 intended to harness the enthusiasm of accredited land trust board and staff in promoting the accreditation program. The Land Trust Accreditation Commission and the Land Trust Alliance recognize that the success of the program relies, in part, on the positive experiences of its participants. Rather than speaking to just Commission or Alliance board and staff, those interested in accreditation can now hear from those that have gone through the program successfully and earned the accreditation seal. It is particularly important for land trusts considering accreditation to have the opportunity to speak with and learn from the experiences of their peers.

Participants

Representatives of accredited land trusts, in addition to former commissioners, who are positive, articulate and knowledgeable of the accreditation program may become Ambassadors. Interested persons from accredited land trusts complete an online survey that is reviewed by the Commission. It is important that the representative’s organization is supportive of the staff or board member participating in this program and should recognize it as a prestigious opportunity to be leaders in the land trust community.

Duties of an Accreditation Ambassador

Ambassadors are called upon to speak with staff and/or board of other land trusts that are considering or embarking upon accreditation. Ambassadors may be asked to do the following, for example:

meet with individual land trusts (by telephone or in-person).
address regional and state land trust meetings (Alliance-sponsored or others).
participate in webinars (sponsored by the Commission, Alliance or other organization).
speak at land trust gatherings (e.g., annual meetings, receptions, fundraisers, etc.).

Ambassadors may also be asked to respond to inquiries from the media or partner organizations (such as state service centers, public agencies, private foundations, etc.) who are interested in learning more about the program from the perspective of participants.

Ambassadors will be asked to share their accreditation experiences and discuss the benefits of going through the process. Depending on the audience, these might include describing such things as:

why they decided to go forward with accreditation,
how they prepared for and organized the accreditation process,
what changes they made in policies and procedures,
how they use their accredited status with donors, landowners, and other partners,
what benefits they have seen since earning accreditation, and
what general advice they would give to a land trust considering accreditation.

Ambassadors will be asked to report on their activities quarterly.

Time Commitment

At this point, the time commitment is unknown and will likely vary from individual-to-individual based on factors such as region. The Commission will gather information on time as part of evaluations. An individual may not serve as an Ambassador within one year of his/her organization’s accreditation expiration date or while the organization’s application for renewal is under review.

Training and Evaluation

As a requirement to being named an Ambassador, participants must complete the requisite training. The initial training will consist of participation in one 1.5 hour webinar training with Commission and Alliance staff and a commissioner. Participants must also review current application materials to ensure they are familiar with the most current information. In order to remain on the list of Ambassadors, participants must attend an annual refresher training webinar. This annual update will also give Ambassadors an opportunity to provide feedback to the Commission and Alliance on the ambassador program. Events at Rally may be planned as well, but participation will not be mandatory. In addition, Ambassadors will be asked to complete an annual evaluation of the program.

A feedback form will be posted online so that land trusts and others may provide feedback on the Ambassadors’ speaking ability to the Commission and/or Alliance. Ambassadors are also asked to provide land trusts and others with the feedback form for submission to the Commission and/or Alliance after a speaking engagement. The Commission reserves the right to remove an individual from the list of Ambassadors based on feedback received.

Coordination

An up-to-date list of Ambassadors will be available on the Commission and Alliance websites at http://www.landtrustaccreditation.org and http://www.landtrustalliance.org respectively. Land trusts and others will be encouraged to contact Ambassadors directly and make arrangements without the assistance of the Commission or the Alliance.

Costs

The Ambassador training webinar will be hosted and supported by the Alliance.
Conveners of non-Alliance sponsored land trust meetings will cover these costs as they would any other speakers. If the convener does not cover these costs, the Alliance may consider covering the costs.
Individual land trusts that request an Ambassador meet with their board or staff or speak at an event will, at a minimum, be expected to cover any direct costs. Any possible honorarium is to be negotiated between the Ambassador and the land trust host.

How to Become an Ambassador

To apply to be an Ambassador, please complete our online survey. The survey will take between 15-30 minutes to complete. You may save your responses and come back to them later. Thank you for your interest in becoming an Ambassador!

Questions?

Please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if you have any questions, or call 518-587-3143.

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