Catch-up on the latest Accreditation Corner from the Land Trust Alliance's Saving Land magazine.

Leveraging Your Accreditation Seal

Your land trust has successfully navigated the rigorous application process for accreditation—congratulations! Did you know that the accreditation seal is now one of your most valuable assets?
The value of the accreditation seal only grows as community members come to appreciate what it means for a land trust to be accredited. However, communicating its value sometimes ends up at the bottom of a long to-do list—with so many other priorities it can seem like there is never enough time in the day! The Land Trust Accreditation Commission has been putting together guidance and tools to help land trusts leverage the accreditation seal and to communicate effectively with their communities.

What your accreditation seal signfies

Accredited land trusts have met the highest national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever. They have completed a rigorous review process; exhibited strong ethical practices; and demonstrated fiscal accountability, responsible governance and lasting stewardship of the lands they conserve. Put simply: The accreditation seal tells everyone that your land trust is secure, stable, well-led and ready to stand the test of time.

Key Messages

Your land trust worked long and hard to achieve accreditation. Keep the payoff coming by repeatedly featuring the value of accreditation in outreach and communications. Here are threecentral messages to consider:

1. Accreditation is how we make good on the promise of perpetuity. Protecting land forever is essential to our communities.
2. Accreditation doesn't just prove our organizational excellence; it makes us better. It keeps us planning and growing to meet evolving community and landowner needs.
3. Accreditation is why we are a trusted long-term investment. In a comprehensive and rigorous evaluation by our peers, we demonstrated that we operate at the highest level in the land trust field.

Reigniting Communications

A few years after accreditation, it can be easy to take your achievement for granted. Promoting more recent accomplishments can take on greater urgency. Here are some ideas to reignite communications related to your accreditation:

• Ask owners of new lands you've conserved to speak to the importance of protecting their land in perpetuity and how accreditation played a role in their decision to work with your land trust.
• Share examples on a regular basis about how your land trust has added or changed policies or plans in response to evolving standards in the field.
• Keep asking donors how being accredited factors into their trust in your organization and share their stories.

Communications Consistency

Keeping accreditation at the forefront of your promotions doesn't have to be difficult. You can continue to leverage the methods or channels of communications you use today:

• For example, use the seal in social media, your website, digital or print newsletters, donor mailings, events and blog posts.
• You'll want to stay on the lookout for landowner, donor, operations and other examples that illustrate the ongoing positive impact of accreditation. Package and incorporate these examples across your various channels.
• The key is consistency of communications. Accreditation is one of your land trust's most valuable assets—you'll maximize that value by regularly drawing attention to your status as an accredited land trust and the difference it makes.

You've got this!

Remember, your base of landowners, donors and friends is constantly growing and changing. The same is true of your board and staff. There will always be new people who will appreciate knowing the significance of the Land Trust Accreditation Commission seal. Your land trust earned the right to display the seal. We encourage you to keep spreading the word about this mark of excellence.