We’ll explore core leadership concepts, think critically about leaders’ roles and job descriptions, establish shared expectations for the program, and begin building a supportive peer learning community. You’ll gain a clearer understanding of your unique leadership strengths using the Gallup CliftonStrengths talent assessment, practical strategies to support your well-being, and a strong foundation to engage fully in the Leadership Lab.

Leaders are often supervisors, but many land trusts don’t have the capacity to formally train new supervisors. During this topic, you and your peers will translate your on-the-job experience into a concrete framework for being a supervisor. We will examine our personal strengths as supervisors and explore topics such as building strong relationships with staff, effective communication, delegating responsibilities and fostering accountability.

Due to the mission-driven, relationship-based nature of our work, leaders must work with individuals and groups inside and outside of their organization. During these two weeks, we’ll focus on strategies and tools that play to your strengths while you navigate management and influence in all directions — we will focus primarily on managing upward to leadership, and sideways within your organization, across peer networks, and with external coalitions, and partner organizations.

Build your confidence and skill to have conversations addressing performance concerns, interpersonal tension and accountability gaps with clarity and professionalism. We’ll explore how to ground feedback in mission and standards, manage emotional dynamics and establish clear agreements that protect both relationships and organizational credibility. You’ll practice frameworks and language you can use immediately and long term to strengthen accountability and advance conservation goals.

Did you move into a budget management role with little to no nonprofit finance experience? Are you trying to navigate financial reports and balance sheets, indirect and overhead calculations, the differences between restricted and unrestricted funds, and compliance with Land Trust Standards and Practices? Translating acronyms like GAAP and UBIT? We will clarify and discuss key concepts to effectively develop and manage your budgets, highlighting a the important role managers and directors play in helping to ensure organizational compliance. 

Successful land trust fundraising is a team effort, and managers and directors from any department can be star players. After an overview of land trust fundraising, we will discuss how managers with any job title can work effectively to build relationships with donors and streamline efforts to fund programs through grants or other sources. You’ll practice verbal and written fundraising communication skills and have a chance to ask a development professional for advice and support.