The Stewardship Network

“The Stewardship Networks 990 initial draft is reviewed for accuracy by our Executive Director and Finance Director. Any Executive Director approved proposed changes are made to our accountant. After the suggested changes have been incorporated, it is reviewed by the Chair of the Finance Committee who is a member of our Board of Directors. After approval by the Chair of the Finance Committee, the 990 is presented to the Board.”

“The Stewardship Network board members and employees annually sign the written conflict of interest policy and are required to disclose interests that could give rise of conflicts. We regularly and consistently monitor and enforce compliance with this policy through an annual review and discussion at board meetings and through the annual review of the policy and signing of the Conflict of Interest Policy certificate.”

“The Stewardship Network has researched and benchmarked compensation for the Executive Director against compensation studies by Guidestar, Association for Nature Center Administrators, and Nonprofit Enterprise At Work.”

“The Stewardship Network will research and benchmark compensation for other officers and key employees against compensation studies by Guidestar, Association for Nature Center Administrators, and Nonprofit Enterprise At Work when the organization determines that officers are to be paid or services are retained of an employee that meets the IRS definition of key employee.”

“The Stewardship Network makes its governing documents and conflict of interest policy available upon request. Financial statements are available to the public on our website.”

“2016 Successes The Stewardship Network achieved numerous successes in 2016 which were direct outcomes of our ongoing programs. We celebrated the successful award of seven grant projects to support diverse conservation objectives. Looking to 2017 Finally, we laid the groundwork for many exciting projects coming up in 2017 and beyond. We continued to lengthen our list of successful achievements by facilitating grant funding for on-the-ground habitat and restoration projects in our clusters. We continued to support our local leaders through facilitated leadership training and peer-to-peer learning opportunities. We also continued efforts to expand our Cluster base, especially with partners in Minnesota and also fielding inquiries from Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Ontario. We have continued to develop partnerships with new organizations and strengthen our existing relationships.”

“The 2016 Stewardship Network Garlic Mustard Challenge 2016 Challenge was an overwhelming success, demonstrated by its ability to inspire participants from all across the country and beyond to care for natural areas in a collaborative conservation campaign. At the close of the 2016 Challenge, 5,095 individuals and over 100 organizations had removed 183,471 pounds of garlic mustard, therefore enhancing and restoring thousands of acres of natural areas. Furthermore, the 2016 Challenge made an impressive economic impact, by saving local governments, organizations, and private landowners funding via the estimated 36,022 volunteer hours logged during the 2016 Challenge. The value of volunteer time in 2016, which is updated annually by Independent Sector, was 24.14 per hour, which lends context to the Challenges volunteer time totaling almost 869,571 in just a few months. Ultimately, the 2016 Challenge elevated enthusiasm for caring for natural areas, and also provided a glimpse of the immense impact seemingly little actions make when we all pull together for nature. The October Volunteer Challenge was another marked success, recording a total of 2,027 hours of volunteer work to care for and improve natural areas in our communitities. In addition to tracking time in the field, some participants also took the opportunity to share their stories with us, answer the questions What are you working on Why did you become a steward What motivates you to continue this work Over the month of October, we were able to collect both qualitative and quantitative data to paint a more complete picture of stewardship across The Stewardship Network.”

“Contractual services for various program services 306,753 Payroll and retirement plan outside services 660”