The Stewardship Network

“The Stewardship Networks 990 initial draft is reviewed for accuracy by our CEO and Finance Director. Any CEO 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.”

“2023 Successes The Stewardship Network TSN carried forward its mission and impact by supporting collaborative ecological stewardship work. TSN continued bringing together like-purposed people to work across jurisdictional and property ownership boundaries, forming new partnerships and harnessing our collective power to take care of the environment. TSNs place-based collaboratives, called Member Communities MCs, continued and expanded their work on natural area restoration and stewardship, with complementary learning and engagement programs for individuals in their areas. The Member Community program offers operational support, leadership trainings, and peer-to-peer learning opportunities for each MC Coordinator, and TSNs Member Communities engaged with 550 partner groups across ten states. TSN also expanded its geographic range in 2023 by taking on a new Member Community in the Pacific Northwest. In 2023, TSN also continued to grow Gloves for Good, which diverts lightly used work gloves out of the waste stream and established a way to clean and distribute them throughout our network. The work gloves are available for free, which is a huge benefit to recipients, as that is a constant requirement for on the ground stewardship activities. At the end of 2023, 10,272 pairs of gloves had been redistributed by TSN, saving stewardship organizations 15,792.”

“The 2023 Stewardship Network Conference, held virtually in February, connected, educated, and inspired 350 natural areas stewards from across North America. Presenters and participants came from a wide array of backgrounds, including private landowners, tribal members, government agency representatives, professional land managers, researchers, students, and more. This interdisciplinary conference continued its superb track record as one of the premier natural areas restoration conferences in the region, while involving an even greater diversity of presenters and participants than in previous years. Subject matter included advancements in ecological research, new tools and technologies, and collaborative processes. The 2023 Stewardship Network Spring Challenge logged its greatest level of engagement in program history work hours reported and connected participants from across the United States and Canada to care for natural areas in a collaborative conservation campaign. At the end of the 2023 Challenge, 13,604 participants had reported 50,816 hours of stewardship, removing invasive species, cleaning up natural areas, participating in restoration efforts, and otherwise improving the ecological health of important landscapes. These hours mark an impressive economic impact of donated time in the field, creating an enormous benefit to local governments, organizations, and private landowners. The 2023 value of volunteer hours, which is updated annually by the Independent Sector, was 31.80 per hour, providing a benchmark for the Challenges volunteer economic impact, which comes out to 1,615,949. The 2023 Challenge connected ecological stewards across the United States and Canada, elevated enthusiasm for caring for natural areas, and also provided a snapshot of the immense impact that seemingly little actions can make when many people pull together for the health and preservation of natural areas. The Stewardship Networks monthly webcasts continued to grow in popularity in 2023, attended by natural areas professionals, researchers, students, volunteers, and landowners from around the world. In 2023, attendees were able to engage with presenters and new information in real time. Presentations included a range of topics including invasive species control, natural resource legislation changes, and best practices for natural areas management. Webcast recordings and additional information are available to the public on The Stewardship Network website. In 2023, TSN grew its newest program, Gloves for Good, which diverts lightly used work gloves out of the waste stream and established a way to clean and distribute them throughout our network. The work gloves are available for free, which is a huge benefit to recipients, as that is a constant requirement for on the ground stewardship activities.”

“Contractual services for various program support 457,243 Contractual services for administrative support 35,601 Payroll service fees 1,371”