The Stewardship Network

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

“2024 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 training, and peer-to-peer learning opportunities for each MC Coordinator. TSNs Member Communities engaged with 550 partner groups across ten states. TSN also expanded its geographic range in 2024 by taking on new Member Communities in Baltimore and the Columbia River Gorge. In 2024, TSN also continued to grow Gloves for Good, which diverts lightly used work gloves out of the waste stream, cleans them, and distributes 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 2024, more than 37,000 pairs of gloves had been redistributed by TSN, saving stewardship organizations more than 56,000.”

“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. Finally, TSN had a special opportunity in 2024 to play an instrumental role in distributing 50,000 free hazelnut seedlings to sequester carbon, filter nutrients, and provide food across Michigan and Ohio.”

“The Stewardship Network Conference 2024 connected, educated, and inspired 320 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 Stewardship Network Spring Challenge 2024 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 TSNspring 2024, 13,521 participants had reported 58,906 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 2024 value of volunteer hours, which is updated annually by the Independent Sector, was 34.79 per hour, providing a benchmark for the Challenges volunteer economic impact, which comes out to nearly 2 million. The TSNspring 2024 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 small actions can make when many people pull together for the health and preservation of natural areas. The Stewardship Networks Monthly Webcast continued to grow in popularity in 2024, attended by natural areas professionals, researchers, students, volunteers, and landowners from around the world. 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.”

“Contractual services for various program support 452,814 Contractual services for administrative and fundraising support 18,415 Honoraria and stipends 1,700 Payroll service fees 1,996”