ENTREVISTA A EN PAUL MCNAIR, DIRECTOR EXECUTIU DE LA LAND TRUST ALLIANCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
Pau McNair va assumir la direcció executiva de la Land Trust Alliance of British Columbia l’any 2010. En l’àmbit professional ha destacat com especialista en la captació de fons pel Tercer Sector a Canadà. És conegut per haver iniciar el projecte Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt i per ser nomenat l’any 2006 com a Outstanding Professional Fundraising Executive (millor executiu de captació de fons) per la Association of Fundraising Professionals. A continuació publico la entrevista que li vaig fer a principis de juliol sobre aspectes claus de la custòdia del territori a British Columbia:
- Which are the main goals of LTABC for the next years?
Until 2015 LTABC has strategically decided that funding for the Alliance and its members is very important. Land Trusts and LTA have existed on project funds and do not have operations and management money available. We are focusing on projects that will bring new funds to both groups.
We also believe the Standards & Practices program is key. By following this voluntary program it elevates the practices of land trusts and recognizes that we, collectively, support similar guidelines which also allow every group to define as they require based on needs. This means groups that only do stewardship work can adjust the standards to their needs and others who may actually purchase land can include practices applicable in this area. It is a very flexible program.
Finally we see communications and marketing as key. While we would like the public to know more about land trusts, there are target groups such as municipal leaders, potential donors and volunteers, landowners who really can advance the work of land trusts in BC. They will be the focus of our efforts.
- As in Catalonia, it seems that long term core funding is a critical problem for the land trust organizations in Canada. As a fundraising specialist, which strategy should be followed in order to solve that urgent problem? What is the LTABC’s fundraising plan for 2011?
There are two issues: increased private sector funding and increased government support. First, the environment receives about 2-3% of all donations. However, health care, education, social services and the arts all receive substantially higher portions. We need to position ourselves better and we need to start working together more and speaking with a collective voice. Land trusts, as with other environmental organizations have become too insular. Communicating and raising money individually means fragmented attempts to influence donors. If you have a land trust with 17 properties that may be impressive. If you have 30 land trusts with 1000 properties that becomes transformational. We need to get that message out to donors. I believe it will mean land trusts can position themselves as THE leader in conservation and preservation in BC. We also need to capitalize on the health aspects, education aspects and economic impact of the environment. This way we can position land trusts as both environmental agencies but also health organizations, educators and a key economic player in the province.
Governments also need to become more familiar with the overall impact of land trusts. It is simply impossible for any other collective to preserve as much land at such an affordable cost. Land trusts offer a very reasonable option to government protection of land. It is affordable, efficient and effective. It also expands the amount of land conserved and involves British Columbians directly. As with health care, education, the arts, this is an investment in the future however the impact is immediate – land is being conserved EVERYDAY.
LTABC is currently working on several projects that will raise significant funds for our members. The goal of the Alliance is not to grow itself into a major bureaucracy but to find the most effective way we can position ourselves to give as much back to land trusts as possible.
- One of the movements’ challenges is Land trusts commitment to quality standards for nonprofit management and land conservation. What’s the current status in BC and what is LTABC doing to improve it?
LTABC has taken the Standards & Practices from LTA in the US and CLTA in Canada and developed a voluntary online program for land trusts in BC. It is a simple on-line program that is completely voluntary, flexible to the needs of small, medium and large land trusts and can be worked on by both staff and volunteers. We see this as a way to elevate the status of land trusts, to ensure the public, donors and government that we have guidelines and as a means to share what we have collectively achieved. Our database has documents, templates, and samples that our members can share and adapt as they need. It really promotes the concept of land trusts supporting one another and sharing our vast expertise.
