The Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations has awarded its Seal of Excellence to the Chester County-based North American Land Trust (NALT) — for successfully completing the association’s standards for excellence accreditation program. It was the first time the organization had applied for the designation.
To earn the accreditation, North American Land Trust was analyzed by a “jury of its peers,” according to a press release announcing the designation. The peer review team examined North American Land Trust for compliance in several areas including: mission, strategy and evaluation; leadership: board, staff, and volunteers; legal compliance and ethics; finance and operations; resource development; and public awareness, engagement, and advocacy.
“NALT’s accreditation application was so strong that our team of specially trained reviewers were in disbelief that this was the organization’s first time applying,” Heather S. Giampapa, Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations’ director for standards of excellence and development, said in a statement.
The Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations evaluates fundamental values such as honesty, integrity, fairness, respect, trust, responsibility, and accountability, according to the release. North American Land Trust’s programs and services, management, fundraising, and financial practices were subjected to in-depth examination prior to earning accreditation.
“In becoming a standards for excellence accredited organization, NALT has shown that it is adhering to the highest quality nonprofit governance and operational management, while also staying focused on its mission to conserve and steward our natural and cultural resources,” Giampapa added.
North American Land Trust is headquartered in Pennsbury, Chester County, and protects more than 138,000 acres at 574 conservation areas in 24 states.
“We are honored to earn accreditation from such a prestigious organization like PANO, and we are particularly proud of having met all the requirements of the national standards for excellence accreditation program,” Steven Carter, president of North American Land Trust, said in a statement.
“This designation as an accredited nonprofit organization sends a powerful message of confidence to our partners and stakeholders in the many communities where we work, further demonstrating NALT’s unwavering commitment to the highest standards of organizational ethics and accountability.”
Carter was named president of North American Land Trust in 2019. In 2021, the trust acquired an historic battlefield that played a part in the 1777 Battle of Brandywine. The following year, North American Land Trust opened Brinton Run Preserve in Dilworthtown, Delaware County as a public preserve.
Carter added that the organization is planning to acquire another historic property in the region. He said the new public preserves are “just one example of how NALT is finding innovative ways to protect natural, scenic, and historic lands.”
Anne Gingerich, executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations, said the Seal of Excellence is granted to well-managed, responsibly governed organizations that are deserving of the public’s trust.
“NALT can focus even more fully on advancing their mission of protecting and conserving natural habitats and historic sites because the standards set the conditions for their internal systems to run as efficiently and effectively as possible,” Gingerich said in a statement.
