Build Capacity by Hiring Our First Staff Person

Foothills Land Trust (FLT) is a local land trust protecting privately-owned properties in scenic Foothills County adjacent to southwest Calgary. We are a federally registered charity and a provincially incorporated not-for-profit company. FLT is the only land trust operating in Alberta without paid staff. We have reached a size where a step change is necessary as Board member volunteers can no longer handle the workload and we need to bring on a part-time staff person. The cash revenue for this project would comprise ‘seed money’ to begin this transition by funding about 50% of an FTE position for one year. FLT already has a very suitable and willing candidate who is available to start immediately. This would be a real game changer for us and would allow our volunteers to train a staff person who would gradually take over responsibility for operations and administration. This would give Board member volunteers more time to focus on governance, compliance matters and strategic planning.

By assisting with the transition to a paid staff member, this initiative would be transformational for us. We are already protecting ten properties totaling almost 1,700 acres, with a focus on riparian areas that have high ecological value. We steward all the properties in our care to ensure their ecological value is maintained or increased. With the combination of volunteer talent and staff expertise, we will be able to step up our game. This initiative would bring more professionalism to our organization, allowing FLT to more fully achieve our mission of protecting the lands we care for in perpetuity.

FLT protects ecologically significant private lands forever in an area where private ownership dominates and hence the opportunity for additional public protection is limited. With its proximity to Calgary, the area is subject to high development pressures making timely protection vital. To date, our approach has been mainly reactive, limited by our volunteer structure; with a staff person, FLT will be able to become more proactive in seeking out properties with high conservation value. We will also be able to increase our communications and educational efforts that promote the importance of land conservation.

This funding will used primarily for staff compensation. Travel, office expenses and insurance will also be covered. FLT has applied for another grant that would complement funding from the Calgary Foundation.