Indigenous Allyship Needs Assessment Survey

A small group of us recently came together to explore potential programs that the Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition (MLTC) could offer in the coming months/years to expand how land trusts can support Indigenous communities across what is now called Massachusetts. Before proceeding, we would like to hear directly from representatives of land conservation nonprofits about their interests and needs in becoming better allies to Indigenous communities. We would be grateful if you could complete this 12-question survey by June 1st, 2025. It should take less than 15 minutes to complete.

Note that the survey is intended for those who are affiliated with a conservation non-profit as staff members, paid contractors, board members, or other volunteers.

Some Massachusetts land trusts have already been and are committed to continue engaging in conversation with Indigenous community members, Tribal governments, and Indigenous-led nonprofits to gather information about their wants, needs, issues, concerns and priorities. What we learn from them will also inform any programs on which we move forward.

We encourage multiple representatives of your organization to complete this survey, as we are interested in as many perspectives as possible. When you are asked to characterize the interests or activity of your organization, we are looking for your individual perspective and realize you may not be speaking for everyone at the organization. This survey does not require that you self-identify or identify the name of your organization.

Thanks in advance for your input! If you have questions, feel free to reach out to Robb Johnson at robb@massland.org.

Sincerely,

Robb Johnson (Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition, Executive Director)
Diana Ruiz (Native Land Conservancy, Executive Director; MLTC Board Member)
Jenn Albertine (Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust, Climate and Land Justice Director)
Beth Mills (Alliance for a Viable Future)
Vanessa Johnson-Hall (Essex County Greenbelt, Director of Land Conservation)
Gaby Immerman (Hilltown Land Trust, Board Member)
Emily Johnson (Harvard Forest, Stakeholder Engagement Coordinator)
Julia Fitzpatrick (Essex County Greenbelt, Land Conservation Specialist)

* indicates a required field

Question Title

* 1. Optional: Name of the organization you are affiliated with

Question Title

* 2. Does your organization have paid staff?

Yes

Other (please explain)

Question Title

* 3. What is your role with this organization?

Executive Director

Staff member

Paid contractor / consultant

Board President

Board member

Volunteer

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 4. Are you aware of current Indigenous communities, including individuals living in urban areas, in your organization’s service area?

Yes

Question Title

* 5. How would you describe where each of the following is today in terms of building relationships with Indigenous people and/or entities? Select an answer for each heading from the dropdown beneath it.

	Me as an individual	Our staff as a whole	Our Board as a whole
Click boxes to see choices	Click boxes to see choices Me as an individual menu	Click boxes to see choices Our staff as a whole menu	Click boxes to see choices Our Board as a whole menu

Question Title

* 6. Which, if any, of the following activities has your organization already engaged in? (check all that apply)

Some staff have participated in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) workshops or training

Our full staff (if applicable) has participated in DEIB workshops or training

Some of the Board has participated in DEIB workshops or training

Our full Board has participated in DEIB workshops or training

Some staff have participated in workshops or training on Indigenous community history and current concerns

Our full staff (if applicable) has participated in workshops or training on Indigenous community history and current concerns

Some Board members have participated in workshops or training on Indigenous community history and current concerns

Our full Board has participated in workshops or training on Indigenous community history and current concerns

In consultation with an Indigenous partner or partners, we have added a written or spoken Land Acknowledgement to our website or events

Without direct consultation with an Indigenous partner but using guidance from available resources, we have added a written or spoken Land Acknowledgement to our website or events

We have created a committee or named a specific person to lead our efforts in this area

We have consulted with Indigenous partners on land stewardship issues

We have consulted with Indigenous partners on land protection priorities

We have added an Indigenous community member to our Board or staff

We have consulted with Indigenous partners on organizational policy and documents (i.e. strategic plans, CR language, naming or renaming properties or trails, etc.)

We have engaged in public education about Indigenous topics (e.g. interpretative signage, educational programs, etc.)

We have granted perpetual Cultural Respect Easements to an Indigenous entity on one or more of our organization’s properties

We have executed other written agreements with Indigenous entities (e.g., MOUs, joint stewardship agreements, time-limited leases or permissions, etc.)

We co-hold interest in a property with an Indigenous entity (e.g. one holds fee, the other a CR)

We have helped an Indigenous entity to acquire land, without holding any long-term interest in the property ourselves (e.g. technical assistance, landowner negotiation, grant-writing, direct funding help, etc.)

We have provided technical assistance on matters other than land acquisition to Indigenous entities, with no strings attached.

We have transferred one or more of our organization’s properties to an Indigenous entity

We have provided unrestricted financial contributions to Indigenous entities

Other

None of these

Question Title

* 7. There are a variety of important ways to engage Indigenous communities. If you have engaged with Indigenous community members, in which of the following ways have you engaged? (check all that apply)

Collaborating with an Indigenous-led NGO

Collaborating with an Indigenous individual

Collaborating with Tribal council(s)

Identifying priorities within my own organization, without direct Indigenous input

None of the above

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 8. What challenges might your organization face if you were seeking to engage more deeply with Indigenous communities? (check all that apply)

Not knowing where to start

Not knowing what we can offer

Not knowing who to work with

Staff or volunteer capacity to lead

Board buy-in

ED/staff buy-in

Concerns about “mission drift”

Funding

I don't foresee any challenges

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 9. Please share your level of interest in each of the following potential offerings that we might provide, or topics we might address:

	Very interested	Somewhat interested	Not interested
Education on Indigenous history and culture	Education on Indigenous history and culture Very interested	Education on Indigenous history and culture Somewhat interested	Education on Indigenous history and culture Not interested
Education on the intersection of Indigenous people and land conservation	Education on the intersection of Indigenous people and land conservation Very interested	Education on the intersection of Indigenous people and land conservation Somewhat interested	Education on the intersection of Indigenous people and land conservation Not interested
Information on who the Indigenous community members and entities are in my region	Information on who the Indigenous community members and entities are in my region Very interested	Information on who the Indigenous community members and entities are in my region Somewhat interested	Information on who the Indigenous community members and entities are in my region Not interested
Information on the interests and needs of the Indigenous community in relation to the land trust community	Information on the interests and needs of the Indigenous community in relation to the land trust community Very interested	Information on the interests and needs of the Indigenous community in relation to the land trust community Somewhat interested	Information on the interests and needs of the Indigenous community in relation to the land trust community Not interested
Information on the range of ways that land trusts can engage with Indigenous communities to address land justice and equity	Information on the range of ways that land trusts can engage with Indigenous communities to address land justice and equity Very interested	Information on the range of ways that land trusts can engage with Indigenous communities to address land justice and equity Somewhat interested	Information on the range of ways that land trusts can engage with Indigenous communities to address land justice and equity Not interested
Ideas for how to build internal consensus within my organization on whether and how to engage in these issues	Ideas for how to build internal consensus within my organization on whether and how to engage in these issues Very interested	Ideas for how to build internal consensus within my organization on whether and how to engage in these issues Somewhat interested	Ideas for how to build internal consensus within my organization on whether and how to engage in these issues Not interested
Ideas on how to communicate about these issues with members or supporters	Ideas on how to communicate about these issues with members or supporters Very interested	Ideas on how to communicate about these issues with members or supporters Somewhat interested	Ideas on how to communicate about these issues with members or supporters Not interested
A webpage with curated content for self-guided learning	A webpage with curated content for self-guided learning Very interested	A webpage with curated content for self-guided learning Somewhat interested	A webpage with curated content for self-guided learning Not interested
A structured learning cohort with peers (time commitment of 10-15 hours)	A structured learning cohort with peers (time commitment of 10-15 hours) Very interested	A structured learning cohort with peers (time commitment of 10-15 hours) Somewhat interested	A structured learning cohort with peers (time commitment of 10-15 hours) Not interested
A more in-depth structured learning cohort with peers (time commitment of 20+ hours)	A more in-depth structured learning cohort with peers (time commitment of 20+ hours) Very interested	A more in-depth structured learning cohort with peers (time commitment of 20+ hours) Somewhat interested	A more in-depth structured learning cohort with peers (time commitment of 20+ hours) Not interested
Periodic peer-to-peer networking to share ideas and strategies	Periodic peer-to-peer networking to share ideas and strategies Very interested	Periodic peer-to-peer networking to share ideas and strategies Somewhat interested	Periodic peer-to-peer networking to share ideas and strategies Not interested

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 10. If you are in relationship with Indigenous community members, we would welcome your perspective on what you have learned from them about their wants, needs, issues, concerns, and priorities regarding potential engagement with land trusts.

Question Title

* 11. Additional comments, if any

Question Title

* 12. Optional: Your name

Question Title

* 13. Optional: If you are interested in getting more involved with the group of us that is working to build Massachusetts land trusts’ capacity for Indigenous Allyship, please fill out this separate, three-question expression of interest. (Responses to that separate questionnaire will not be linked to your answers to the questions above.)

Thank you for your input!