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The Livestock Conservancy

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93-582: The Livestock Conservancy , formerly known as the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy ( ALBC ) and prior to that, the American Minor Breeds Conservancy , is a nonprofit organization focused on preserving and promoting rare breeds , also known as "heritage breeds" of livestock . Founded in 1977, through the efforts of livestock breed enthusiasts concerned about the disappearance of many of

186-457: A nonbusiness entity , nonprofit institution , or simply a nonprofit , is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, as opposed to an entity that operates as a business aiming to generate a profit for its owners. A nonprofit organization is subject to the non-distribution constraint: any revenues that exceed expenses must be committed to the organization's purpose, not taken by private parties. Depending on

279-593: A 19-member board of directors, the organization has an operating budget of over a million dollars. The Livestock Conservancy maintains a conservation priority list that divides endangered breeds of horses, asses, sheep, goats, cattle, rabbits, pigs and poultry into five categories based on population numbers and historical interest. The organization has published several books, and works with breed registries and other groups on several aspects of breed preservation, including genetic testing , historical documentation, animal rescue and marketing. Preservation of genetic material

372-777: A controlled nutrient medium, or artificially created habitats that then harbor certain species. Gene banks are present all over the world, with differing objectives and resources. One of the largest is the Svalbard Global Seed Vault . The database of the largest gene banks in the world can be queried via a common website, Genesys . A number of global gene banks are coordinated by the CGIAR Genebank Platform Seed banks , also known as seed vaults . are large repositories where seeds of many different species are stored at freezing temperatures. They are used to preserve genetic diversity for

465-514: A decade, and several breeds that once stood on the brink of extinction now maintain healthy populations. The organization also sustains programs that deal with preserving and promoting endangered cattle and pig breeds, as well as breed-specific programs relating to many of its livestock categories. Breeds that The Livestock Conservancy has assisted in saving include the Carolina Marsh Tacky horse, Randall cattle , Red Wattle hogs and

558-424: A delegate structure to allow for the representation of groups or corporations as members. Alternatively, it may be a non-membership organization and the board of directors may elect its own successors. The two major types of nonprofit organization are membership and board-only. A membership organization elects the board and has regular meetings and the power to amend the bylaws. A board-only organization typically has

651-551: A dozen books on heritage livestock breeds, including several on heritage poultry and waterfowl and more on general livestock conservation. Its conservation criteria and literature on livestock biodiversity are also widely used in independent publications on breeds. The Conservancy organizes an annual conference that focuses on the preservation and promotion of rare livestock breeds. For this conference, it partners with other organizations to teach members and other attendees about various aspects of rare breed livestock. For instance, in 2005,

744-554: A fiscally viable entity. Nonprofits have the responsibility of focusing on being professional and financially responsible, replacing self-interest and profit motive with mission motive. Though nonprofits are managed differently from for-profit businesses, they have felt pressure to be more businesslike. To combat private and public business growth in the public service industry, nonprofits have modeled their business management and mission, shifting their reason of existing to establish sustainability and growth. Setting effective missions

837-494: A focus for the organization since 1997, when a survey showed only 1,335 breeding stock birds of all breeds. A study conducted by the Conservancy and Virginia Tech concluded that heritage turkey breeds had stronger immune systems than those breeds typically used by industrial growers, and as such were more likely to survive disease epidemics. This study and other programs increased awareness of heritage turkey breeds and by 2003

930-484: A focus on selling their product to other small operations, including cheese and dairy operations. In 2006, the Livestock Conservancy began investigating the Carolina Marsh Tacky to see if it was truly a descendant of colonial Spanish stock , and during the organization's initial field investigations it was found that many surviving members of the breed fit the physical type for Spanish horses. In 2007,

1023-471: A low-stress work environment that the employee can associate him or herself positively with. Other incentives that should be implemented are generous vacation allowances or flexible work hours. When selecting a domain name , NPOs often use one of the following: .org , the country code top-level domain of their respective country, or the .edu top-level domain (TLD), to differentiate themselves from more commercial entities, which typically use .com . In

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1116-457: A nonprofit entity without having tax-exempt status. Key aspects of nonprofits are accountability, integrity, trustworthiness, honesty, and openness to every person who has invested time, money, and faith into the organisation. Nonprofit organizations are accountable to the donors, founders, volunteers, program recipients, and the public community. Theoretically, for a nonprofit that seeks to finance its operations through donations, public confidence

1209-636: A number up from 2,300 in 1989. It operates with a staff of eleven, headed by an executive director, and a nineteen-member board of directors. The preservation of various pure breeds and strains, including some that are rare today, was once undertaken in North America in large part by large agriculture-focused colleges and universities. However, many of these institutions have changed their focus to commercial or crossbred strains, with many herds being sent to slaughter. The Livestock Conservancy and Rare Breeds Canada intervened in some of these cases, leading to

1302-401: A seed or embryo is preserved at very low temperatures. It is usually preserved in liquid nitrogen at −196 °C (−320.8 °F). By freezing the seeds or embryos at this temperature they can stay viable for at least a century. This is helpful for the conservation of species facing extinction. Cryobanks are utilized for the cryoconservation of animal genetic resources . An example of one of

1395-697: A self-selected board and a membership whose powers are limited to those delegated to it by the board. A board-only organization's bylaws may even state that the organization does not have any membership, although the organization's literature may refer to its donors or service recipients as 'members'; examples of such organizations are FairVote and the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws . The Model Nonprofit Corporation Act imposes many complexities and requirements on membership decision-making. Accordingly, many organizations, such as

1488-471: A strong vision of how to operate the project, try to retain control of the organization, even as new employees or volunteers want to expand the project's scope or change policy. Resource mismanagement is a particular problem with NPOs because the employees are not accountable to anyone who has a direct stake in the organization. For example, an employee may start a new program without disclosing its complete liabilities. The employee may be rewarded for improving

1581-632: A type or non-true-breeding cross. As of 2024, the Conservation Priority List has: 21 cattle breeds (7 critical, 6 threatened, 2 watch, 4 recovering, 2 in study), 32 horse breeds (16c, 7t, 1r, 1s), 3 donkey breeds (2c, 1w), 9 pig breeds (4c, 4t, 1r), 21 sheep breeds (6c, 10t, 6w, 1r), 5 goat breeds (2c, 3r), and 5 rabbit breeds (5c, 5t, 7w, 4r). As for fowl breeds, the 2024 CPL has: 51 chicken breeds (11c, 16t, 17w, 5r, 2s), 15 duck breeds (3c, 2t, 9w, 1r), 13 geese breeds (4c, 3t, 5w, 1s), and 8 turkey breeds (2t, 6w). Equine breeds, such as

1674-581: A wide diversity of structures and purposes. For legal classification, there are, nevertheless, some elements of importance: Some of the above must be (in most jurisdictions in the US at least) expressed in the organization's charter of establishment or constitution. Others may be provided by the supervising authority at each particular jurisdiction. While affiliations will not affect a legal status, they may be taken into consideration by legal proceedings as an indication of purpose. Most countries have laws that regulate

1767-509: Is binucleate pollen, which has a thicker exine and the second is trinucleate pollen, which has a thinner exine . Binucleate pollen has a higher lifespan when frozen at a low moisture level. Trinucleate pollen, however, has a higher lifespan when frozen at a high moisture level. Moisture level in the pollen can be decreased by exposing the pollen to diluted salt solutions, silica gel and dry air or by chemical treatment with vitrification solutions. Field gene banks are gene banks based around

1860-399: Is a factor in the amount of money that a nonprofit organization is able to raise. Supposedly, the more a nonprofit focuses on their mission, the more public confidence they will gain. This will result in more money for the organization. The activities a nonprofit is partaking in can help build the public's confidence in nonprofits, as well as how ethical the standards and practices are. There

1953-461: Is a key for the successful management of nonprofit organizations. There are three important conditions for effective mission: opportunity, competence, and commitment. One way of managing the sustainability of nonprofit organizations is to establish strong relations with donor groups. This requires a donor marketing strategy, something many nonprofits lack. Nonprofit organizations provide public goods that are undersupplied by government. NPOs have

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2046-439: Is an important distinction in the US between non-profit and not-for-profit organizations (NFPOs); while an NFPO does not profit its owners, and money goes into running the organization, it is not required to operate for the public good. An example is a club, whose purpose is its members' enjoyment. Other examples of NFPOs include: credit unions, sports clubs, and advocacy groups. Nonprofit organizations provide services to

2139-414: Is an important distinction in the US between non-profit and not-for-profit organizations (NFPOs); while an NFPO does not profit its owners, and money goes into running the organization, it is not required to operate for the public good. An example is a sports club, whose purpose is its members' enjoyment. The names used and precise regulations vary from one jurisdiction to another. According to

2232-557: Is concerned. In many countries, nonprofits may apply for tax-exempt status, so that the organization itself may be exempt from income tax and other taxes. In the United States, to be exempt from federal income taxes, the organization must meet the requirements set forth in the Internal Revenue Code (IRC). Granting nonprofit status is done by the state, while granting tax-exempt designation (such as IRC 501(c) )

2325-541: Is considered an important genetic resource due to its island heritage, which kept it isolated from other breeds and forced it to adapt to adverse conditions. Beginning in the early 1990s, the Conservancy worked to preserve the San Clemente Island goat , a rare Spanish-descended breed from California. In 1991, it added genetic material from the San Clemente to their genetic database, later transferred to

2418-453: Is granted by the federal government via the IRS. This means that not all nonprofits are eligible to be tax-exempt. For example, employees of non-profit organizations pay taxes from their salaries, which they receive according to the laws of the country. NPOs use the model of a double bottom line in that furthering their cause is more important than making a profit, though both are needed to ensure

2511-513: Is less of a concern in chickens than in turkeys, as artificial insemination has not progressed as far in the development of industrial chicken farming. In late 2010, the Conservancy released a definition of "heritage cattle", to follow their earlier heritage turkey description. Requirements for heritage cattle breeds include having a long history in the US, being purebred , and being a true genetic breed. Specifications for heritage milk and beef, as well as products made from them, were also released with

2604-408: Is not classifiable as another category. Currently, no restrictions are enforced on registration of .com or .org, so one can find organizations of all sorts in either of those domains, as well as other top-level domains including newer, more specific ones which may apply to particular sorts of organization including .museum for museums and .coop for cooperatives . Organizations might also register by

2697-512: Is of special interest to the Conservancy, and for a period of time it maintained a gene bank that was later transferred to the United States Department of Agriculture . It has also developed and published several heritage definitions, including parameters for heritage breeds of cattle and poultry. In large part due to the efforts of the organization, heritage turkey populations have increased more than tenfold in little over

2790-468: Is the levels of moisture in the pollen. If the pollen grains have a low moisture content it helps increase the length of the pollen’s life. Low levels of moisture help the pollen freeze without creating ice or ice crystals, which helps preserve the life span of the pollen while it is being stored. Ideal levels of moisture content to be allowed in the pollen depends on the type of plant. The pollen from different plant species can be divided into two groups. One

2883-411: Is the remuneration package, though many who have been questioned after leaving an NPO have reported that it was stressful work environments and the workload. Public- and private-sector employment have, for the most part, been able to offer more to their employees than most nonprofit agencies throughout history. Either in the form of higher wages, more comprehensive benefit packages, or less tedious work,

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2976-476: Is unique in which source of income works best for them. With an increase in NPOs since 2010, organizations have adopted competitive advantages to create revenue for themselves to remain financially stable. Donations from private individuals or organizations can change each year and government grants have diminished. With changes in funding from year to year, many nonprofit organizations have been moving toward increasing

3069-606: The American Cream Draft , were among the reasons that the organization was formed, and were on the earliest conservation priority lists. The Conservancy has assisted in extensive genetic studies of rare horse breeds, focusing particularly on strains of the Colonial Spanish Horse . Rabbits, having only been added to the CPL in 2005, have been among the least studied, although in 2010, the organization named

3162-683: The American Rabbit as the most endangered breed of rabbit in the US. Work with cattle has also been limited, although in one case, a member rescued the last of the Randall Cattle herd from slaughter; the breed has since been built up to more than 300 members. One major initiative with cattle is the Heritage Dairy Cattle Breed Recovery program, which assists heritage cattle breeders and breed organizations with funding, marketing and communications, with

3255-512: The American rabbit . In the 1960s and 1970s, American livestock breed enthusiasts, including scientists, farmers, and historians, became increasingly aware of the disappearance of many traditional livestock breeds in the US. This awareness was partially due to difficulties encountered in obtaining heritage breeds for living history sites. This was particularly evident when historians were searching for historically authentic breeds to display at

3348-620: The Hampshire and Yorkshire breeds have decreased by more than 30 percent in the same time. The Conservancy has been involved with the Red Wattle hog since the 1980s. At that time, the breed had a thriving population, stock was registered by three different breed registries , and breeders resisted suggestions from the organization to create a unified breed registry. However, between 1990 and 1999, purebred stock diminished from 272 animals to just 42 pigs held by six breeders, and in 2000, it

3441-729: The National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS), there are more than 1.5 million nonprofit organizations registered in the United States , including public charities , private foundations , and other nonprofit organizations. Private charitable contributions increased for the fourth consecutive year in 2017 (since 2014), at an estimated $ 410.02 billion. Out of these contributions, religious organizations received 30.9%, education organizations received 14.3%, and human services organizations received 12.1%. Between September 2010 and September 2014, approximately 25.3% of Americans over

3534-664: The Oklahoma City Zoo , which maintains the Children's Zoo, a petting zoo and children's museum that holds members of eight rare livestock breeds; and Colonial Williamsburg , a living-history museum that maintains populations of ten rare breeds. According to its literature, the Livestock Conservancy is funded by grants, sales of publications and promotional materials, membership dues and public donations. Publications sold include books on conservation and genetics, livestock husbandry, farming operations and breed guides. In

3627-831: The Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts and were unable to find sheep of the Vermont strain of Merino , as they had gone extinct. As a result, these historians and others decided to attempt preservation of other rare breeds facing extinction. On March 16, 1977, the American Minor Breeds Conservancy was incorporated in Vermont. It was the first United States organization focused on preserving rare breeds of livestock and promoting genetic diversity among livestock breeds, and remains

3720-596: The Wikimedia Foundation , have formed board-only structures. The National Association of Parliamentarians has generated concerns about the implications of this trend for the future of openness, accountability, and understanding of public concerns in nonprofit organizations. Specifically, they note that nonprofit organizations, unlike business corporations, are not subject to market discipline for products and shareholder discipline of their capital; therefore, without membership control of major decisions such as

3813-561: The tubers made by root vegetables , cannot be stored. It is also important that when seeds are stored, the moisture content of the seeds and the surrounding medium is kept low, otherwise the seeds will not be viable after long periods in freezing temperatures. The largest seed bank in the world is the Millennium Seed Bank housed at the Wellcome Trust Millennium Building (WTMB), located in

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3906-868: The 1998 fiscal year, the organization claimed slightly over US$ 308,000 in income, coming mainly from public donations and membership dues, but also including service revenue, investment income and sales of goods. By 2009, this amount had jumped to slightly more than US$ 440,000, mainly from donations, grants and service revenue, but also including investment income. In 1998, the organization claimed slightly over US$ 288,000 in expenses, allocated mainly to program services, but with just under US$ 30,000 stemming from management, fundraising and general expenses. By 2009, expenses stood at almost US$ 490,000, spent mostly on employee salaries, benefits and other compensation (which includes program service expenses), but with almost US$ 150,000 stemming from management, fundraising and general expenses. The organization claims around 3,000 members as of 2023,

3999-635: The Conservancy is also used by the SVF Foundation , an organization that uses cryopreservation to preserve germplasm from rare breeds. In the early 1990s, the organization mounted displays of historic rare breed livestock illustrations at the National Agricultural Library and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History , designed to raise public awareness of the declining populations of rare livestock breeds. In 2004,

4092-451: The Conservancy performed one of its first breed rescues when it removed a viable population of Santa Cruz sheep from Santa Cruz Island . The sheep were in danger of being eradicated by The Nature Conservancy , which was working to save indigenous vegetation that the breed used as food. The first twelve lambs were removed from the island in 1988, with further animals brought to the mainland in 1991. The population now stands at 125 animals and

4185-475: The Livestock Conservancy entered a partnership with Slow Food USA , Chefs Collaborative , and four other organizations to found the Renewing America's Food Traditions collaboration. The effort resulted in a book, Renewing America's Food Traditions , describing more than 1,000 varieties and species of food that are disappearing from the United States. The organization has written or published over

4278-455: The NPO's reputation, making other employees happy, and attracting new donors. Liabilities promised on the full faith and credit of the organization but not recorded anywhere constitute accounting fraud . But even indirect liabilities negatively affect the financial sustainability of the NPO, and the NPO will have financial problems unless strict controls are instated. Some commenters have argued that

4371-561: The National Animal Germplasm Program. As of June 2010, the organization was working on the rescue of a group of feral Spanish goats from an island in South Carolina . There are less than 2,500 members of the breed in the United States, and the island group is one of only two bloodlines known to exist in the southeastern US. Conservancy members first made trips to the island to document and photograph

4464-399: The US's heritage livestock breeds, The Livestock Conservancy was the pioneer livestock preservation organization in the United States, and remains a leading organization in that field. It has initiated programs that have saved multiple breeds from extinction, and works closely with similar organizations in other countries, including Rare Breeds Canada . With 3,000 members, a staff of eleven and

4557-579: The US. In the 1980s, the Conservancy began a gene bank designed to preserve the genetic material of rare breeds. After collecting genetic material from over a dozen rare breeds, the bank was transferred to the USDA National Animal Germplasm Program (NAGP). It maintains a close relationship with the NAGP, including assisting in the collection of genetic material from additional rare breeds. The conservation list published by

4650-414: The United States and estimated global populations. Recovering breeds are those that have exceeded the numbers needed for the watch category but that the organization still wishes to monitor. Breeds in the study category lack genetic or historical documentation but are still considered to be of genetic interest. Population numbers may be lacking on these breeds, or proof that they are a true breed, instead of

4743-461: The age of 16 volunteered for a nonprofit. In the United States, both nonprofit organizations and not-for-profit organizations are tax-exempt. There are various types of nonprofit exemptions, such as 501(c)(3) organizations that are a religious, charitable, or educational-based organization that does not influence state and federal legislation, and 501(c)(7) organizations that are for pleasure, recreation, or another nonprofit purpose. There

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4836-649: The appropriate country code top-level domain for their country. In 2020, nonprofit organizations began using microvlogging (brief videos with short text formats) on TikTok to reach Gen Z, engage with community stakeholders, and overall build community. TikTok allowed for innovative engagement between nonprofit organizations and younger generations. During COVID-19, TikTok was specifically used to connect rather than inform or fundraise, as its fast-paced, tailored For You Page separates itself from other social media apps such as Facebook and Twitter. Some organizations offer new, positive-sounding alternative terminology to describe

4929-401: The best of the newly minted workforce. It has been mentioned that most nonprofits will never be able to match the pay of the private sector and therefore should focus their attention on benefits packages, incentives and implementing pleasurable work environments. A good environment is ranked higher than salary and pressure of work. NPOs are encouraged to pay as much as they are able and offer

5022-445: The breeding population stood at 4,275 turkeys of all breeds. By 2007 this had grown to more than 10,000 birds and 17 breeds were no longer considered to be almost extinct. As of 2010, the number is estimated to be close to 15,000. In 2008 the Conservancy partnered with Slow Food USA and other organizations to conduct a blind taste test of nine breeds of turkeys – eight heritage breeds and one standard industrially grown breed. When

5115-415: The collection of fragments of coral, that are then sustained, live, in a carefully controlled aquatic environment. The collected material is oftentimes stored at a temperature below 0 °C (32 °F). It may also be stored in cryogenic conditions using liquid nitrogen . Certain gene banks are based around the continuous cultivation of living organisms, such as certain species of plants being raised in

5208-565: The community; for example aid and development programs, medical research, education, and health services. It is possible for a nonprofit to be both member-serving and community-serving. Nonprofit organizations are not driven by generating profit, but they must bring in enough income to pursue their social goals. Nonprofits are able to raise money in different ways. This includes income from donations from individual donors or foundations; sponsorship from corporations; government funding; programs, services or merchandise sales, and investments. Each NPO

5301-562: The definition. As of 2010, the Conservancy was undertaking several programs to help breeders and the public understand the need for and the way to preserve heritage breeds. As the number of expert livestock breeders continues to dwindle, the Master Breeders' Apprentice Program aims to supplement their number by educating competent and interested members of the public. Through the Breed Rescue and Conservation Acquisition Program,

5394-402: The diversity of their funding sources. For example, many nonprofits that have relied on government grants have started fundraising efforts to appeal to individual donors. Most nonprofits have staff that work for the company, possibly using volunteers to perform the nonprofit's services under the direction of the paid staff. Nonprofits must be careful to balance the salaries paid to staff against

5487-432: The election of the board, there are few inherent safeguards against abuse. A rebuttal to this might be that as nonprofit organizations grow and seek larger donations, the degree of scrutiny increases, including expectations of audited financial statements. A further rebuttal might be that NPOs are constrained, by their choice of legal structure, from financial benefit as far as distribution of profit to members and directors

5580-475: The establishment and management of NPOs and that require compliance with corporate governance regimes. Most larger organizations are required to publish their financial reports detailing their income and expenditure publicly. In many aspects, they are similar to corporate business entities though there are often significant differences. Both not-for-profit and for-profit corporate entities must have board members, steering-committee members, or trustees who owe

5673-669: The final scores were read, first place went to the Midget White Turkey , second to the Bourbon Red and last place to the Butterball  – the single non-heritage breed. This was the largest taste test among turkey breeds to date, and several of the heritage breeds were later added to the Slow Food USA Ark of Taste . Nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization ( NPO ), also known as

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5766-512: The formation of ice crystals, which would heavily damage the pollen. The pollen, which is stored in liquid nitrogen , is kept at temperatures of −180 to −196 °C (−292.0 to −320.8 °F). The National Seed Storage Lab in Fort Collins , Colorado currently uses this technique to store pollen. Pollen can also be freeze dried and stored at temperatures of 5 to −18 °C (41 to 0 °F). An important element that must be considered

5859-450: The future. The storage temperature depends on how long the seeds are to be kept. Durations of 3–5 years (short term storage), 10-15 years (medium term storage) and 50+ years (long term storage) will typically have storage temperatures of 5 to 10 °C (41 to 50 °F), 0 °C (32 °F) and −18 to −20 °C (0 to −4 °F) respectively. Spores , such as those from pteridophytes can also be stored. However, storage organs, such as

5952-506: The genetic material of species that are endangered or close to extinction . They are also used for the preservation of major crop species and cultivars, in order to preserve crop diversity . Preservation is done via the collection and storage of reproductive material from an organism. For example, seeds and cuttings may be collected from plants, spores may be collected from fungi and sperm and egg cells may be collected from animals. Aquatic organisms such as coral are preserved via

6045-495: The grounds of Wakehurst Place in West Sussex , near London . In this technique, buds, protocorm and meristematic cells are preserved through particular light and temperature arrangements in a nutrient medium, which is either a gel or in liquid form. This technique is used to preserve seedless plants and plants that reproduce asexually or that require preservation as clones such as commercial cultivars. In this technique,

6138-422: The herd of around 30 goats, then undertook action to remove some goats from the island to preserve the bloodlines from threatened extinction. A small flock was established in a nature preserve just south of Murrells Inlet, South Carolina , and as of June 2010 plans were in place for satellite herds to be established. In the course of its breed surveys and monitoring, the Conservancy has found significant changes in

6231-479: The list is used as the foundation for all conservation work done by the organization. Each year, it gathers population data on all breeds of livestock, including registration data and, for poultry, census numbers gathered from members, hatcheries and breeders. This data is then used to divide breeds into five categories: critical, threatened, watch, recovering and study. Breeds are placed in the first three categories based on annual registrations with breed registries in

6324-432: The local laws, charities are regularly organized as non-profits. A host of organizations may be nonprofit, including some political organizations, schools, hospitals, business associations, churches, foundations, social clubs, and consumer cooperatives. Nonprofit entities may seek approval from governments to be tax-exempt , and some may also qualify to receive tax-deductible contributions, but an entity may incorporate as

6417-511: The money paid to provide services to the nonprofit's beneficiaries. Organizations whose salary expenses are too high relative to their program expenses may face regulatory scrutiny. A second misconception is that nonprofit organizations may not make a profit. Although the goal of nonprofits is not specifically to maximize profits, they still have to operate as a fiscally responsible business. They must manage their income (both grants and donations and income from services) and expenses so as to remain

6510-445: The nonprofit sector today regarding newly graduated workers, and to some, NPOs have for too long relegated hiring to a secondary priority, which could be why they find themselves in the position many do. While many established NPOs are well-funded and comparative to their public sector competitors, many more are independent and must be creative with which incentives they use to attract and maintain people. The initial interest for many

6603-411: The organization a fiduciary duty of loyalty and trust. A notable exception to this involves churches , which are often not required to disclose finances to anyone, including church members. In the United States, nonprofit organizations are formed by filing bylaws, articles of incorporation , or both in the state in which they expect to operate. The act of incorporation creates a legal entity enabling

6696-674: The organization again shortened its name to "The Livestock Conservancy". The Livestock Conservancy is headquartered in Pittsboro, North Carolina . Its mission is to protect "genetic diversity in livestock and poultry species through the conservation and promotion of endangered breeds." It organizes and participates in programs to rescue threatened populations, educate the public about rare breeds and genetic diversity, support breeders and breed associations, perform research on endangered breeds and assist gene banks in preserving genetic material. The Conservancy includes among its partners and members

6789-550: The organization as breeds that live longer, grow slower and can mate naturally, with the latter requirement being one of the most important as it is not met by many industrially grown, mass-produced breeds. In 2009, a definition for heritage chickens was released that is similar to the one for turkeys – breeds are required to be considered "standard" by the American Poultry Association , be long-lived and slow-growing, and able to mate naturally. The latter

6882-558: The organization partnered with the Equus Survival Trust in a project to preserve the breed that included DNA sampling, the creation of a new studbook and mapping the genetics of the breed. The Conservancy participated in the rescue of the Wilbur Cruce strain of Colonial Spanish horse when the area in which it lived was to be turned over to a land conservation program that required domestic animals to be removed. After

6975-649: The organization partnered with the NAGP and the American Grassfed Association for a discussion on the cryogenic preservation of rare breed genetic material, which included a tour of the USDA Livestock and Poultry Gene Bank. In 2009, the Conservancy set up an online classified advertisement system to help users find and purchase rare breeds. The Livestock Conservancy has released three definitions of heritage breeds, pertaining to turkeys, chickens and cattle. Heritage turkeys are defined by

7068-452: The organization to be treated as a distinct body (corporation) by law and to enter into business dealings, form contracts, and own property as individuals or for-profit corporations can. Nonprofits can have members, but many do not. The nonprofit may also be a trust or association of members. The organization may be controlled by its members who elect the board of directors , board of governors or board of trustees . A nonprofit may have

7161-473: The organization works with breeders and breed registries to begin and sustain conservation programs for rare livestock breeds. The Southeastern Livestock Breed Initiative aims to expand and reintroduce rare breeds from the American southeast, combining traditional breeds with low-impact farming (agriculture that has a lesser impact on the environment than high-intensity commercial farming) to assist in restarting

7254-511: The organization's sustainability. An advantage of nonprofits registered in the UK is that they benefit from some reliefs and exemptions. Charities and nonprofits are exempt from Corporation Tax as well as the trustees being exempt from Income Tax. There may also be tax relief available for charitable giving, via Gift Aid, monetary donations, and legacies. Founder's syndrome is an issue organizations experience as they expand. Dynamic founders, who have

7347-533: The populations of several swine breeds. The Berkshire breed has increased significantly in number, partially due to international demand for its meat, while other breeds have shown significant decreases, most likely due to increasing consolidation of the pork industry to large producers who use only a few specialized pork strains. Breeds such as the Chester White and Poland China have seen population numbers reduced by over 25 percent between 1998 and 2003, while

7440-544: The preeminent organization in this field in the United States. A similar organization in Great Britain, the Rare Breeds Survival Trust , had been formed in 1973. The organization conducted its first comprehensive survey of American livestock breeds in 1985. Since then, the survey has been repeated every five years, with the status of endangered breeds being monitored in between. The initial survey

7533-550: The public and private sectors have enjoyed an advantage over NPOs in attracting employees. Traditionally, the NPO has attracted mission-driven individuals who want to assist their chosen cause. Compounding the issue is that some NPOs do not operate in a manner similar to most businesses, or only seasonally. This leads many young and driven employees to forego NPOs in favor of more stable employment. Today, however, nonprofit organizations are adopting methods used by their competitors and finding new means to retain their employees and attract

7626-461: The rare breed pig market. The three main foci of the initiative are marketing breeding stock and products, conserving bloodlines and supporting breed associations. As of 2010, proposals were in place for the funding of a study of porcine genetics, including variability and relationships among breeds, with the aims of maintaining genetic variability among rare pig breeds and releasing a definition of heritage pork. A breeding program for Buckeye chickens

7719-483: The receipt of significant funding from large for-profit corporations can ultimately alter the NPO's functions. A frequent measure of an NPO's efficiency is its expense ratio (i.e. expenditures on things other than its programs, divided by its total expenditures). Competition for employees with the public and private sector is another problem that nonprofit organizations inevitably face, particularly for management positions. There are reports of major talent shortages in

7812-534: The rescue, a conservation plan was developed for the animals and small breeding groups of horses were placed with responsible parties. It also assisted in formulating a conservation and breeding strategy for a strain of Colonial Spanish horses from Santa Cruz Island in California. This support helped the horses to become recognized and registrable with the Colonial Spanish registry. In December 1987,

7905-458: The sector in its own terms, without relying on terminology used for the government or business sectors. However, use of terminology by a nonprofit of self-descriptive language that is not legally compliant risks confusing the public about nonprofit abilities, capabilities, and limitations. Gene bank A gene bank is a type of biorepository that serves to preserve the genetic information of organisms. Gene banks are often used for storing

7998-570: The sector. The term civil society organization (CSO) has been used by a growing number of organizations, including the Center for the Study of Global Governance . The term citizen sector organization (CSO) has also been advocated to describe the sector – as one of citizens, for citizens – by organizations including Ashoka: Innovators for the Public . Advocates argue that these terms describe

8091-417: The small, niche market farming that once existed in the area. In 2014, the Conservancy published the book An Introduction to Heritage Breeds describing conserving and care of animals under the purview of the organization, detailing each breed's specific needs and characteristics. The Conservation Priority List (CPL) is the Conservancy's list of breeds for which conservation is a priority. Published annually,

8184-899: The survival and preservation of some gene stocks. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) participates in livestock preservation mainly through technology-based approaches such as gene mapping and germplasm (genetic material) storage. However, although the storage of genetic material is a useful technique in the preservation of rare breeds, it cannot preserve the entire range of genetic diversity within even an individual breed, and stored material cannot react and adapt to environmental or biological changes as live animal populations can. The US federal government rarely supports rare breed live animal population conservation, and while agricultural subsidies were once seen more than they are in present times, they were never focused on individual breeds. The Livestock Conservancy has been instrumental in preserving live populations of many rare livestock breeds in

8277-489: The traditional domain noted in RFC   1591 , .org is for "organizations that didn't fit anywhere else" in the naming system, which implies that it is the proper category for non-commercial organizations if they are not governmental, educational, or one of the other types with a specific TLD. It is not designated specifically for charitable organizations or any specific organizational or tax-law status, but encompasses anything that

8370-566: The world’s largest animal cryobanks is the frozen zoo made by the San Diego Zoo , in San Diego California . With animal cryobanks freezing embryos is preferred instead of the separate egg and sperm because the embryos are more resistant to the freezing process. Pollen is stored through a cryopreservation technique called vitrification . Vitrification in this context is based around the freezing of pollen grains without

8463-722: Was asked to create a unified breed registry for the Red Wattle Hog. Three hogs were registered in the first year, but the next year 90 hogs and three breeders were represented and a breed association was created. By 2008, 111 breeding stock hogs had been registered and 56 breeders were part of the Red Wattle Hog Association. In November 2008, the Conservancy started the Rare Breed Swine Initiative, which, in cooperation with other organizations, assists in training breeders and cultivating

8556-502: Was called "the most comprehensive assessment of livestock genetic resources ever conducted in the United States". In 1986, a fellow organization, Rare Breeds Canada, was formed, and the two bodies have worked together closely to preserve and promote breeds that have populations in the US and Canada. In 1993, the organization changed its name to the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC). In 2013,

8649-471: Was developed in 2005 by staff members, focusing on using selective breeding to improve the breed and expand its numbers. In 2011, the Buckeye was able to be moved from "critical" status to "threatened", based on a 2010 census that found almost 2,500 birds. The program has since become the template for similar programs focusing on the preservation of other rare chicken breeds. Heritage turkey breeds have been

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