The policies that guide NACD's activities are developed by conservation district officials, at the grassroots level, through a system of graduated representation.
Local districts shape the policies of their state associations.
State associations, through membership on the NACD Council, decide on national policies at NACD's annual meeting. Council members select representatives to serve on NACD's Board of Directors, and the directors elect the association's president, vice president and secretary-treasurer. NACD's directors, officers and staff work with Congress, government agencies and related organizations to ensure that the concerns of conservation districts are considered in the development of federal policies, programs and regulations.