Planned Giving

Because so much of our land conservation work is about ensuring that the places we save today will be protected forever, legacy gifts (also known as “planned gifts”) are indispensable to both land trusts and the Land Trust Alliance. There is no better way to continue to make a difference for land conservation many years from now.

Your will or living trust is an important way to provide for family and friends, plan the management and disposition of your estate and ensure a lasting legacy for the causes that have special meaning for you.

Gifts made through wills and living trusts are easy to arrange and can be changed at any time you choose, giving you maximum flexibility in your planning. You will also enjoy peace of mind knowing that your property will be put to good use when you no longer need it, but your cash flow will not be affected today.

You may choose to specify that the Alliance receives a specific dollar amount or asset, a percentage of your estate, a contingent bequest in case you outlive other heirs or a portion of the residue (remainder) of your estate after provisions for friends and family are paid. A residual gift is only made if there is anything that remains in your estate.

Creating or updating your estate plans calls for careful planning with the help of an estate-planning attorney. Bequest language can vary from state to state, and country to country. Thus, it is always best to use an attorney that understands local estate laws. With that in mind, we suggest that you give the following suggested bequest wording to your attorney:

{I give, devise and bequeath to the Land Trust Alliance, Inc. (tax ID #04-2751357), a nonprofit, charitable corporation organized under Massachusetts law and currently having offices at 1250 H Street NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20005, XX% of the residuary of my estate, after all other specific provisions have been fulfilled [OR a specific gift of $XX].

“I give: XX% of my estate,

OR

the sum of $XX,

OR

All the rest, residue and remainder of my estate,

OR
XX% of the rest, residue and remainder of my estate to further the purposes and objectives of the Land Trust Alliance as may be recommended by the president of the Alliance and approved by the board of directors of the Land Trust Alliance (landtrustalliance.org).

It is my wish that this gift be designated to support the work of the Alliance. Should the purpose for which this bequest is established cease to exist, so that the board of directors are unable to find purposes for use of such funds or they become impractical or too difficult to administer, then the board of directors, by majority vote, shall have the power to redirect the funds for a purpose or purposes as similar as possible to the original intent of the donor.}

If you are interested in more information about the Land Trust Alliance Legacy Society, bequests or other ways to make a planned gift, please call Development Coordinator Bethany Hamson at 202-800-2216 or email bhamson@lta.org.