Leaving a Legacy for Endangered Species Conservation

Planning a year-end gift? Read the just-released IRS tips for 2011 giving here.

Making a planned gift through your estate, will, retirement plan or similar trust to the Center for Biological Diversity is a meaningful way to leave a legacy for our planet and the diversity of life it supports far into the future. In doing so, you’ll help ensure the Center’s continued success as the nation’s most effective endangered species conservation organization. Your interest in making a bequest to the Center is the highest form of praise we could receive, and we thank you for supporting the work we do to protect endangered species and wild places.

Ask your attorney or trusted financial adviser to help you find the best type of planned gift for your situation, which may include naming the Center in your will through a bequest or as a beneficiary in a retirement plan or charitable trust. The Center cannot and will not provide legal advice.

Making a Bequest
Retirement-plan Legacy Gifts
Current Information on Estate Tax Law
Important Information

MAKING A BEQUEST

By including the Center for Biological Diversity as a beneficiary in your will or living trust, you can leave a lasting legacy of conservation for generations to come (and possibly receive tax benefits now). This is the most common way of leaving a legacy to the Center. We’d be happy to talk with you about the different options: email legacy@biologicaldiversity.org or call us toll-free at (866) 357-3349 x318 toll-free.

Your donation will entitle you to membership in the Legacy Society, a group of special supporters who offer their vision and commitment to the future of our planet and of the Center. Whether you wish to leave us your real property or name us in your life-insurance policy, your bequest gift will help ensure the continued strength of our programs and will make your voice for wildlife heard well into the next century. There are many types of bequests. Please click here to learn more about what one might be right for you and get sample language to include in your bequest.

Once you have chosen the most appropriate type of bequest for your legacy gift, please supply your attorney or other advisor with the following information:

Center for Biological Diversity, Inc.
PO Box 710, Tucson, AZ 85702
501(c)3 Tax ID: 85-0420285

Although a bequest is a very personal affair, we would like the opportunity to thank you personally and acknowledge you as a member of our Legacy Circle. Please let us know of your intention to include the Center for Biological Diversity in your will or trust, or you may ask your attorney to inform us.

RETIREMENT-PLAN LEGACY GIFTS 

If you want to make a simple, tax-wise gift, you can name the Center as a beneficiary for part or all of what remains in your retirement account when you no longer need it. This includes your individual retirement accounts (IRAs), Keogh plans, 401(k) plans, 403(b) plans and other qualified pension plans. The proceeds of these plans will be distributed outside probate and are entirely free from federal estate tax.

For the balance of 2011, you can still make tax-free donations of up to $100,000 from traditional and Roth IRAs, if you’re 70 ½ years or older.

There is no provision to allow for tax-free donations in 2012, though one may be issued in late 2011. We'll keep you updated, but check with your personal advisors for the most complete information.

For more details, click here and check out the just-released IRS tips for 2011 year-end giving.

CURRENT INFORMATION ON ESTATE TAX LAW

Under current law, federal taxes on estates have been significantly lowered from previous years. Generally, estates valued at less than $5 million won’t be subject to an estate tax, while estates valued above that level will be subject to a maximum 35 percent tax rate. These rates went into effect for estates of decedents dying on or after December 31, 2009, and are scheduled to continue through December 31, 2012.

Caution: There is no guarantee that the current rates will continue past December 31, 2012. You can read the IRS tips for 2011 year-end giving here.

The volatility of the continuing debate on estate tax limits and deductions is likely to last for some time. The one thing that it certainly underlines is that a charitable bequest should be motivated primarily by the desire to make a charitable gift, not by the desire to evade taxes.

Remember: Everyone’s tax situation is different, so the tax law's effects on your bequest will be unique to you.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

If you make the choice to leave a legacy to the Center, thank you. Here is important information to help you in finalizing your legacy gift. 

Legal description of the Center for Biological Diversity:
The Center for Biological Diversity, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. 
Federal tax ID number: 85-0420285. 
Address: P.O. Box 710, Tucson, AZ, 85702-0710

For more details on leaving a legacy to the Center, please contact:
Tim A. Janes, Assistant Membership Director 
legacy@biologicaldiversity.org 
(866) 357-3349 x318 toll-free         
Center for Biological Diversity
Attn: Legacy Society
P.O. Box 710
Tucson, AZ 85702

The information provided on this page is general in nature. Please contact your professional tax advisor and/or attorney to learn how these options may relate to your individual circumstances. The Center for Biological Diversity is a nonprofit organization with a solid record of fiscal responsibility and conservation achievement for more than 20 years. The Center cannot and will not provide legal advice. All gifts may have tax-deductible benefits and will help promote conservation of wild places and endangered plants and animals.

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