Planned Giving
You can have a significant impact in saving land by making a planned gift. Become a member of the Downeast Coastal Conservancy's Heritage Circle when you make a philanthropic investment to carry forward the protection of Downeast Maine's landscapes long after you are gone.
There are many tools you can use to include Downeast Coastal Conservancy in your estate plans:
- A simple bequest (see below), naming the Conservancy in your will or trust.
- A charitable gift annuity, receiving a specified amount of income during your lifetime and afterwards having the remainder generate income for the Conservancy.
- A charitable remainder trust, receiving a percentage of trust assets during your lifetime and having the corpus transferred to the Conservancy after your death.
- A remainder interest, deeding real property to the Conservancy but reserving a life estate that allows you the use and enjoyment of the property until your death.
- A life insurance policy, naming the Conservancy as beneficiary.
- A retirement plan, such as an IRA naming the Conservancy as primary or successor beneficiary.
Bequests
Specific Bequests
A specific bequest is an outright gift of money, stocks or bonds, land, tangible personal property or other assets. Suggested bequest wording is:
"I give, devise, and bequeath to the Downeast Coastal Conservancy, a Maine nonprofit organization with Tax Identification Number 01-0430078, with offices in Machias, Maine, the sum of $____________ (or describe any real or personal property), to be used for its general purposes."
In the case of a bequest of land that has conservation value, the owner is urged to talk with Downeast Coastal Conservancy staff before the will is signed. This will ensure that the owner's wishes will guide the Conservancy's discussions about the future conservation.
Residuary Bequests
In a residuary bequest, the donor leaves all or part of the balance of his or her estate to a beneficiary after all of the specific bequests have been satisfied. The suggested wording for a residuary bequest is:
"I give, devise, and bequeath to the Downeast Coastal Conservancy, a Maine nonprofit organization with Tax Identification Number 01-0430078, with offices in Machias, Maine, all [or ____%] of the rest, residue and remainder of my estate, to be used for its general purposes."
Contact Tom Boutureira at (207) 255-4500 to discuss Planned Giving options.
If you decide to include Downeast Coastal Conservancy in your estate plan, we hope you will contact us. Your example can inspire others - especially if you give us permission to publish your name in our Annual Report - and we can talk with you about your gift to be sure we can honor your wishes.
