Planned Giving
Through a planned gift, you can join us in preserving the beauty of our Sonoran Desert for generations to come. Whether through a bequest in your will, the donation of real estate or land, a life estate, gifts of a qualified retirement plan, or naming Desert Foothills Land Trust as a beneficiary on a life insurance policy, your support helps us protect this amazing place we call home.
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These gifts are a testament to your commitment to conservation and our shared love of nature. They ensure that your values and passion for the environment live on, leaving a lasting impact that helps us continue our vital work.
Ways to Leave Your Legacy
Bequest
Designate a specific amount or percentage of your estate to go to Desert Foothills Land Trust in your will. An estate is everything comprising the net worth of an individual, such as land and real estate, possessions, financial securities, cash, and other assets.
Land & Real Estate
Gifts of real estate may help further the mission of Desert Foothills Land Trust to permanently preserve our desert's most vital natural lands. If you would like to donate land or other real estate to Desert Foothills Land Trust through your will, consider providing the flexibility to accept the property without restrictions. We encourage you to discuss with us before you decide to gift land or real estate.
Life Estate
Life estate is shared ownership of property that is typically used to streamline the inheritance process and avoid probate. The land or property owner retains all the rights and responsibilities of ownership except the right to sell or mortgage the property without the co-owner’s (in this case, Desert Foothills Land Trust) consent. The title of the property is eventually transferred to the Desert Foothills Land Trust as part of the legal process of administering the estate after the benefactor has passed.
Gifts of a Qualified Retirement Plan
Assets in qualified (tax-deferred) retirement plans may represent a large portion of your total assets and therefore may be an important factor in planning testamentary charitable gifts. Retirement assets generally considered suitable for charitable gifts include such plans as IRAs, SEPs, 401(k)s, 403(b)s, ect. Leaving a gift to Desert Foothills Land Trust is as easy as listing us as a beneficiary on your policy.
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If you intend to make both non-charitable and charitable gifts it generally makes sense to consider using your tax-deferred retirement plan assets for charity (Desert Foothills Land Trust is a tax-exempt institution) and other assets for heirs.
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Life Insurance Policies
Naming Desert Foothills Land Trust as the beneficiary of an existing life insurance policy is a simple way to support conservation. As the policy owner, the value of the policy will be included in your estate. Other options include:
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Assigning an existing whole life policy to Desert Foothills Land Trust, irrevocably making the Land Trust the owner and beneficiary.
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Donating cash or the equivalent to Desert Foothills Land Trust to pay the premiums each year if the policy is not paid up and additional premium payments are due.
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Purchasing a new policy naming Desert Foothills Land Trust as owner and beneficiary, and pay the annual premiums (through the Land Trust).
