Legacy

Leave a Legacy for Generations to Come

Planned gifts are one of the best ways to demonstrate your values around conservation and create a legacy that protects nature for generations to come. Planned giving is different for everyone and can change to fit your needs and circumstances. Here are a few strategies for using planned gifts toward your legacy goals.

Gifts that create a legacy and provide future support: Wills, Bequests, and Beneficiaries

Wills and bequests

Many donors include CILTI in their will to create a legacy gift. A popular way to do this is by including suggested wording in a will, stipulating that a specific dollar amount or percentage of an estate will be donated to CILTI upon the donor’s passing.

Wills and bequests allow you to retain ownership of your assets until you pass. This is a customizable approach that allows you to designate exactly how you would like your legacy to be made. Upon your passing, leaving particular assets to charity and passing other kinds of assets to heirs can reduce tax liability for your loved ones.

Don’t Know How to Say It?
Beneficiary

Another way to include CILTI in your estate plans is to list CILTI as a beneficiary of part or all of a particular asset like an IRA, 401k, Donor Advised Fund, or insurance policy. Your financial institution can assist you with naming beneficiaries.

Including CILTI as a beneficiary of a retirement plan or as recipient of your DAF upon your passing is one of the simplest ways to make a legacy gift. Just as you would with a gift in your will, you retain the asset until your passing. At any time, you can make changes to designated beneficiaries and the percentage of assets you would like to leave them.

Gifts of Land

You can give land to CILTI through a variety of estate planning tools, such a bequest in a will or a retained life estate. To learn more about making a gift of land, visit our Land Donations page or contact Stephanie Paine Crossin at spainecrossin@conservingindiana.org or 317.445.5855.

Many donors work with CILTI to leave gifts of land that fit within CILTI’s conservation goals so that the property can be protected forever. Donors may also leave gifts of land as part of their estate in a bequest to help to fund future land protection.

Gifts that make a difference now

You may be interested in seeing your gift’s impact during your lifetime. You can use certain assets to make a difference now and take advantage of personal tax savings. These include gifts made from your IRA’s qualified charitable distribution (QCD), appreciated securities such as stocks, or a Donor Advised Fund. Learn more about these types of gifts.

You may wish to see the impact of your transformational gift firsthand. You can also gain tax savings by giving from certain assets, such as appreciated stocks or the required minimum distribution from your IRA.

Frequently Asked Questions

Any age! People of all ages make planned gifts.

Absolutely. Our sample bequest wording explains how you might do this in a traditional will or bequest. Most IRA or retirement account beneficiary forms allow for you to leave portions of that account to various beneficiaries.

We consider many factors when accepting a donation of land. Please speak with the Land Protection Director to explore this possibility.

Please let us know so we can recognize you as a member of the Burr Oak Society and express our gratitude to you.

Additional Questions?

CILTI staff cannot provide legal or financial advice. We strongly encourage you to engage your own legal and financial council and talk to your family when making estate planning decisions. If you have further questions or want to discuss your planned giving strategy, please feel free to reach out. We want to ensure that your planned gift creates the legacy you wish to make.

  • Stacy Cachules

    Chief Operating Officer

    Among her many key duties as Assistant Director, Stacy has the critical task of tracking our budget, making sure we channel donations for maximum efficiency. When her workday’s done, Stacy loves to spend time with her two young boys—and when not traveling, she’s likely planning the next travel adventure.

    Phone: 317.441.0535