Use Your Will to Create a Conservation Legacy

Legacy Gifts are a meaningful way to assure the preservation of the National Parks for generations to come. They are charitable contributions that enable your passion for the parks to continue on after you are gone. The most widely chosen method of leaving a legacy gift is to remember The Nature Corps in your will or living trust.

Leave a Legacy of Conservation

There are several ways to leave a bequest to The Nature Corps in your will or living trust:

  1. You can elect to give a specific dollar amount,
  2. You can designate a percentage of your overall estate,
  3. You can leave the residual amount of your estate after all other specific bequests and obligations are met,
  4. You can name The Nature Corps as a contingent beneficiary, having assets pass to TNC if another beneficiary should not survive you, or
  5. You can leave specific assets such as securities, real estate, life insurance, retirement account, or valuable personal property.
There are a number of tax benefits that may be available to you based on your bequest to The Nature Corps depending on the nature of the assets that you donate as well as the size and complexity of your estate. In most cases, if your estate is subject to estate taxes, your estate can benefit from an estate tax deduction. If you are transferring IRA or retirement plan assets to The Nature Corps your estate may be able to benefit from income tax savings.

Gifts of Real Estate

Real estate can be a great asset to considering leaving to The Nature Corps. The property can be sold and the proceeds used to further our conservation programs in the National Parks. However, it is important that you discuss your intent with The Nature Corps in advance—unfortunately, we are not able to accept all gifts of real estate, depending upon such factors as location of the property, complexity of managing the property, taxes and other costs, etc.

Legal Designation for The Nature Corps

If you are drafting your will or living trust and wish to include a bequest to The Nature Corps, consult with your legal advisor and with your family to ensure that both legal and family concerns are addressed. If you already have a will, it is usually easy to add in a bequest to TNC by having your attorney draft a codicil to your existing will.

In any event, please consult with The Nature Corps prior to finalizing any bequest to ensure that The Nature Corps can carry out your charitable intentions and so that we can say thank you (such discussions are kept strictly confidential).

Provide your attorney with the wording below to establish an unrestricted bequest to The Nature Corps for its conservation programs and operations.

If your bequest is sufficient in size to establish a named endowment fund, The Nature Corps can also recommend wording to you and your attorney to aid in defining your charitable intentions.

THE NATURE CORPS’s federal tax identification number is 95-3763886

I (we) give, devise, and bequeath _________ [specific asset, lump sum, or residual percentage] to The Nature Corps, to be used for its charitable purposes [or describe specific purposes if so desired], which includes the implementation of volunteer conservation programs that promote the preservation of the National Parks for the enjoyment of generations to come.

If you would like more specific language, please contact our office at (800) 774-PARK.

The above information is provided for general educational and public benefit purposes only. Anyone viewing this material is strongly encouraged to seek counsel from a qualified legal, accounting, and/or financial advisor before applying any of the information and ideas presented within these web pages to his or her own particular situation.