There are different ways to make a legacy gift. We encourage interested members to talk with their financial advisors to determine which is the most beneficial and meaningful for them. Below are a few examples, as well as their potential benefits.

Gifts from Your Will or Trust (Bequests): You can name the Land Trust as a beneficiary of your will or living trust. They are easy to arrange, cost nothing during your lifetime, and the bequest remains in your control. You can change your mind at any time or modify your gift should circumstances change. 

You can also structure the bequest to leave a percentage of your estate, a specific dollar amount or item (including real estate), or the balance or residue of your estate to the Land Trust. Your bequest is entitled to an estate tax charitable deduction for the gift's total value. All that is needed is a few sentences in your will or trust.   

To include the Land Trust as a beneficiary of your will or trust please use the following language:

"The Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, a California non-profit corporation, with Business Address of 617 Water Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060. Our taxpayer identification number is 94-2431856."

We suggest you specify that your bequest is "used in such a manner as the Board of Trustees of the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, in its discretion, determine." If you prefer to restrict your bequest, the Land Trust will work with you to ensure that your wishes will be met.

Over the years, members have made gifts both small and large through their estate. Each gift is unique to the member who made it and will make a meaningful impact on our work for years to come.

Life Insurance: By naming the Land Trust as a beneficiary of your life insurance plan, you'll avoid potential estate taxes and make an extraordinary gift. The process is easy and straightforward and can be done (or undone) anytime using a "change of beneficiary" form from your insurer and without the expense of an attorney.

Real Estate: Naming a gift of real estate to the Land Trust can reduce your taxes and ease the demands of owning property. The Land Trust accepts two types of real estate gifts: conservation lands, which the Land Trust will retain, and properties intended for sale. If you intend to restrict the use or sale of the property you would like to give, please contact our office to ensure we can fulfill your wishes.  

Retirement Assets: Naming the Land Trust as a beneficiary of your retirement plan is easy and straightforward. Designation can be done (or undone) online without the expense of an attorney. Retirement plan funds can get hit with heavy income and estate taxes if left to family members but are tax-free if left to a charity. By naming the Land Trust as the beneficiary of your retirement plan, the balance will be donated tax-free. Then you can use your will or living trust to pass other assets that are not as highly taxed to your heirs.  

Charitable Remainder Trusts: A charitable remainder trust allows you to make a gift while providing payments to one or more people (including yourself) for life or a term of years. It can be funded with any asset (cash, stock, real estate, or business interest). When you set up a CRT, you benefit from an income tax charitable deduction for a portion of the gift amount, and any capital gain associated with assets going into the trust are deferred or forgiven. When the trust ends, the balance remaining will be donated to the Land Trust.

All that is needed are a few sentences in your will or trust. To include the Land Trust as a beneficiary of your will or trust, please use the following language:  

 "The Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, a California non-profit corporation, with Business Address of 617 Water Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060. Our taxpayer identification number is 94-2431856." 

We are honored and grateful to have you as part of our Legacy Circle! Please fill out this confidential form and return by mail or email to Donor Relations Manager, Laura Dannehl-Schickman (laura.schickman@landtrustsantacruz.org).

We celebrate our Legacy Circle members during their lifetime. Legacy Circle members are invited to Legacy and Conservation member-only events, receive special updates, and are recognized with gratitude in Land Trust publications and on our Byrne-Milliron Legacy Wall. If you'd like to remain anonymous but still wish to participate in Legacy circle events, just let us know! We want to honor your gift in whatever way makes you comfortable.

Legacy Circle members are celebrated during their lifetime and are invited to Legacy and Conservation member-only events, receive special updates. They are recognized with gratitude in Land Trust publications and on our Byrne Legacy Wall. If you'd like to remain anonymous but still wish to participate in Legacy Circle events, just let us know! We want to honor you in whatever way makes you feel comfortable.  

To join the Legacy Circle, or let us know your recognition preferences, please fill out this confidential form and return it by mail or email to Donor Relations Manager, Laura Dannehl-Schickman laura.schickman@landtrustsantacruz.org.  

I'd like to let you know I've made a legacy gift but wish to remain anonymous. How can I do that?  

To let us know if you'd like to remain completely anonymous, please fill out this confidential form. Make sure to check the box next to "I'd prefer to remain anonymous."  

If you would like to be listed as anonymous but still participate in Legacy Circle events, make sure to check the box next to "I'd prefer to remain anonymous," but leave a note saying you'd like to be included in Land Trust Legacy events.

Once you've completed the form, please return it by mail or email to our Donor Relations Manager, Laura Dannehl-Schickman (laura.schickman@landtrustsantacruz.org). We want to honor you in whatever way makes you feel comfortable! 

Making a will or trust can feel daunting, but it is an important way to share your wishes, create your legacy, and save your loved ones the stress (and cost) of probate. Thankfully, the process doesn't have to be complicated.

There are other types of tax-savvy donations that can provide tax benefits to you now. Below are some examples that can maximize gift benefits. We advise you to speak with your financial advisor to determine what type of gift is best for you.  

Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs): If you are over 70 ½ and have an IRA, Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) might be an excellent option for your charitable giving. QCD's are direct transfers from your IRA account to a qualified charity, like the Land Trust. A QCD gift counts towards your annual required minimum distribution (RMD) AND excludes the gift amount from your taxable income. Making a QCD gift can help you reduce the impact on certain tax credits and deductions (like Medicare and Social Security). 

Many IRAs are eligible for QCDs. However, there are some general requirements:

• You must be 70½ or older.

• QCDs are limited to the amount that would otherwise be taxed as ordinary income (excluding non-deductible contributions).

• The max gift an individual can make that qualifies for a QCD is $100,000 (this includes the sum of all QCDS made to one or more charities in a calendar year). If married and filing jointly, your spouse can also make a QCD gift(s) from their IRA for an amount up to $100,000 within the same tax year).

• To have your QCD count towards the current year's required minimum distribution (RMD), your QCD must come out of your IRA by your RMD deadline (usually December 31).

Ready to make a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) from your IRA? Contact your IRA custodian or use our secure, all-in-one QCD tool to calculate your required minimum distribution (RMD), prepare your QCD, and submit the request to your IRA account custodian. 

Gift of Stock and Appreciated Assets: Gifts of stock and appreciated assets are fully tax-deductible at their market value at the time of your contribution. Giving stock can sometimes be more beneficial than giving cash – if you donate stock, the IRS will allow you to avoid all the capital gains tax on any increase in value since you bought the stock.

To make a gift of stock, click here.  

Real Estate: Donating real estate is a way to make an extraordinary and transformative gift that can also provide you with potential tax benefits such as avoiding capital gains tax and even provide an income tax charitable deduction. The Land Trust accepts two types of real estate gifts: conservation lands, which the Land Trust will retain, and properties intended for sale. If you intend to restrict the use or sale of the property you would like to give, please contact our office to ensure that we can fulfill your wishes.

One of the largest hurdles the Land Trust faces in acquiring and protecting open space is time. Sellers are generally unwilling to wait for the Land Trust to fundraise the capital to purchase their land. The ability to move quickly is what allowed the Land Trust to protect land on either side of Laurel Curve—the pivotal first step in creating the HW17 undercrossing. The second largest hurdle is the continued cost of maintaining and stewarding the growing list of properties we have protected (16,000 acres and growing).

As part of the Land Trust’s recent strategic plan, we have identified over 6,000 acres of critical properties within the wildlife corridor that stretches from the Santa Cruz mountains to the Gabilan Range in the south. There are 500 acres of endangered species habitat that are at risk of development across the county. The need is clear and will drive our work for years to come.

The Land Trust has created a quasi-endowment that will create a self-sustaining source of funding that assures our ability to continue protecting and restoring our county's wild and working lands for decades to come. This quasi-endowment will allow the Land Trust to:

• • • Utilize “strike now” funds to move quickly when land opportunities present, allowing the Land Trust to replenish the endowment’s core capital through fundraising, government grants, or conservation easements without risk of losing the property.
    • Fund ongoing habitat restoration and management across the Land Trust’s growing acres of open space.
    • Support the purchase of conservation easements to protect our county's farm and ranch lands from development.

To designate your gift to the Land Trust Strike and Stewardship Quasi-Endowment, we suggest adding the following language to your bequest:

“This bequest is designated for use in funding the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County’s Strike and Stewardship Fund, a quasi-endowment which will support the protection and stewardship of open space throughout the Santa Cruz County"