Securing the Future: Planned Giving and the Evergreen Society

Planned gifts offer a satisfying and effective way for you to fulfill your philanthropic goals, while providing for the future of the Nature Center.

While there are many different ways to make a planned gift, they all have one benefit in common: they offer assurance that your charitable priorities will be perpetuated by an organization whose mission you share.

Your lawyer or financial adviser can assist you in making informed decisions. Please contact Development Director Char Glatley at (216) 321-5935 ext. 242 to find out more about planned giving options.

Evergreen Society

Membership in the Evergreen Society is open to anyone who invests in the future of the Nature Center through a planned gift. Individuals may designate gifts for a specific purpose or offer broad support through the Endowment Fund. The Evergreen Society recognizes those donors who are dedicated to preserving the parklands of the Shaker Lakes for future generations.

Please click on the following links to find out more about how you can make a planned gift to the Nature Center:

Outright Gifts
Bequests/Gifts by Will
Life Insurance Policies & Retirement Plans
Charitable Gift Annuity
Charitable Remainder Trust

This material is presented for informative purposes only, and should not be considered as legal, tax, or financial advise. When considering a planned gift, you should always consult with your own legal, tax or financial advisors.

Outright Gift
Significant gifts are generally planned over three to five years, and can be fulfilled through contributions of cash, through the use of a donor advised fund, and/or appreciated securities. Gifts of appreciated securities (i.e. stocks and mutual funds) offer additional benefits to the donor, as they allow you to avoid capital gains tax, in addition to receiving your charitable income tax deduction. You might designate your gift to support a specific program (i.e. outreach and education, land management, etc.), or to support the endowment fund to support the Nature Center in perpetuity.

When naming the Nature Center in your plans, please use our legally incorporated name - Shaker Lakes Regional Nature Center. Our Federal Tax ID# is 34-6576569.

Bequests/Gifts by Will
A bequest, a gift made through a will or a trust, is perhaps one of the most common and simplest forms of a planned gift. This may take the form of either a general or specific bequest, or as a remainder of your estate once all specific bequests have been made, or as a contingent bequest.

When naming the Nature Center in your plans, please use our legally incorporated name - Shaker Lakes Regional Nature Center. Our Federal Tax ID# is 34-6576569.

Life Insurance Policies & Retirement Plans
Life insurance policies offer a simple opportunity for making a meaningful and substantial charitable gift to the Nature Center, while also benefiting yourself and your heirs. By naming the Nature Center as a beneficiary you will be able to reduce the estate taxes that your heirs will encounter, and help ensure for the future of this organization.

When naming the Nature Center in your plans, please use our legally incorporated name - Shaker Lakes Regional Nature Center. Our Federal Tax ID# is 34-6576569.

Charitable Gift Annuity
In a Charitable Gift Annuity (CGA), a donor transfers a specific sum of cash, appreciated securities or other property to the Nature Center. In return, the Nature Center pays the donor of another party (or both) a fixed amount of cash each year, usually for life. When the gift annuity matures - normally at the death of the person receiving payments - the remaining funds will belong to the charitable organization for a purpose specified by the donor. The exact amount of your annual payments is based on your life expectancy and on a rate established b the American Council of Gift Annuities. A certain percentage of each payment is tax-free, while the remaining amount is taxed as ordinary income and capital gains, thus spreading the amount of your capital gains over the life of the annuity.

When naming the Nature Center in your plans, please use our legally incorporated name - Shaker Lakes Regional Nature Center. Our Federal Tax ID# is 34-6576569.

Charitable Remainder Trust
It pays to give to the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes by establishing a charitable remainder trust, which benefits both you and the Nature Center.

For a minimum of $100,000 you can:

Earn 5% to 7% return on your gift
Receive an income for life - for you and your spouse
Receive a substantial charitable income tax deduction this year
Transfer appreciated securities to your trust and avoid capital gains taxes
Invest in tax-free bonds and avoid income taxes
Select your own trustee
Select an annuity trust that pays a fixed, guaranteed dollar amount; or a unitrust that pays a percentage of the trust as revalued annually
Support the Nature Center programs that interest you and become a member of the Evergreen Society

When naming the Nature Center in your plans, please use our legally incorporated name - Shaker Lakes Regional Nature Center. Our Federal Tax ID# is 34-6576569.