Planned Giving

Planned Giving

Making a gift in your Will

The soft touch of a butterfly, the gentle nudge of a calf, or the smile on a child’s face after seeing their first owl; fleeting moments that we remember for a lifetime.

You’d like to help Northern Waters Land Trust more, but feel you cannot make a significant gift today. When you leave a gift through your will to Northern Waters Land Trust your passion lives on. You can help make sure lakes, rivers, and woodlands are conserved, wildlife thrive, and young people get out from behind their computers to experience nature in a way that creates a life-long bond into the future.

Join a growing number of people who are ensuring the future of the lakes, rivers, and woods of northern Minnesota. Your gift will conserve waters and forests and change the lives of many for generations to come. Making a gift in your will is easy to do and will allow you to take care of friends, family and the lands you love in northern Minnesota.

How to donate via your Will

You can donate a stated amount of cash, real-estate (houses, land, businesses), appreciated assets (stock investments or paintings, for example), a portion of your retirement fund or life insurance policy, or the residual after your estate has been processed pursuant to your wishes.

  • You can also stipulate a gift of a specific amount of money from your estate, a percentage of your estate, or even the residual part of your estate.
  • We suggest you consult your attorney or estate planning advisor.

Example language to donate via your Will

“I hereby give to the Northern Waters Land Trust, a nonprofit located in Walker, Minnesota, with a business address of P.O. Box 124, Walker, MN 56484, and with a tax identification number of 41-1887906, the sum of __________ dollars [or describe other gifts or assets] for its general purposes and the use at the discretion of Northern Waters Land Trust’s Board of Directors.”

Why people choose to make a bequest

  • It is not payable until death, so it does not affect your assets or cash flow during your lifetime.
  • It is revocable – you can change the provisions in your will or trust at any time, and
  • It is private – your will is not filed or made public until your death. Should your circumstances change, you can change your will at any time.

Let us know about your designation in your will so that we can thank you, as well.

Tax benefits

  • Depending on the size of your estate, and if it is subject to estate taxes, your gift could help lower your taxable estate. You won’t receive tax benefits during your lifetime if you make a gift via your Will.
  • To receive tax benefits during your lifetime you would donate a gift of cash, stock, or life estate.

Questions?

For more information, contact your financial advisor about including charitable gifts in your will.

Benedict Sunset_Annie Photographer

Planned Giving

A planned gift is a lasting gift to ensure we have the resources to honor our commitment to preserving land to protect water. When you include the Northern Waters Land Trust in your estate plans, you make a gift for future generations to experience the lands and lakes we all hold dear. There are many ways to include the Land Trust in your estate plans.

Bequests

Allocate any amount, percentage, or remainder of your estate or other assets to the Northern Waters Land Trust through your will or revocable living trust. It’s easy to do and donors who leave a bequest can take an estate tax deduction of 100 percent of the gift’s value. This is a perfect way to benefit the Land Trust when you no longer need your assets yourself.

More Ways to Give

We'd love to hear from you.

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