Planned Giving:
Share Your Love of Nature with Future Generations
For more than 35 years, The Nature Museum has been working toward a future where all people are inspired to explore the wonder, science, and beauty of the natural world. You can be an enduring partner in this commitment to the earth and our future generations! Planned giving is a high-impact way to help sustain The Nature Museum’s work.
Planned giving comes in many shapes and sizes – a substantial estate is not required.
To guide these opportunities, The Nature Museum has teamed up with the Vermont Community Foundation’s (VCF) Planned Giving Partnership Program. VCF has deep experience in this realm, and can help prospective donors evaluate various ways to make an impact with their legacy gift. Options include:
A bequest of any amount
Including The Nature Museum as a beneficiary on a retirement account or life insurance policy
Creating a charitable gift annuity (CGA) or a charitable remainder trust (CRT)
Donations of appreciated stock or other property.
As with most charitable giving, there can be tax benefits to planned giving (but check with your tax advisor to be sure!). One method can pay you an annual income for life, leaving the remainder to TNM; another can make an annual payment to TNM, now or at some point in the future, with the principal ultimately paid out to your heirs. If you fund one of these methods with a gift of appreciated stock or real estate, you can avoid capital gains taxation and qualify for an immediate tax deduction.
If you're over 70 and don't need the required distribution from your IRA, which becomes mandatory around that time, you can satisfy that annual requirement through a gift to TNM, thereby avoiding the related income taxes. Through our partnership, The Vermont Community Foundation can advise which kind of giving is most beneficial for you, and if helpful, can work closely with your own financial advisor(s).
Our charitable giving easy and inspiring.
If you’re interested in making a lasting difference for The Nature Museum, it’s easy to get started! For basic information without pressure, please contact:
Nikolas Katrick. Executive Director Email: nikolas@nature-museum.org 802-843-2111
Will Danforth. Board Treasurer Email: will@nature-museum.org
Thank you for your interest in supporting The Nature Museum!
The Nature Museum is a privately supported 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Our mission is to engage and educate in order to spark a lifelong connection and responsibility to the natural world.
The Vermont Community Foundation is a family of hundreds of funds and foundations created by Vermonters to serve their charitable goals.
