Endowment Giving Opportunities
Endowment Gifts Support Nature Forever
Click here for naming opportunities
It's All About Hope for the Future
| It's amazing what wonderful things can come from even a modest gift. In a codicil to his 1790 will, Ben Franklin left $4,444.44 to establish a trust for making loans to “young married apprentices.” “Not presuming to carry my views farther,” Franklin directed that the trust be terminated at the end of 200 years and the proceeds be divided between Boston, where he had been born and attended grammar school, and the state of Massachusetts. In 200 years, Franklin's trust made thousands of loans that helped apprentices survive while beginning their life's work. The trust started Franklin Institute in 1905 with a gift of $322,490. When the trust was terminated in 1990, it distributed over $5 million to Boston and Massachusetts. Quite an impressive record from a modest gift. |
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The Wilderness Center accepts gifts and bequests for its endowment and board restricted endowment funds in any amount. Gifts can take the form of cash, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, IRA's, retirement accounts, trust instruments, insurance, real estate, and personal property.
People give to The Wilderness Center out of hope. Hope The Wilderness Center will teach people to preserve a world to bring sustenance and beauty to their children and children to come. Hope The Wilderness Center will protect forests, fields, streams, and wetlands that provide homes for creatures of the Earth. Hope that in an electronic age The Wilderness Center will continue to bring people together to talk, laugh, learn, and work. People hope The Wilderness Center will continue the good works of their life. Therefore, out of hope of what is to be, endowment gifts are preserved forever.
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| Special Endowment Recognitions |
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Engraved Bricks — $1,000-Bricks placed in walk outside Interpretive Building, leading to the office door will be engraved with the name of a loved one or occasion. There are space limitations, which will be discussed before the brick is purchased.
Life Members — $1,250-endows membership for their own and their spouse's lifetime. On passing, the endowment earnings continue to support the mission of The Wilderness Center. We have more than 70 life members.
Benches — $1,500-are limited to spots planned along The Wilderness Center trails. Your gift provides scenic views, and a place to rest and reflect. We have installed 13 benches.
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Endowment Benefactor — $2,000-endows their membership for their own and their spouse's lifetime. In addition, this gift provides immediate current operating income. On passing, the endowment earnings continue to support the mission of The Wilderness Center.
Named Endowments — $2,500-are recognized each year in the Annual Report. Many are begun and added to annually during the lifetime of the donor. They are often made more significant through a bequest. We have more than 50 named endowments.
Charitable Gift Annuity — $5,000 and up-is a way to make a donation to The Wilderness Center and receive income for the rest of your life. The donation is partly tax deductible, and the semiannual payments are only partially taxable.
Major Donor Plaque — $25,000-puts major donors to The Wilderness Center in prominent view in our main hallway. However, as with gifts of any size, some donors remain anonymous. There are more than 40 donors who are recognized on this wall of honor. |
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