Ways to Give

You can pay tribute to family and friends through an honorary or memorial gift to Downeast Coastal Conservancy.

Made in memory of a deceased relative or friend or in honor of a special occasion such as a birthday or wedding, your gift will help them play in important role in conservation and in Downeast Maine.

For Memorial Gifts, please provide the name of the person being memorialized and indicate the name and address of a family member or friend of the deceased to whom we can send an acknowledgment of your gift.

For Honorary Gifts, please provide the name of the person being honored and their address and indicate if you want us to alert them of your gift.

If you would like to establish a memorial or honorarium fund, or contribute to an existing one, please contact the office at (207) 255-4500. Memorial gifts and honorary gifts can be mailed directly to the DCC office or made securely online.

We all have a deep connection to natural places where we go to rest, reflect, and recharge. Whether perched on a granite bluff overlooking the rugged coastline or nestled in a moss-covered spruce glade, many of these special spots can be found at DCC preserves. Everyone who is passionate about land conservation and enjoys the many recreation opportunities in Washington County was introduced to the outdoors by someone who came before them – someone who mentored or nurtured these deep connections.

DCC is pleased to offer our Commemorative Bench Program – a stewardship and development project to honor the many people who have instilled a passion for the natural world in all of us. Commemorative benches allow you to honor the special people you love, and your donated contribution will be a great addition to DCC’s preserves. For a minimum $2,000 donation, your request will place a bench with a dedicated plaque at a pre-determined location at one of DCC’s public preserves for a five-year period. After five years, you will have the opportunity to renew this wonderful gift to your honoree.

A functional and classic design, these ubiquitous outdoor benches are attributed to Aldo Leopold, one of land conservation’s great thinkers and writers. The memorial plaque will be placed at the center of the bench at a prominent location on the landscape. These benches will provide DCC preserve visitors with an excellent option for rest and reflection upon the Downeast landscape – an aspect of outdoor recreation that Mr. Leopold found essential for a true connection to nature.

You can have a significant impact in saving land by making a planned gift.

Become a member of the Downeast Coastal Conservancy’s Heritage Circle when you make a philanthropic investment to carry forward the protection of Downeast Maine’s landscapes long after you are gone.

There are many tools you can use to include Downeast Coastal Conservancy in your estate plans:

• A simple bequest (see below), naming the Conservancy in your will or trust.
• A charitable gift annuity, receiving a specified amount of income during your lifetime and afterwards having the remainder generate income for the Conservancy.
• A charitable remainder trust, receiving a percentage of trust assets during your lifetime and having the corpus transferred to the Conservancy after your death.
• A remainder interest, deeding real property to the Conservancy but reserving a life estate that allows you the use and enjoyment of the property until your death.
• A life insurance policy, naming the Conservancy as beneficiary.
• A retirement plan, such as an IRA naming the Conservancy as primary or successor beneficiary.

Bequests

Specific Bequests

A specific bequest is an outright gift of money, stocks or bonds, land, tangible personal property or other assets. Suggested bequest wording is:

“I give, devise, and bequeath to the Downeast Coastal Conservancy, a Maine nonprofit organization with Tax Identification Number 01-0430078, with offices in Machias, Maine, the sum of $____________ (or describe any real or personal property), to be used for its general purposes.”

In the case of a bequest of land that has conservation value, the owner is urged to talk with Downeast Coastal Conservancy staff before the will is signed. This will ensure that the owner’s wishes will guide the Conservancy’s discussions about the future conservation.

Residuary Bequests

In a residuary bequest, the donor leaves all or part of the balance of his or her estate to a beneficiary after all of the specific bequests have been satisfied. The suggested wording for a residuary bequest is:

“I give, devise, and bequeath to the Downeast Coastal Conservancy, a Maine nonprofit organization with Tax Identification Number 01-0430078, with offices in Machias, Maine, all [or ____%] of the rest, residue and remainder of my estate, to be used for its general purposes.”

Contact the office at (207) 255-4500 to discuss Planned Giving options.

If you decide to include Downeast Coastal Conservancy in your estate plan, we hope you will contact us. Your example can inspire others – especially if you give us permission to publish your name in our Annual Report – and we can talk with you about your gift to be sure we can honor your wishes.

A gift of land to Downeast Coastal Conservancy can offer certain tax advantages, such as helping to reduce estate, income taxes, and property taxes.

If you wish to make donation of land to the Conservancy, please contact the office at (207) 255-4500 beforehand so we can work together on this important decision.

Gifts of long-term appreciated stock, bonds, and mutual fund shares are an easy way to make a contribution to Downeast Coastal Conservancy.

Benefits include:

• Income Tax Savings – For securities you have owned for more than one year, you can take an income tax deduction for the full market value, up to 30 percent of your adjusted gross income. The excess can be carried forward for up to 5 years.
• Capital Gain Tax Savings – Avoid capital gain taxes you would have incurred if you had sold the stock or mutual fund shares.
• Support – Provide crucial support to Downeast Coastal Conservancy.

For more information on making a gift of securities, such as stocks or bonds, please contact the office at 207-255-4500.

Stock Transfer Instructions can also be downloaded here.