Types of Planned Gifts
There are many ways to include The Trust for Public Land in your estate plans – from arranging simple bequests, to a charitable gift annuity or the designation of your retirement fund, we can help you plan for your financial future while supporting our land for people mission.
- Outright Gift
- Bequest
- IRA Beneficiary Designation
- Life Insurance Beneficiary Designation
- Retained Life Estate
- Charitable Gift Annuity
- Pooled Income Fund
- Charitable Remainder Trust
- Charitable Lead Trust
View our gift comparison chart for an at-a-glance summary of planned giving gift types.
You may also request a print copy of our planned giving booklet, Creating your Legacy, here.
Outright Gift | Back to top
Gifts of long-term appreciated stock and mutual fund shares are an easy way to make a lasting contribution to The Trust for Public Land. For more information or details, review our gifts of stock or mutual funds instructions.
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 The Trust for Public Land.
How an Outright Gift of Securities Works:
- Contact TPL so we can be alerted that your gift is coming.
- Instruct your broker to transfer the securities using the information below:
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For DTC or Merrill Lynch In-house |
For Charles Schwab In-house Only |
Bequest | Back to top
Creating a legacy gift can be an especially meaningful way to help The Trust for Public Land build parks and conserve open space. The most popular method of leaving a legacy gift is to remember TPL in your will or living trust. Leaving a bequest in your will or living trust can offer you great flexibility as you plan for the legacy you'd like to leave behind.
How a Bequest Works:
- When you create or revise your will or living trust, include language like below: "I give, devise, and bequeath to The Trust for Public Land, a nonprofit California public benefit corporation with business address of 101 Montgomery Street, Suite 900, San Francisco, California 94104, and with a tax identification number of 23-7222333, the sum of _________ dollars [or otherwise describe the gift or assets] for its general purposes and use at the discretion of The Trust for Public Land's Board of Directors."
- If you already have a will or living trust, have your attorney add the language in a codicil, or amendment. You can specify a dollar amount, specific assets, or a percentage of your estate. You may similarly name TPL the beneficiary of your living trust. You can even choose to name TPL the contingent beneficiary of a bequest intended for a surviving loved one, in the event that he or she does not survive you.
- Let TPL's Office of Planned Giving know so we can thank you appropriately and welcome you into the Stegner Society.
IRA Beneficiary Designation | Back to top
Beneficiary designations provide an easy and affordable way to support the work of The Trust for Public Land at a future date. They can cost you nothing during your lifetime. Name TPL the beneficiary of an IRA, 401(K), or assets from another qualified retirement plan. These assets are subject to two taxes when left to heirs (other than your spouse). Your estate will be subject to the estate tax, and when your heirs withdraw the asset, it will be subject to income tax as well. Both taxes are completely avoided when these assets are left to a qualified charity such as TPL.
How a Beneficiary Designation Works:
- Contact your retirement plan administrator to request the paper beneficiary form.
- Indicate how much, or what percentage of the fund remainder should go to TPL and return the form to the plan administrator.
- Let TPL's Office of Planned Giving know so we can thank you appropriately and welcome you into the Stegner Society.
| The beneficiary form requires the following information: The Trust for Public Land 101 Montgomery Street, Suite 900 San Francisco, CA 94104 |
Tax ID Number: 23-7222333
Life Insurance Beneficiary Designation | Back to top
Making a beneficiary designation through your life insurance plan is a cost-effective way to support TPL's land-for-people mission. By naming TPL the beneficiary of an individual or group term life insurance policy, your estate will receive an estate tax deduction for the insurance proceeds distributed to TPL.
How a Beneficiary Designation Works:
- Contact your life insurance administrator to request the paper beneficiary form.
- Indicate how much, or what percentage of the fund remainder should go to TPL and return the form to the plan administrator.
- Let TPL's Office of Planned Giving know so we can thank you appropriately and welcome you into the Stegner Society.
The beneficiary form requires the following information:
The Trust for Public Land
101 Montgomery Street, Suite 900
San Francisco, CA 94104
Tax ID Number: 23-7222333
Retained Life Estate | Back to top
The Trust for Public Land often accepts donations of real estate to support our mission of conserving land-for-people. In most cases, TPL sells the property and uses the proceeds to benefit our work. If you would like to make a gift of real estate property for this purpose, please contact our planned giving office.
Sometimes donors wish for their land to be considered as a conservation project. The decision whether to accept a parcel for preservation is made by TPL field staff. If you would like to discuss the conservation of your land, contact your closest TPL field office.
Charitable Gift Annuity | Back to top
A charitable gift annuity is a gift that will provide guaranteed fixed income for life and then support the mission of The Trust for Public Land. Charitable gift annuities provide an immediate income tax deduction for a sizable portion of your gift. The spending power of your annuity will also be increased by favorable tax treatment. TPL charitable gift annuities are normally funded with cash or appreciated assets valued at $10,000 or more.
Charitable Gift Annuity Rates
Charitable gift annuity rates depend on your age when you make the gift, and rates increase when you choose to defer your payment for one year or more. Current single-life annuity rates are as follows for individuals age 65 and older.
| AGE | 65 | 70 | 75 | 80 | 85 | 90 |
| RATE | 4.7% | 5.1% | 5.8% | 6.8% | 7.8% | 9.0% |
How a Charitable Gift Annuity Works:
- Make a gift to TPL.
- Receive an immediate income tax charitable deduction.
- TPL invests your gift.
- TPL pays you a fixed percentage of the original gift for the rest of your life.
- TPL uses the remainder to fund conservation activities.
Estimate your annuity payments and tax deduction with our gift annuity calculator.
PG Calc's GiftCalcs is a web-based calculator that can provide you with calculations for charitable gift annuities. You may explore a variety of immediate-payment gift annuity options privately, by entering your basic information, customizing your figures, and changing your options at any time. This interactive planned giving calculator provides you with an additional tool to evaluate your various gift annuity options, including choosing the option of a lower payment rate in order to benefit TPL in a greater way. PG Calc's GiftCalcs disclosure.
Pooled Income Fund | Back to top
A pooled income fund is a trust that is established and maintained by a public charity where the gifts of many donors are merged for investment purposes. In exchange for your gift of cash, publicly traded stock, or mutual fund shares, you and any others named as income beneficiaries, will receive your share of income earned by the fund for life. After your lifetime(s), your share of the fund principal will be distributed to TPL for land conservation. The yield will fluctuate with market conditions, and all distributions will be taxable as ordinary income. Normally, gifts to the TPL Pooled Income Fund are funded with cash or taxable appreciated assets valued at $5,000 or more. Subsequent gifts of $1,000 or more may be made.
Appreciated stock or mutual fund shares that you have owned more than one year can be sold by the fund without accruing capital gains tax. The full amount of your gift will then be reinvested for your benefit. You will also receive an immediate income tax deduction for a sizable portion of your gift. The size of the deduction depends on the ages of the income beneficiaries.
Charitable Remainder Trust | Back to top
Charitable remainder trusts provide income for you or a loved one during your life or for a term of years, and support the mission of The Trust for Public Land thereafter. Rates vary and are dependent on the size of the gift and length of the term.
Charitable remainder trusts provide, for gifts of most assets, an immediate income tax deduction for a portion of your gift. In the case of appreciated assets, they can be sold without incurring capital gains tax. By law, a charitable trust must have a 5% minimum payout rate. Payouts chosen normally range from 5% to 7%. Trusts are typically funded with assets valued at $100,000 or more. Subsequent contributions may be allowed, depending on the trust type. It may also be possible for TPL to administer your trust as trustee.
How a Charitable Remainder Trust Works:
- Create a trust.
- Fund the trust (appreciated assets are a great option).
- Receive an immediate income tax charitable deduction.
- The trust invests your gift.
- The trusts pays you income for the rest of your life.
- TPL uses the remainder to fund conservation activities.
A charitable remainder trust can be funded with several types of assets, consider using one or more of the following:
- Cash or publicly traded securities
- Closely held stock
- Real estate
- Other appreciated property
Charitable Lead Trust | Back to top
Charitable lead trusts are powerful tools to help you support The Trust for Public Land immediately, while potentially reducing future estate taxes on assets that you pass to your heirs. Charitable lead trusts can provide The Trust for Public Land with current income while transferring a portion of your estate to your loved ones with a reduced tax burden. When a charitable lead trust is established through your will or living trust, it has the potential to provide you with a significant estate tax deduction.
A charitable lead trust can be a powerful gift and estate tax planning tool. Careful consideration should be made when deciding if this is the right plan for you. The Trust for Public Land's Director of Planned Giving is glad to work with you and your financial advisors throughout the process, click here to contact Gardner Trimble.
How a Charitable Lead Trust Works:
- You create a trust with the help from your financial advisor(s).
- Fund the trust. With charitable lead trusts, appreciated assets are not desirable. Assets that you expect to appreciate over the trust's term are desirable.
- The trust invests your gift.
- The trusts pays The Trust for Public Land income for a set number of years.
- After the charitable lead trust's term expires, the remainder is transferred back to you or to your heirs.
A charitable lead trust can be funded with several types of assets, consider using one or more of the following:
- Cash or publicly traded securities
- Family business or partnership
- Real estate
- Any asset that you expect to appreciate in the future
