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Gift Planning

Welcome to Gift Planning

Since our founding in 2007, the Preservation Foundation has received gifts at all levels, in a variety of ways.

Our donors are making their personal mark on the preserves they have hiked, biked, explored, and cherished for decades. You can give your gift in your lifetime or provide for the Lake County Forest Preserves through your estate plan. Planned gifts to the Preservation Foundation sow seeds of possibility, supporting the ongoing care and restoration of the Lake County Forest Preserves.

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Preserve what you love–the trails, oak groves, open spaces and waterways of the Lake County Forest Preserves.

Leave a lasting legacy when you include the Preservation Foundation of Lake County Forest Preserves in your plans.

 

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    Begin Your Legacy With Us

    To help you get started on your plans and legacy, you can use FreeWill, an online tool that guides you through the process of creating a legally valid will or trust. It’s easy to use, accessible online and can be completed in 20 minutes. You can use this resource on its own, use it to document your wishes before finalizing your plans with an attorney.

    Get Started Now

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    Share Your Gift With us

    Have you already included a gift in your will or trust? Please fill out this form to let us know! We would love to thank you for your generosity.

    Report My Gift

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    Non-Probate Assets

    Do you have an IRA, 401(k), life-insurance policy, or any other assets not included in your will? If so, these are called non-probate assets and you must plan your beneficiaries for them separately. Use this online tool to make your plans and designate us as a beneficiary of one or more of these assets.

    Plan My Beneficiaries

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    IRA Charitable Rollover

    Donors 70.5 and older are eligible to make a tax-free gift to the Preservation Foundation of the Lake County Forest Preserves directly from their IRA called a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD). These gifts are tax-free, regardless of whether or not you itemize deductions on your tax return, and can lower your taxable income. If you have to take a Required Minimum Distribution, which is currently at age 72, QCDs are one way to reduce the tax liability.

    Contact Us

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    Stock Gifts

    Gifts of appreciated stock and securities are a cost-effective and tax-friendly way to help accelerate Forest Preserve conservation, restoration and education projects that may otherwise go unfunded. You may be eligible for a tax deduction based on their full fair-market-value and avoid paying the capital gains tax.

    Learn More

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    Donor Story

    "As volunteer fundraisers, we learned that leaving all in your will to your children or a charitable organization is not one or the other. We’ve decided to do both. Leaving a portion—either a set percentage or amount—to your favorite charity makes all the difference to their work, and it is very easy to do."

    Full Story