• Legacy Fund

  SCVAS has created its Legacy Fund to receive bequests and donations reserved for special conservation and education initiatives.

  The SCVAS Board views gifts to the Legacy Fund as investments in the long-term sustainability of our Audubon chapter and its mission. Income from the Fund has been used to expand SCVAS's summer nature camp program for children with the goal of educating a new generation of enthusiastic environmentalists. It has also been used to jumpstart new programs such as our RAILS Youth Environmental Leadership Training. The Fund also supported the hiring of an Environment Advocate to fulfill a fundamental part of our mission.

  Bequests to the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society Legacy Fund will memorialize your commitment to environmental education and conservation in the Bay Area now and well into the future, and are an important investment in the vitality of our organization.

  Please contact us with questions or to let us know you have included SCVAS in your estate plan so that we can recognize you as a member of our Legacy Society.

  WHAT IS A BEQUEST?

  A bequest is a provision in your will or living trust that directs a portion of your estate to a named beneficiary (such as SCVAS). Giving by charitable bequest costs you nothing now and can also qualify your estate for a charitable deduction to reduce estate tax liability.

  There are three ways to make a bequest

  Specific Bequest - Designate a specific dollar amount, percentage, or property to SCVAS.

  Residual Bequest - Your estate will pay all debts, taxes, expenses and specific bequests. The remaining amount - the residual - will be transferred to SCVAS and others, if you so indicate.

  Contingent Bequest - Your estate can ask that SCVAS receive all or a portion of your estate only under certain circumstances. For example, you can name SCVAS as a beneficiary of your estate only if there are no surviving close family members.

  SPECIFIC BEQUEST SAMPLE LANGUAGE

  Specific dollar amount I give, devise and bequeath the sum of ___ dollars to...

  Property I give, devise and bequeath the following described property to... [insert description of property].

  Percentage I bequeath an amount equal to ___ percent of the net value of my estate as finally determined for federal tax purposes to...

  ... to Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society, 22221 McClellan Road, Cupertino, CA 95014, (408)252-3747, a charitable organization located in Santa Clara County, California. Tax ID 94-6081-420.

  Please consult with your own tax, legal, and financial planning advisor to add a bequest to your will or living trust.

• Memorial Fund

  Donations to honor the important people in your life can be made to this special fund to memorialize efforts they made during their lives. Monies in this fund will be spent on special education or conservation programs in our community. Please let us know about your special contribution so we can send an acknowledgement of your gift to the family of the person honored. If the person was a SCVAS volunteer or member, send us a tribute so we can honor them in our Volunteer Memorial.

  PAST BENEFICIARIES OF THE VOLUNTEER MEMORIAL FUND

  The Education Committee and Board were delighted to fund scholarships for two South Valley Middle School studentes to attend a Yosemite Institute program in 2011. As part of their scholarship application, Kevin and Jamie both expressed their reasons for wanting to attend this program. The common factor was a desire to experience nature in a new way and to learn more about the Sierras.

  Jamie commented, "The coolest part of the trip was when we saw a coyote hunting in the meadow. It was an amazing feeling because people were close to it taking pictures and it didn't run away. It was as though it was posing."

  Kevin described his experience, "The second day we got to play in the snow. It was so fun! Our leader showed me how to work in a group - that was special to me. But, the most exciting moment was when we were all in 'spider cave' and everything was dark. That showed me the importance of working together with everybody."

  To the supporters of the Volunteer Memorial Fund, and on behalf of these students - and many others like them - thank you!

• More Ways to Support

IN-KIND DONATIONS

In-kind donations are paid in valuable goods or services rather than money. Professional expertise is always needed in areas such as law, fundraising, environment, publicity, and education. We are also in need of quality goods such as computers and office equipment. Check out our many volunteer opportunities that will fit your interests. Please contact us if you want to discuss an in-kind gift.

CORPORATE GRANT

Please contact your Human Resources department to find out if your company offers a grant program and we can work with you to complete the application.

ACCOUNT BENEFICIARY DESIGNATION

Many investment account managers, such as mutual fund companies, allow you to designate primary and secondary beneficiaries which allow the funds to flow to SCVAS outside of your will or trust, thus eliminating the need of an executor. For example, you can designate SCVAS as primary beneficiary, or you can designate your spouse as primary beneficiary and SCVAS as secondary beneficiary. You also have the flexibility of designating SCVAS as a beneficiary of a specific and separate account, controlling the amount of money you give. Specific beneficiaries designated on investment accounts usually override wills or trusts. Please consult with your investment account manager or financial planner about the details of designating SCVAS as a beneficiary.

LIVING TRIBUTE

Give a living tribute to celebrate someone's birthday, wedding, or other special occasion. Make a contribution in honor of someone to our Memorial Fund and their memory will live on in our efforts to protect birds, wildlife, and habitat. Please let us know about your special tribute so we can send an acknowledgement of your gift to the person honored.

GIFTS OF STOCKS AND BONDS

You can make a bigger impact with a gift of stocks or bonds, because they are almost always more tax-efficient to donate than cash. With a gift of appreciated securities, you avoid paying capital gains tax on the increase in security value. And you receive a charitable tax donation for the full fair market value of the security at the time of the gift if you itemize deductions.

For example, if you purchased stock years ago for $1,000 and the current fair market value is $5,000, a gift of the stock would result in a charitable contribution tax deduction of $5,000. In addition, you avoid paying capital gains tax on the appreciation of $4,000. Please consult with your own tax advisor before donating to verify your specific tax advantage. To donate, call our Treasurer, Gary Campanella, at (408) 218-4460.

IRA DIRECT CONTRIBUTIONS

If you are over 70 ½, you can make a tax-free direct distribution from your traditional IRA to SCVAS as a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD). Since you don’t pay income tax on the distribution, it’s a great way to make a donation, whether to our general programs, Legacy Fund, Memorial Fund, Environmental Advocacy, or as a Living-Tribute. There is no deduction for the donation, so you don’t need to itemize deductions to get the full tax benefit of a Qualified Charitable Distribution.

And if you are over 72, your QCD counts toward your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) from your IRA. So a direct distribution to SCVAS helps you avoid penalties, as well as income tax. This donation also lowers Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) which is used in the Medical Itemized Deduction test and for Medicare premium calculations. Please consult with your own tax advisor to verify your specific tax advantage. To donate, call our Treasurer, Gary Campanella, at (408) 218-4460.