Charitable Giving Options

Preserving iconic landscapes and views. Protecting wildlife habitats for endangered species. Stewarding protected lands and providing places for recreation. These are just some of the ways YLT uses your gifts and donations.

York Land Trust offers a number of simple charitable giving options that help support our work now and in the future, and that often result in tax benefits for donors. To learn more about these options or to make a gift, email info@yorklandtrust.org or call 207-363-7400. We are happy to discuss these options and answer any questions you may have.

These conversations are confidential and require no obligation. For questions specific to tax benefits, please consult your financial advisor. 

Download a PDF of our Charitable Giving Guide here. 

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Cash Gifts & Honorariums

When you give a cash gift, you automatically become a member of York Land Trust. You can make these gifts at any time, including as an honorarium or memorial gift for a loved one.

Bequests

Bequests in one’s will or estate plan can be used to endow an annual contribution, to place conservation easements on land, or to make a special gift that will enhance York Land Trust’s capacity for protecting more land in the future.

Click here for sample bequest language that you and your estate planning professional can include in your will. Click here for a Bequest Notification Form.

Stocks, Bonds and Mutual Funds

Donating a gift of stocks, bonds and/or mutual funds can help support our mission and may offer tax benefits. Click here for a detailed list of instructions for giving to YLT in this way.

Land and Real Estate

Gifts of land and/or real estate can include primary residences or vacation homes, and do not have to have conservation value. They can be donated outright or in your will. Or, you can donate your property and then continue to live there or use it. At the end of a specified period, ownership and control of the property transfer to York Land Trust. You may be entitled to a tax deduction.

Life Insurance

You can name York Land Trust as a beneficiary of your life insurance policy, which may reduce your taxable estate.

Charitable Gift Annuity (CGA)

CGAs support our work by way of a simple contract between you and the Maine Community Foundation (MCF). Your gift is invested by MCF, and provides you with income for the rest of your life, along with tax benefits. After your lifetime, the remainder of the gift establishes a designated fund at MCF to benefit York Land Trust. MCF will facilitate and administer the entire process.

Retirement Plan

You can name YLT as a beneficiary of your retirement plan by simply updating your beneficiary designation. Or, if you are age 70.5 or older, you can make a cash gift now from your traditional IRA plan. A cash gift can be used to satisfy required minimum distributions to avoid having the distribution included in your taxable income.

 

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