Leave a Legacy to Protect Wild Alaska

Tight group of black and white murre birds all looking upwards on rocky outcropping of Pribilof Islands by Ki

The most common donations that ACF receives are outright gifts of cash. Many times, however, people want to hold on to their money and other assets for now, just to be sure they can meet their family’s financial needs. The good news is that you don’t have to choose between protecting Alaska and protecting your family financially—you simply need to learn more about planned giving.

What is planned giving? Planned giving enables people to help a charitable cause and leave an enduring philanthropic legacy while preserving assets for loved ones, saving a variety of taxes, and sometimes even increasing their income during life by incorporating specific giving strategies into their overall planning. The staff of Alaska Conservation Foundation (and this website), as well as your legal and tax advisors, are great resources for exploring the many gift plans available.

While planned giving can sound complicated, in reality most gifts are easy to establish. Furthermore, many planned contributions cost little or nothing at the time they are established—with assets most often passing to ACF at some point in the future when you no longer need them. You can even specify how your gift is to be used—wherever the need is greatest over time, in support of specific Alaska conservation objectives, or to establish a permanent fund in your name or the name of a loved one.

In any event, the promise of your future legacy means that ACF will be able to reach long-range conservation goals while continuing to respond to new and changing threats to Alaska’s vast, intact ecosystems.

Just think of what you want to accomplish with your gift and there’s probably a way to do it.

Choose the Gift Plan that Matches Your Goal

Click on the highlighted gift options to see more detailed information on each plan and its benefits to you and your family.

Gift Option	Your Financial Goals
Gift of Cash	Make a quick & easy current gift; Reduce tax burden.
Gift of Appreciated Securities	Avoid capital gains taxes; Reduce income tax burden.
Gift of Closely Held Stock from Your Company	Avoid capital gains taxes; Take distribution from your company; Reduce income tax burden.
Gift from Retirement Plan	Reduce taxation (up to 70%) on assets intended for heirs; Plan an easy future gift.
Gift of Life Insurance	Maximize value of paid-up insurance policy; Reduce income tax burden; Make low-cost major gift with new policy (a great option for younger donors).
Bequest via Will or Living Trust	Retain full control of assets during life; Reduce potential estate taxes; Maximize bequests to family via well planned charitable gifts; Fund annual gift to Foundation in perpetuity.
Charitable Gift Annuity	Increase spendable income with guaranteed income for life; Receive higher rate of return over traditional fixed income investments (such as CDs); Reduce income tax burden; Build supplemental retirement funds; Build educational funds for children & grandchildren’s future needs.
Charitable Remainder Trust	Transform appreciated assets (such as low basis stock or real estate) generating little income and/or subject to capital gains tax into an income producing resource that bypasses capital gains taxes; Reduce income tax burden; Build supplemental retirement, educational, and special needs funds; Plan tax-advantaged bequests to family.
Charitable Lead Trust	Grow assets intended for heirs in tax-advantaged way to provide greater future benefit to loved ones; Maximize use of assets for period of years when income is not needed; Reduce income and estate tax burden; Plan tax-advantaged bequests to family.

For more information, contact ACF’s Development office at (907) 276-1917.

The information provided on this website is for general educational and public benefit purposes. Concepts described are only effective when used as part of an overall, carefully considered estate and financial plan, and inappropriate application of these concepts can have negative consequences. Anyone viewing this material is strongly encouraged to seek counsel from a qualified legal, accounting, and/or financial advisor prior to applying any of the information and ideas presented within these web pages to his or her own particular situation.