Including BRN in Your Estate Planning

A legacy gift is a planned donation to a nonprofit organization or charity through estate planning.  My wife Judy and I wanted a meaningful way for our investment in BRN’s work to continue into the future, so we chose to put BRN in our wills. Like you, we have been regular supporters of BRN and are impressed with the consistent quality and impact of their conservation, restoration, and education/community outreach work.

Lynn Davidson, former board chair of BRN, pictured here with her wife Judy.

In addition, BRN’s excellent leadership, strong financial and human resources management, and commitment to being here for the long-term make us feel comfortable about a legacy gift. And perhaps most importantly, we feel strongly that addressing the substantial risks to the land, water, wildlife, and people of the borderlands is critical now and into the future.  It’s a big job requiring a sustained effort. We hope legacy gifts like ours can make a lasting difference in the borderlands of Arizona and Sonora. 

While we chose our will as the vehicle for making a legacy gift to BRN, there are actually a number of other options you could consider: including BRN in your living trust, naming BRN a beneficiary in a retirement account or a life insurance policy, making grants to BRN from donor advised funds, or making non- taxable gifts through your IRAs to satisfy RMD requirements. BRN also may accept gifts of real estate. 

Judy and I encourage you to consider a legacy gift to BRN. If you are interested in getting more information, please contact Laura Wenzel, BRN development associate, at lwenzel@borderlandsrestoration.org.