The Center’s supporters help create a vibrant future for the region. (Ian MacLellan photo).
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Join the Innovators' Circle with a Planned Gift

Make lasting impact through a planned gift to the Northern Forest Center.

Planned gifts make an incredible and lasting difference to the Northern Forest Center’s mission and the communities we serve. The Innovators’ Circle is made up of Center supporters who — through estate planning, deferred giving, and other forms of planned gifts — ensure that the Center will have resources far into the future.

Join us in building a thriving and welcoming Northern Forest region sustained by innovation and environmental stewardship.

Gifts Now

Our team is happy to discuss any of these options with you. Please contact Sarah Schmidt, Grants & Development Coordinator, at 920-851-0316 or sschmidt@northernforest.org.

The Zealand River behind Sugarloaf Campground. (Ian MacLellan for Northern Forest Center)

Retirement Assets (from IRAs)

If you are 70-½ or older, you can contribute up to $100,000 from your IRA directly and avoid paying income taxes on the distribution. This is known as a qualified charitable distribution. Moreover, if you are at least 72, using the qualified charitable distribution option counts toward your required minimum distribution (RMD) for the year.

Appreciated Securities (or other assets)

Donating appreciated stocks, bonds or mutual funds is quick and simple and may provide you with tax benefits.

Real Estate

Donating residential, commercial, or undeveloped real estate can help you save on taxes and reduce ownership responsibilities.

Gifts Later

Bequests

Simply name the Northern Forest Center in your will or trust. Bequests are a popular way to make a future gift. Please let us know about your planned bequest so that we can acknowledge you as a member of the Innovators’ Circle.

Beneficiary Designations

Designating “The Northern Forest Center, Inc.” as a beneficiary of your retirement plan, life insurance policy, checking or savings account is the simplest planned gift. There is no charge to make a beneficiary designation, and you can save your estate from onerous taxes.

Gifts that Pay Income

Saranac Lake. (Ian MacLellan for Northern Forest Center)

Charitable Gift Annuity

A charitable gift annuity is a contract between you and the Center in which you make a sizable gift to benefit the Center and then become eligible for a partial tax deduction as well as a fixed income stream for the remainder of your life. The Center works with community foundations to manage charitable gift annuities.

Charitable Lead Trust

This type of trust allows you to provide an inheritance to your children and make a significant charitable gift through your estate. Typically, income from the trust flows to the Northern Forest Center for a stated number of years, after which the assets in the trust are distributed to your heirs.

Please note, the Center cannot offer tax or financial advice. Please consult your tax and/or financial advisor as you make your charitable giving plans.

Thank you for considering a legacy gift to the Northern Forest Center.

Endowment Gift

While the Center’s priority is to secure unrestricted funds to support immediate program needs, you may designate a gift to build the Center’s endowment fund during your lifetime or as part of your estate plan. Gifts to the Center of $25,000 or more may be designated to The Northern Forest Fund at the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation and the Vermont Community Foundation or you may request your gift be used to establish a similar fund at a Maine or New York community foundation to support the Center’s mission.

Jackie Tuxill

One of the things about the Center that is very compelling to me is that it is on the cutting edge of collaborative conservation techniques that have great promise for the future.”

– Jackie Tuxill, Conservation Consultant

Which type of gift is right for you?

Please contact Please contact Sarah Schmidt, Grants & Development Coordinator, for answers to any questions and to talk through the best option for you. Call Sarah at 920-851-0316 or send her an email.

If you have already included the Northern Forest Center in your estate plans, thank you! We’d be delighted to learn of your plans so we can thank you and learn more about your interest in our work.

Prefer to make a gift now? Explore other ways to support The Center.

Staff Contacts

Sarah Schmidt

Sarah Schmidt

Grants & Development Coordinator
Cell: 920-851-0316
Office: 603-229-0679