Leave a Legacy Gift
Wildlife Heritage Guild
Leave a legacy that will make a difference in the future of the Sacramento Zoo. The Wildlife Heritage Guild is a group of special individuals who have remembered the Sacramento Zoological Society in their estate plans. When you join the zoo’s Wildlife Heritage Guild, you create a legacy that will protect endangered animals and support educational programming and wildlife conservation efforts for future generations.
The nonprofit Sacramento Zoo depends on the generosity of private contributions from those who value the zoo and its role in their lives and community. You can make a meaningful and long-term investment in the zoo through a planned gift such as a will, trust, life insurance policy or other deferred gift. Planned gifts can also provide substantial tax benefits to the donor.
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Use your will power. Without a valid will, state laws can determine how your assets are distributed. You can best ensure that your intentions or wishes are followed by creating a valid and enforceable will. By naming the Sacramento Zoological Society in your will, you leave a legacy for the future. You may leave the Sacramento Zoo a percentage of your estate, a specific dollar amount, or specific property such as stocks, bonds or real estate.
Sample Bequest Language – Percentage of Estate
I give __% of my estate to the Sacramento Zoological Society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, for its general uses and purposes. Sacramento Zoological Society is located at 3930 West Land Park Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95822.
-or-
Sample Bequest Language – Specific Gift
I give $______to the Sacramento Zoological Society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, for its general uses and purposes. Sacramento Zoological Society is located at 3930 West Land Park Drive, Sacramento, CA 95822.
Sacramento Zoological Society’s Federal Tax ID Number: 94-2861667
Naming the Sacramento Zoological Society as beneficiary and owner of a new or existing life insurance policy may provide a charitable income tax deduction. Contact your life insurance company for a beneficiary form to include the Sacramento Zoo. It is simple and rewarding.
A trust is often a good supplement to a will for those who wish to avoid the time and expense of probate.
There are many kinds of trusts for many different purposes. But they all have one thing in common: they are a means of assuring that your property will be handled, and ultimately passed on, in the way you wish for your heirs and/or a charitable organization like the Sacramento Zoo. Please consult your financial advisor or attorney for which type of trust(s) best meets your needs.
We have enjoyed the Sacramento Zoo for many years. We’ve participated as members, zoo parents, donors, as a docent and we’ve included the zoo in our trust.
By joining the Wildlife Heritage Guild and including the zoo in our estate plans, we are helping to ensure the financial future of our zoo. It is obvious that the staff at the zoo truly care about the animals and how the zoo participates in animal conservation and preservation of species. The staff are obviously proud of our little inner-city zoo. It is a Sacramento gem. All reasons that helped us to choose the zoo to benefit from our estate planning.
-Tim and Linda McKenna
I consider the Sacramento Zoo my “happy place.” When I am at the zoo volunteering as a docent or just walking the grounds as a visitor, I am constantly reminded of what a special place our zoo is.
It is for countless reasons, coupled with our family desire to help our zoo move forward that we chose to include the Sacramento Zoo in our estate planning. We wanted to do our small part to help assure the zoo remains on its path to continue to meet its mission daily while growing and developing far into the future.
My wife and I urge anyone who can to consider including the Sacramento Zoo in their estate plans. It is easy, makes you feel great and will do great good for the animals and for the community for many years to come.
-Walt and Sharon Hess
Retirement finally gave me time to explore the Sacramento Zoo, and I realized I had found a little oasis in the middle of our capital city. I was inspired to become a volunteer – first in events, then in horticulture, and finally as a docent. It was during my docent training that I discovered the passion and commitment all staff demonstrates toward the betterment of our zoo animals and toward conservation and preservation issues relating to animals throughout the world. For these reasons, I have made the Sacramento Zoo a beneficiary in my living trust, and I am honored to provide a legacy gift that supports the continued efforts to honor animals in our community and around the world.
-Teresa M. Kahl
If you choose to include the Sacramento Zoological Society in your planned giving, we thank you and would appreciate being notified. Please ensure the following information is included in your documentation:
Sacramento Zoological Society
3930 West Land Park Drive
Sacramento, CA 95822
Attn: Development Department
Tax ID# 94-2861667
Individuals who notify the Sacramento Zoo that the nonprofit has been designated as a beneficiary in their estate plans will be made a member of our Wildlife Heritage Guild. As a member of this elite group, you will be invited to a special annual reception and recognized on the Wildlife Heritage Guild sign on zoo grounds. For more information, email the Senior Development Officer or call 916-808-3713.
Notify the zoo of a Legacy Gift
The above information does not constitute legal or financial advice and should not be relied upon as such. Interested donors should seek independent legal and financial advice from competent legal and financial advisors. To learn more about the best giving vehicle for you, the Sacramento Zoo encourages you to seek professional legal, estate planning and financial advice. The Sacramento Zoo is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization; the tax ID number is 94-2861667.