Southwestern Illinois RC&D - The Land Conservancy (TLC)

TLC is building a foundation to ensure that in the future, Southwestern Illinois will still retain farms, wetlands, and forests for all to enjoy and draw inspiration from. By supporting TLC, you'll make a lasting, positive difference for the land we love. Our work is made possible by the generosity of TLC members and donations from individuals, businesses, and foundations.

You can choose to support The Land Conservancy in many different ways, on an annual and/or a long-term basis. Some of the ways you can donate include bequests, lifetime planned gifts, and gifts of cash, land, and securities. Along with greatly assisting the work of TLC, the method of giving you choose may offer significant financial benefits to you and your family.

Imagine a forest, prairie or hillside protected forever with your name listed on a sign at the entrance. Any size gift will make a great contribution to preserving land for future generations. Please contact Steve Black or Dave Eustis at 618.566.4451 for more information about options for making your gift simple and advantageous for both your family and TLC. Working together, knowing the benefits of good planning and the tax advantages of the available choices, we can help you maximize the positive impacts of your gift. We also recommend that you discuss any planned gift with your attorney, accountant, and/or other financial advisors. Here is a brief introduction to the most common options for giving and the advantages they may offer:

Cash is the simplest and most common way to support TLC's annual work. You may make a one-time contribution or make a pledge over a period of years. As Southwestern Illinois RC&D, inc. is a 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit organization, your gift will be tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. If you have decided to make a cash gift, please send your check, payable to The Land Conservancy, a division of Southwestern Illinois RC&D, 406 East Main Street, Mascoutah, IL 62258. If you would like to pay your gift over a number of years, please let us know if you would appreciate reminders for your future gifts.

Gifts of Land. Although many charities hesitate to accept donated real estate; The Land Conservancy is willing to consider gifts of land. If the property you give has conservation value, you will receive a tax deduction for its unrestricted value. This will maximize your charitable income tax deduction. If the land has exceptional natural resources, it may be maintained as a nature preserve. TLC will work closely with landowners to make certain that the owner's wishes for the property are strictly adhered to.

Stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and other publicly traded securities are easily donated, and can often provide you with substantial tax savings. When you donate appreciated securities to TLC, you will usually receive the benefit of a fair-market value income tax deduction, and your gift will be exempt from capital gains tax. Please check with your financial advisor before deciding on the best way to make a gift of this type. Note: In order to realize potential tax benefits, you should donate securities directly to TLC, rather than selling them yourself and giving TLC the proceeds.

Giving Land While Continuing to Live On It. If you are a landowner, you can donate your land and continue to live on it. This is known as a gift of remainder interest, or a gift of land with a "reserved life estate." After you pass on, full title of the property automatically transfers to TLC. A remainder interest gift usually entitles you to an income tax deduction for the "present value" of TLC's remainder interest. Also, the land is not subject to later estate taxation. You continue to enjoy the property during your lifetime, and you have the satisfaction of knowing your land will pass to good hands in the future.

Life income gifts. Many donors find that a "retained life income gift," such as a charitable remainder trust or a charitable gift annuity, is the most appropriate way to support the work of an organization they care about. Such gifts can provide you and/or your beneficiary with income for life, while creating significant income tax and estate tax benefits and providing a major benefit to The Land Conservancy. Similarly, creation of a charitable lead trust provides income for TLC over a term of years, after which the assets in the trust pass (at a reduced estate tax cost) to individual beneficiaries of your choice. Charitable lead trusts are typically for individuals with large estates, and do not generate income for the donor.

Retirement Accounts. Many people today discover that some of their greatest assets are in their retirement accounts. They also learn that passing these assets on to their heirs can burden the beneficiaries with enormous estate and income taxes, leaving them with as little as 20% of the assets. Naming TLC as the beneficiary of a portion of your retirement accounts can help you to make a significant future contribution, ensure that your beneficiaries receive the maximum value from the funds you pass on to them, and maintain your current financial security.

Life Insurance. You can donate a paid-up policy, name TLC as the beneficiary of your life insurance policy, and/or you can transfer ownership of the policy to TLC during your lifetime. These gifts avoid estate taxation on the life insurance death benefit after your passing-- and they may, in some cases, create a present income tax deduction as well.

Bequests. What kind of legacy would you like to leave the world? By making a lasting gift to conservation through a bequest in your will or living trust, you can be remembered in many ways. Such gifts are fully deductible for estate tax purposes. You have the option to designate the use of funds from your bequest. It can be done as percentage of the estate, a remainder of the estate, or a specific dollar amount.

The benefits of planning your gift to The Land Conservancy are: