You can craft the perfect gift to the future through your estate plans.
When INHF is entrusted with a legacy, we are humbled and honored to make wonderful things happen in Iowa in the spirit of these far-sighted donors!
Bequests through your will or living trust are simple, flexible, satisfying ways to give. All your assets remain available to you during your lifetime. You may also revise a bequest at any time to reflect changes in your personal situation or changes in your philanthropic goals.
If you already have a will, a simple codicil can update your plans.
It’s good to talk it over.
We invite you to talk with Abby Hade Terpstra, director of philanthropy, about your wishes and plans.
- She can provide suggestions on how you might shape your bequest given your interests.
- She can also make sure INHF understands your intentions and keeps your wishes on file for future reference.
Contact Abby at 515-288-1846, ext. 15 or aterpstra@inhf.org. All conversations are confidential, with no obligation.
If you have already included INHF in your will:
Please let us know.
We respect that some people choose not to share their legacy plans in advance. Yet we love to know someone well enough to be sure we’ll put their legacy into action in ways they would appreciate. For those who have arranged a gift involving land or a specific purpose, this conversation can be especially important. We want to fully understand your intentions so as to ensure that they can be fulfilled.
Stewardship Circle
Those who choose a legacy through INHF are invited to be part of our Stewardship Circle. This creates a special, lasting relationship with INHF. Nearly 300 people are now part of our Stewardship Circle. Some have never met our staff or board; others are dear and long-time friends. It’s an honor to walk through life with them. They are driven by values that so many Foundation people share: deep respect for nature, and a desire to “give back” in gratitude for our Iowa home.
How to name INHF in your will
- Choose what to give:
- Specific assets
- A portion (%) of your estate
- Your residual (remaining) estate after other bequests are paid
- Choose the use of your gift. Do you have a specific purpose in mind, or would you rather trust INHF to decide how to use your gift for the most impact?
- If you have a specific use or a non-cash asset such as land in mind, please contact Abby Hade Terpstra to discuss your plans. Abby can help you know if INHF can carry out your wishes as you envision.
- Ask your attorney to draft the will provision for your signature.
Sample bequest language
Specific amount: "I give to Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, located in Des Moines, Iowa, the sum of $_______ to be used by INHF wherever the need is greatest."
Land: "I give to Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, located in Des Moines, Iowa, all of my right, title and interest in the following described real estate [insert legal description of land] to be used by INHF wherever the need is greatest."
For more information about donating land, visit our Landowner Options website. Please talk with INHF staff about your plans to bequeath land.
Portion of estate: "I give to Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, located in Des Moines, Iowa, ____% of my estate to be used by INHF for the protection and restoration of wildlife areas in Iowa."
Residual estate (after other bequests are named): "I give to Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, located in Des Moines, Iowa, the rest and residue of my estate to be used by INHF wherever the need is greatest."
Federal Tax ID #42-1127544
You or your attorney might want to keep this number in your estate files for future reference.
Simple: An unrestricted bequest
Designating a gift to INHF in your estate, without a designated purpose, is a simple way to create a lasting legacy. Our board of directors has a policy and discipline of investing unrestricted bequests so as to create on-going, annual unrestricted support from its earnings. Fifty or a hundred years from now, the INHF staff and board will use earnings from your bequest to meet the needs and opportunities that are most pressing at that time — which we could not possibly foresee today. This discipline greatly increases INHF’s stability and capacity to do more for Iowa’s land, water and wildlife — now and in the future. For the donor, this discipline ensures that your final gift to INHF is a truly lasting gift.