Planned Giving

The TREE Fund Heritage Oak Society

In 2000, the TREE Fund (through the former ISA Research Trust) invited individuals to become founding members of the Heritage Oak Society, a special group of people who have made arrangements to include the TREE Fund in their estate plans.* They are creating a legacy by making a “planned gift” to help arboriculture research and education in the future while maintaining control over their assets during their lifetime. These people play a significant role in shaping the future of arboriculture and urban forestry by providing funds that will make a lasting difference.

There are many potential advantages to you and your heirs, as well as to the TREE Fund, of making a substantial donation in the form of a “planned gift”. Naming the TREE Fund in your will or making it one of your beneficiaries can allow you to make a generous donation without disturbing your current business or personal cash flow.

What exactly is a planned gift?

Well, it may take the form of:

Bequests — Historically, two thirds of all planned gifts come in this form and are usually part of a will. If this option interests you, please talk to your attorney and consider using the language we provided in the shaded box.

Gifts of Appreciated Stock — This allows you to take a charitable deduction for the full market value on your income tax form. The TREE Fund gets the full value of the security and nobody has to pay capital gains tax on the appreciation.

Beneficiary Designations — There are two main options listed below and please check the shaded box for additional advice.

IRAs and Retirement Plans — Uncle Sam loves you to have them, but hates for you to leave them to heirs. Tax attorneys tell us that the estate tax on these instruments is 45% and your heirs may pay up to 35% income tax. By designating the TREE Fund as the beneficiary, these tax issues will be avoided.

Insurance Policies — The donor designates the TREE Fund as a beneficiary of his or her life insurance policy, usually a whole life policy with cash surrender value.

Charitable Gift Annuities — This is a contract between you, the donor, and the TREE Fund. The donor irrevocably transfers assets to the TREE Fund. Then, the TREE Fund pays a fixed dollar amount to the donor for life. The gift’s amount and the age of donor determine the payout amount.

Founding Members:

Anonymous

John Z. Duling (in Memorium)

Robert Felix (in Memorium)

William E. DeVos

Timothy Gamma

Laurence R. Hall

Ronnie & Greg Haston

William P. Kruidenier

Sharon Lilly

Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth D. Meyer

John & Bonnie Moran

Jerri Moorman

Robert L. Mullins

Kenneth Ottman

Debbie Price

Jim & Colleen Skiera

Gary Watson

Allan J. West

Members:

Anonymous

Tom Prosser

Jim & Anne Barborinas

Rose Epperson

If you are considering a legacy gift to the Tree Research and Education Endowment Fund, please consult your estate planning attorney who can assist you in adding one of the following paragraphs to your will:

“I hereby give and bequeath $____________ to the Tree Research and Education Endowment Fund to be used (for its general purposes) (for [specific purpose]).”

or,

“I hereby give, devise and bequeath (_________% of the residue) of my estate to the Tree Research and Education Endowment Fund to be used (for its general purposes) (for [specific purpose]).”

If you are leaving the proceeds of an insurance policy or IRA assets to the TREE Fund, please be sure to indicate this on the insurance or IRA beneficiary forms and not in your will. That is because the insurance proceeds or IRA assets will only be disposed of by the terms of the insurance policy or IRA document, not by your will.

TREE Fund

552 S. Washington St., Suite 109

Naperville, IL 60540

Federal Tax ID: 37-1018692