Gift and Estate Planning at The Nature Conservancy

We know real estate.
We can help.

We understand that owning real estate brings responsibilities and challenges — and creates wants and needs, especially as your situation changes over time.

In three easy steps, our new planned giving tool, My Real Estate Gift Guide, will show you some of the ways a gift of real estate to The Nature Conservancy can meet your most important needs...and create a legacy to protect the natural world that you love.

Gifts of Real Estate

Gifts of real estate can frequently save you thousands of dollars in income, estate, and capital gains taxes, while providing a substantial benefit to The Nature Conservancy. We can accept many types of real estate, from residential and commercial properties to undeveloped land and have a team of expert gift planners nationwide to help you determine the best gift that will fit your needs and situation.

Find out how a gift of real estate can benefit you and nature.

Contact Us

Need more information about gift planning with The Nature Conservancy?

E-mail: legacy@tnc.org
Toll-free: (877) 812-3698
Fax: (703) 812-4863

Thinking of including us in your estate plans? View sample language for your will.

Is the Conservancy in your estate plans? Let us know.

Would you like to make a gift of real estate to benefit nature — but are uncertain how to proceed?

The Nature Conservancy's experienced team of gift planners can show you how you can give your house to the Conservancy now, but continue to live there for the rest of your lives.

Learn more by reading about a couple who donated their house to the Conservancy and gained peace of mind in the process.

Donor Story: The Brooks

Joe and Beth Brooks* live in a house perched on a cliff high above the U.S. Pacific coast. Their small but comfortable home contains many memories of their travels around the world, but the two most important elements are the piano that Beth plays so beautifully and the picture window where she and Joe, a zoologist, love to sit and look out over the ocean and all the life that it holds.

The Brooks supported The Nature Conservancy for many years with regular gifts of cash. When they realized several years ago that they were never going to build on a vacant lot that they owned, they decided to donate the land to the Conservancy.

By contributing the lot directly, they avoided the capital gains tax that a sale would have entailed and were able to make a larger gift to the Conservancy.

Retained Life Estate

But the Brooks — both of whom are in their 70s — had also grown increasingly uncomfortable over the years with the question of what would happen to their home when they were no longer able to live in it.

They wanted to find a way that would permit them to quickly and easily walk away from the property when the time came — without having to deal with brokers, buyers or offers.

Recalling their good experience when they donated the vacant lot to the Conservancy, they inquired about gift options for their home and learned from Conservancy experts of a gift called a “retained life estate” (RLE) that seemed to fit their needs perfectly.

Under an RLE, the Brooks would be able to live in their home for as long as they chose and then to turn it over to the Conservancy with a phone call and the stroke of a pen when they were ready to leave.

Peace of Mind — for the Future and Nature

Now that the gift is completed, Joe is relieved to know that the future of the house is settled and that Beth will never face the question of what to do with the property without him there to help her.

"What a relief!” says Joe. “No more worries about what will happen to our home after our lifetimes.” He is also satisfied that, under this arrangement, the Brooks will keep all of the rights (along with the responsibilities) of home ownership, except for the right to sell the property.

While they are not interested in taking advantage of the tax deduction associated with the gift, Beth and Joe are excited to know that the proceeds from the sale of their house will eventually be used by the Conservancy to advance the values that they cherish.

Learn about the many ways a gift of real estate can support the Conservancy and meet your needs and wants: Try My Real Estate Gift Guide.

*The “Brooks” are real donors who have asked that their actual names not be used in this profile.

Image credits (left to right): © Keith Lazelle Nature Photography (Dabob Bay shoreline with oysters in Washington), Image courtesy of Joe and Beth Brooks (Joe and Beth Brooks)