Legacy Gifts

• Provide immediate support and the most direct way to give
• May be funded with cash, securities, or from a donor advised fund or other assets
• Charitable deductions may help you to lower your income, gift, or estate taxes
• Science Center receives full benefit of your gift upon receipt
• You enjoy seeing your gift at work during your lifetime

• Easily done through your will or trust or donor advised fund
• May be a specific dollar amount, a percentage of your estate, or a specific asset
• You have continued use of your assets during your lifetime
• May provide charitable estate tax deduction

• Name the Science Center as beneficiary of a retirement account, life insurance policy, or investment account
• Take advantage of the IRA Charitable rollover as a tax free rollover which counts toward your required minimum distribution.

"When I first heard about planned giving I thought it would be something great to do for the Science Center. But I didn't want to run up the legal fees for esttae planning purposees that might change over time as our proirities did. (That's "estate" such as it is.)

Then I discovered it's possible to plan some giving in a cheap, easily changeable way: IRA or 401(k) beneficiaary designations. You go to the website of whoever manages your fund and plug in a lovely non-profit like Squam Lakes Natural Science Center as a beneficiary, along with a percentage of the assets you'd like them to get, and allocate the rest ro your spouse or kids.

So that's what I did. It took less than a minute and cost nothing, but guarantees the Science Center the equivalent of several years' annual fund contributions from me... in the event I get run over by a moose." - Laurie Beeson

"Over the years Squam Lakes Natural Science Center has become a touchstone for us during our vacation at Squam Lake. We are drawn to the peace and beauty, enjoy walking the trails, and visiting favorite exhibits, but most of all have come to appreciate the visition the Science Center has. We see personal commitment by staff and volunteers alike when it is their familiar faces greeting us year after year. We notice change as we walk around, and know that the Center is dynamic, not static. It is always striving to improve.

It is in this spirit of appreciateion for all that the Science Center has done and will continue to do in its mission, and our wish that future generations be able to experience what we enjoy today that we have included the Science Center in our estate plan as a beneficiary of our life insurance." - Nancy and Jim Ainsworth

"Have you ever noticed how a groundhog is adapted to winter? Have you ever heard children giggle as they crawl through a "sensory tunnel"? Do you know if red squirrels or grays hide their food in one place? These are just some of the experiences and knowledge that Squam Lakes Natural Science Center makes available to children, parents, and community members. Having served as a summer staff member and a sixth grader science teacher at Gilford Middle High School, I've been watching and participating in these programs for over 20 years. Repeatedly, I've been impressed by the Center's knowledge, professionalism, enthusiasm, and ethical approach to environmental education.

When it came time for me to consider writing my will and dedicing where to allocate my money, there was no question that the Science Center be first on that list. Since I wanted to see these programs continue and expand behond my lifetime, I set up a trust naming the Center as one of my beneficiaries." - Barbara Bald