Help Protect the Environment for Future Generations

When you include CLCV in your estate plans, you help perpetuate our great democratic tradition of protecting California’s air, land, water and open spaces.

Over time, the environmental challenges we face as Californians will change, but the means for addressing them will not. Making a planned gift to the California League of Conservation Voters is a powerful way to share your dedication to the environment with future generations. Your gift will go into a special Conservation Legacy Fund reserved for board-directed strategic opportunities to educate and mobilize the next generation of conservation leaders.

There are several ways for you to continue to help protect the environment for future generations. The following information will help you and your financial advisor plan for your continued support of CLCV.

Do you have an estate?
Your estate is the sum of your assets, including property you own, insurance policies, retirement accounts, cash on hand, etc. Wealthy people may have very large estates, but even people who aren’t wealthy often have the resources to make a charitable bequest. If every adult in America made a will and included a bequest of just $100, billions of dollars would flow to charitable causes every year.

We are currently accepting charitable bequests from our supporters. A charitable bequest is simply a distribution from your estate to a charitable organization through your Last Will and Testament. There are different kinds of bequests. For each, you must use very specific language to indicate the precise direction of your assets, and to successfully carry out your final wishes. In any charitable bequest, be sure to name the recipient accurately. Below, we have listed some of the more common kinds of bequests, and some sample bequest language. We strongly recommend that you carefully review the terms of your will with a professional trained in handling trusts and estates.

Recommended Language

To Name the California League of Conservation Voters Beneficiary of Your Will, Life Insurance Policy or Retirement Fund

General Bequests are legacies left to causes that come from the general value of the estate, and are made by designating a specific dollar amount, a particular asset or a fixed percentage of your estate to the cause of your choice.

Sample general bequest language:
“I hereby give and bequeath ________ ($ _____ , or_____ percent of the rest, remainder and residue of my estate, or the proceeds from the sale of real estate by my estate that I own located at ________ ) to the California League of Conservation Voters, a nonprofit California corporation exempt from Federal taxation under Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code, currently located at 350 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Suite 1100, Oakland, California 94612, Federal Tax ID #94-3169564.”

Specific Bequests are made when a particular item or property is bequeathed for a designated purpose.

Sample specific bequest language:
“I give, devise, and bequeath to California League of Conservation Voters (#94-3169564), the sum of $_______ (or a description of a specific asset), for the benefit of California League of Conservation Voters (#94-3169564) to be used for the following purpose: [state the purpose]. If at any time in the judgment of the trustees of California League of Conservation Voters (#94-3169564) it is impossible or impracticable to carry out exactly the designated purpose, they shall determine an alternative purpose closest to the designated purpose.”

If you have already designated CLCV as a recipient of a gift through your estate, please contact development@ecovote.org so that we may thank you and recognize your support.

Employer Matching Gifts
You can double the impact of your gift to CLCV through your company’s Employer Matching Gifts program. Many California employers have matching gift programs. That means a company will contribute, or match, the same amount as its employees in a given year. Some employers even double or triple the gifts their employees give – which mean your gift can go twice or even three times as far! These programs are often not utilized to the full extent by their employees.

Gifts eligible for matches typically must be in cash or publicly traded securities. Although you may designate your gift for a specific project or program, matching gifts can also be unrestricted – allowing CLCV to use your gift where it’s needed most.

Your employer may have specific rules and restrictions concerning matching gifts. If you are interested in learning more, please contact your Human Resources Director or our Development Department.