ASSOCIATION of NATURE CENTER ADMINISTRATORS
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Ways to Give
Nature centers and related organizations provide millions of people with the opportunity to connect with nature, foster environmental stewardship, and inspire future generations of conservation advocates. Your donation to ANCA helps ensure that nature centers succeed in their work.
To donate now via card or bank transfer, see our Donate page. For other ways to give, see the options below.
ANCA is a 501(c)(3) organization and contributions are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.
Our commitment to transparency
We endorse the Donor's Bill of Rights, which declares our transparency and accountability to donors, and have earned Candid's Platinum Seal of Transparency, the highest level of recognition for transparency.
Your support of the Association of Nature Center Administrators (ANCA) strengthens leadership in the nature and environmental learning center field, helping organizations thrive and deepen their impact. Considering potential tax benefits when giving can create advantages for both you and ANCA.
Here are some tax-wise ways to make your giving go further.
Charitable Deductions
State Tax Benefits
If you take the standard deduction on your federal taxes, you may still qualify for tax benefits at the state level. We encourage you to investigate tax benefits for your state.
Donation Bunching
Donation bunching is a tax strategy of combining multiple years of donations into a single year to exceed the itemization threshold. A donor-advised fund can be a tool for this approach, allowing you to make a lump-sum charitable contribution for an immediate tax deduction while distributing gifts to ANCA and other organizations over time.
Learn about giving to ANCA via a donor-advised fund.
Giving from Investment Accounts
IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions
If you’re 70 1⁄2 or older, making a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) from your IRA can be one of the most tax-efficient ways to give. IRA distributions are normally taxable, but QCDs are tax-free. As such, QCDs are a popular way to give to charity while also satisfying the required minimum distribution from an IRA.
Additionally, because QCDs reduce the balance of the IRA, they can reduce required minimum distributions in future years.
Appreciated Assets
Gifting appreciated assets—such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds, or real estate—is another tax-wise option. Donating these assets directly to ANCA (or through a DAF) allows you to avoid capital gains taxes while taking a deduction for the full fair-market value, up to 30% of your adjusted gross income. Unused deductions can be carried forward for up to five years.
Planned and Estate Gifts
While most estates are not subject to estate taxes, income tax considerations still play a significant role in estate planning. Tools like charitable gift annuities and charitable remainder trusts can provide an immediate tax deduction, generate income for you or your heirs, and establish a lasting legacy for ANCA.
Strategically allocating assets in your estate can also reduce tax burdens for your heirs. Tax-deferred retirement accounts, for example, are subject to income tax when inherited by individuals, but if left to charity, they pass tax-free. A tax-wise estate plan might designate an IRA for charitable giving while leaving appreciated securities to family members.
Learn about planned giving to ANCA.
Further Information
These are just a few ways tax-smart giving can maximize your impact. We encourage you to consult with your financial or legal advisors to explore the best options for your situation.
If you have questions for ANCA about any giving options, please contact us.
Planned giving is a meaningful way to ensure that nature centers and related organizations have an impact for generations to come. By including ANCA in your estate plans, you help sustain the organizations that inspire people to care for the natural world.
Giving in your will or living trust
One of the simplest ways to make a planned gift is through a bequest in your will or living trust. This allows you to leave a specific amount, a percentage of your estate, or a portion of what remains after other gifts are distributed. A bequest costs nothing during your lifetime but creates a lasting impact on the success of nature centers across North America.
SAMPLE BEQUEST LANGUAGE: I give to the Association of Nature Center Administrators, located in Logan, UT, federal tax identification number 31-1416058, _____% of my total estate (or $_____).
Beneficiary designation
Another easy and tax-efficient way to support ANCA is by naming us as a beneficiary of your retirement plan, life insurance policy, or commercial annuities.
To designate ANCA as a beneficiary, request a beneficiary designation from your plan or policy administrator. List “Association of Nature Center Administrators” as a beneficiary and use our Tax ID EIN: 31-1416058
Useful Information
- Legal Name: Association of Nature Center Administrators
- Address: PO Box 464 / Logan, UT 84323
- Federal Tax ID: 31-1416058
- Phone: 435-787-8209
Retirement Plans & IRAs
Retirement assets, such as 401(k)s, 403(b)s, and IRAs, are often subject to income taxes when passed to non-spouse heirs. However, when you name ANCA as a beneficiary, 100% of your gift goes toward supporting our mission, free of taxes.
Life Insurance Policies
If you have a life insurance policy, consider naming ANCA as a beneficiary. This allows you to make a significant impact without affecting your current financial situation.
Commercial Annuities
A commercial annuity is a financial product that provides a stream of income, often during retirement. Many annuities accumulate tax-deferred earnings, meaning that when they are passed to heirs, they can be subject to income taxes.
By naming ANCA as a beneficiary of your commercial annuity, you can ensure that the remaining funds in your annuity support our mission tax-free. This is an effective way to maximize your charitable impact while reducing the tax burden on your heirs.
Your gift, your legacy
When you make a planned gift to ANCA, you help nature centers thrive by investing in the leaders and organizations that guide them. Your generosity ensures that these vital institutions remain strong, adaptive, and impactful — today and for the future.
Have you included us in your planned giving? Let us know by contacting ANCA Executive Director Jen Levy at
"I'm making a planned gift to ANCA because of what ANCA meant to my career and life. I attended the first ANCA Summit in 1995 when I was a newly minted nature center director and really felt that I had 'found my people.' This experience and many others confirmed how helpful and important ANCA was to me professionally and personally with many lifelong friends resulting. Giving a planned gift is a small way that I can thank ANCA for all that they did for me and thousands of other environmental leaders."
— Tim Sandsmark, ANCA Donor
Donate your car, truck, motorcycle, RV, or boat, and we'll turn your vehicle into cash to support our mission. To do this we partner with CARS, a nonprofit that assists other nonprofits with vehicle donations.
Donating skips the costs and hassles associated with selling a car, like paying for advertising and insurance, or for car repairs to keep your car in running condition while you wait for a buyer. The donation comes at no cost to you. Once you've initiated your donation, CARS will reach out to you to arrange the pick-up of your vehicle. You'll receive an initial car donation receipt upon pick-up.
Vehicle donation pick-up is always free to you and most vehicles can be picked up within 24-72 hours. Once your vehicle is sold, we will provide you proper tax forms in time to file. You may qualify for a tax deduction.
Embrace your inner Nature Nerd and support ANCA!
Since 2015, ANCA Donors have supported the Richard Haley Memorial Fund and the ANCA Operational Reserve through the ANCA Nature Nerd Campaign. With a contribution, donors may choose to receive a Nature Nerd pin to proudly display their support and their nature nerdiness.
Based on the location of the ANCA Annual Summit, each year’s pin is a unique way to celebrate the ANCA community.
Your Nature Nerd donation will be invested in the ANCA Operational Reserve. This fund was established to provide ANCA with the financial resources necessary to operate during difficult financial times ensuring that we can continue to provide our members the support and resources they need.
The 2024 Nature Nerd pin features the Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly, the state butterfly of Tennessee, to celebrate the biodiversity of ANCA Annual Summit host site Lichterman Nature Center in Memphis — and the butterfly even adorns a pair of Elvis glasses.
And if you want to be extra nerdy and extra awesome, please consider increasing your donation. You will have the option of choosing Nature Nerd pins from previous years – they make fabulously nerdy gifts!
Past Years' Pins
