Join the Heritage Club - and leave a lasting impact on the land we love.
With a planned gift, you can leave a legacy for the American West we cherish. By joining the Heritage Club, you will ensure you are leaving a lasting impact that will sustain the West into the future.
There are many planned gift options, and together with your tax advisor we can find a way to help you achieve your goals to keep working lands whole and healthy for future generations.
You can make a gift that costs you nothing during your lifetime through your will or trust. You can fund a charitable gift annuity that will pay you for the rest of your life. You may want to donate an asset you no longer need or want. View a gift option that interests you to find out more.
Ways to plan your giving
Remembering the Western Landowners Alliance in your will or trust without affecting your cash flow. This gift type is also known as a bequest.
A will is the cornerstone of any estate plan, whether you're wealthy or not. It's also the most popular way to leave a legacy with the Western Landowners Alliance.
Here are a few key planning ideas you might want to consider:
- Stay flexible by using percentages: The value of personal assets can rise and fall. A bequest stated as a percentage will automatically adjust regardless of future circumstances. For example "I leave 10% of my estate to the Western Landowners Alliance.”
- Know for sure by naming a fixed dollar amount: For example, "I leave $50,000 to Western Landowners Alliance." Your estate doesn't have to have cash or securities to cover the gift amount, as long as the value of all of your assets is sufficient.
- Put your spouse first in line with a "second-to-die" bequest: This plan ensures that your gift is made only after you know the assets won't be needed by your spouse or partner. For example, "If my partner survives me, then I leave my entire estate to my partner. If my partner does not survive me, then I leave my estate as follows. . ." When two partners use this clause in conjunction with each other, then each receives the other's assets upon the death of the first-to-die, and other heirs and organizations receive the remaining assets upon the death of the second-to-die.
Many people choose to join the Heritage Club by simply adding WLA as a beneficiary on their IRA or other retirement plans.
In your estate plan, designate WLA as a recipient of specific stocks, bonds or mutual funds and take advantage of appreciated securities without incurring capital gains tax.
You do not need a large estate to make a gift! Designate us as a beneficiary of your life insurance with a specific portion or percentage of the policy.
Real estate makes a gift that you can leave in exchange for tax benefits.
Consult with your tax advisor/financial planner to choose from Charitable Gift Annuities, Deferred Gift Annuities, Charitable Remainder Annuity Trusts, Retained Life Estates to find a planned giving vehicle that best meets your needs.
You are invited to join others who care about keeping working lands whole and healthy for generations to come by becoming a member of the Heritage Club when you share with us your plans for a planned gift. Heritage Club members receive a personalized welcome kit, special invitations to virtual and regional events throughout the year and - most sincerely - our gratitude for your generous commitment to the Western Landowners Alliance.
Please share your plans with us so we may acknowledge your gift.
Common bequest language:
We suggest the following language for a bequest to WLA. Such a bequest is not deductible for purposes of federal estate tax, but can be used most flexibly by the WLA, including for legislative lobbying. The tax ID# of Western Landowners Alliance is 46-1346488.
"I give to the Western Landowners Alliance, a nonprofit organization that is recognized as exempt from tax under Section 501(c)(3) per section 170 of the Internal Revenue Code, with its principate office at PO Box 27798, Denver, CO 80227, all ( or a _____%) of my residuary estate OR the sum of $ _________ to be used for its general purposes."
You should consult your own qualified financial and legal advisors to learn how the laws regarding estate taxes apply in your particular circumstances.
Still have questions or wish to discuss your desire to leave a legacy for Western Landowners Alliance? Please contact Jan Miller, Senior Philanthropy Officer, at janmiller@westernlandowners.org or 585-749-3570.
Members throw their weight into the most important work in the West
Private ranches, farms and forest properties are an important economic and cultural mainstay for Western rural communities. These working lands provide jobs and a high quality way of life.
They also provide valuable open space, protect crucial habitat and wildlife corridors, harbor the majority of imperiled species and control much of the water, including headwaters critical for healthy watersheds and down-stream users. But we live in a time where they are also under extreme pressure.
Western Landowners Alliance has developed a structured way for working land innovators to protect the intrinsic value of these lands, connect, and share and advocate in ways that protect the land and our way of life - both now and for the
future.
Join with other like-minded people
Find common sense, common ground solutions to the many challenges we face in the West today, including ensuring that working lands support quality livelihoods and human communities while also delivering the values we all care about, like wildlife habitat and clean water.
Promote private stewardship
It's critical that contributions and perspectives from private landowners be communicated and understood both broadly within society and by special interest groups. We tell these stories through media, films, and publications.
Support an active community
WLA helps members share knowledge and best practices that support stewardship including ranch tours, meetings and conference across the West. We also produce Western Digest - a monthly collection of the most relevant land management resources, issues, and events.
©2025 Western Landowners Alliance • PO BOX 27798, Denver, CO 80227 • 505.466.1495
Western Landowners Alliance is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit recognized by the IRS.