Planned Giving

Through a planned gift to Tyler Arboretum, you have the opportunity to support the Arboretum and receive lifetime benefits important to your financial future. Planned gifts include charitable gift annuities, bequests, and gifts of retirement plan assets and other assets. Together, these commitments ensure the permanency and vitality of the Arboretum.

Planning Your Estate

One of the most important things you can do for yourself and those you care about is to plan your legacy thoughtfully. No matter what your net worth, a current will and other estate planning documents are key to providing security for you and your family’s future. We hope that you will join other lifetime donors to Tyler Arboretum. A planned gift allows you to enhance the work of the Arboretum in perpetuity, ensuring that we continue to connect people to nature, preserve the 650 acres of green space, and steward our environment for future generations.

Tyler Arboretum was actually founded through a bequest of Laura Tyler in 1944 after being in the family for eight generations. Inspired by its namesake, Tyler Arboretum’s Sequoia Society honors the generosity and foresight of all those who have taken the special step of including Tyler in their estate plans. All those who make a planned gift are eligible to become members of the Sequoia Society. The Sequoia Society is the Arboretum’s way of saying “thank you” for including Tyler in your plans.

If you have already included Tyler in your estate plans, we would like to have the opportunity to thank you for your generosity and to invite you to join the Sequoia Society. If you prefer to remain anonymous, be assured that we will honor your wishes and respect the confidential nature of your gift.

Below are some of the ways donors provide for Tyler through planned gifts.

For more information about planned giving opportunities and their benefits, contact:

Mary Beth Jackson
Senior Development Manager
Tyler Arboretum
(610) 566-9134 x206

Various ways you can help support Tyler Arboretum

Bequest

Include Tyler in your will or trust for a specific dollar amount, a percentage of your estate, or another type of provision to make a thoughtful gift to Tyler Arboretum and receive potential tax savings for your estate. If you prefer to restrict your gift to a particular program or area of the Arboretum, please let us know.

Charitable Gift Annuity

To establish a charitable gift annuity, a donor makes a gift of cash or appreciated securities to Tyler. In exchange, the donor is eligible to receive a charitable income tax deduction and receives annual (or quarterly, or semiannual) payments for life. Payment amounts may be made to the donor or to another person and are based on the age of the person receiving the payments.

Charitable Remainder Trust

A charitable remainder trust is established when cash or securities or another asset are transferred to a trust. The donor or another person receives payments from the trust for life or for a term of years (not exceeding 20). At the end of the lifetime or term of years, the trust terminates and the assets pass to charity.

Charitable Lead Trust

A charitable lead trust is established when cash or securities or another asset are transferred to a trust. The donor arranges for one or more charities to receive payments from the trust. At the end of the trust term, the assets pass to the donor or family members.

Life Insurance

Name Tyler Arboretum as beneficiary of all or a percentage of a fully paid life insurance policy you may no longer need and you may receive a charitable estate tax deduction for the portion you designate for charity.

Retirement Plan Assets

Name Tyler Arboretum as a percentage beneficiary of your retirement plan assets and your estate will receive the appropriate charitable estate tax deduction.

Savings Bonds

Gifts of savings bonds have tax consequences when transferred to individuals but may be bequeathed to charities with fewer tax ramifications. If you are thinking of making a bequest to Tyler and own savings bonds, considering funding your bequest with savings bonds.

Real Estate

Gifts of homes or real property offer benefits, too, depending on the donor’s situation. Real property gifts may include gifts of a primary residence or a vacation home. In some cases the donor may choose to remain in the home for his or her life after the home is deeded to Tyler and still be eligible to receive tax savings. Real estate gifts are subject to review by Tyler Arboretum.

Remember to consult your attorney or other advisor before making a bequest or planned gift. This information is for educational purposes and is not intended as legal or tax advice.

History behind the name Sequoia Society

Planted in 1856 by Jacob and Minshall Painter, the giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) that stands along Painter Road just south of the Arboretum entrance has become an enduring symbol of Tyler Arboretum. The most famous of the Painter trees, the Tyler sequoia is over 12 feet in circumference and close to 100 feet high — thought by many to be the largest in the eastern United States. It has continued to thrive and is the inspiration for Tyler’s logo, and is a symbol of the creativity, foresight and reverence for nature that mark the history of the Arboretum.