News of Note

Most people aren’t aware of the many ways in which a life insurance policy can be a successful tool for their philanthropy, or for securing funding for other needs. You can receive cash by selling all or part of an existing policy, or simply use your policy to make a gift to Audubon. Click here for more information, or contact us to discuss with no obligation.

Our legacy society is named for a great conservationist in our nation’s history, George Bird Grinnell. There’s a glacier named for him at Glacier National Park, which has receded 40% since the 1960s. Learn about how Audubon combats climate change here, or contact us for information on becoming a member of the Grinnell Legacy Society.

Audubon’s Elevate campaign includes a $45 million goal for planned gifts. Supporters including Audubon in their will, retirement plan, or trust will help fund our work for the next 100 years. Click here or contact Shari Kolding to learn how you can participate.

Thanks to a generous bequest in California, we are launching a $10 million legacy challenge to supporters including Audubon in their plans. Click here or contact Shari Kolding to learn how you can participate.

Maria Biasetto's generous estate gift is inspiring others to include Audubon in their estate plans. Click here or contact Shari Kolding to learn how you can participate.

Long-time volunteer and Grinnell Legacy Society member Jean Rogers Holt, and her husband Terry, left a generous gift in their estate plans for the John James Audubon Center in Mill Grove, PA. Click here for more information, or contact Shari Kolding to learn more about how a little planning can make a big impact to Audubon’s future.

National Estate Planning Week

Why observe National Estate Planning Week? Because the government will decide your plan for you if you don’t! Start by browsing our web pages for tips to get started, call us at 512-236-9076, or contact Shari Kolding.

November 1 is our recommended target date for communicating year-end gift instructions to your DAF or IRA account manager. It’s not a hard deadline, but it gives them – and us – plenty of time to avoid the holiday rush and ensure your gift is received and handled efficiently. While you’re at it, don’t forget to review your beneficiaries! Click here for more information, or contact Shari Kolding.

Long-time Audubon leader and scientist Trice Booth left a meaningful bequest to the Seward Park Audubon Center in Seattle, which she helped found. Click here for more information, or contact Shari Kolding to learn more about how a little planning can make a big impact to Audubon’s future.

Grinnell Legacy Society member Dorothy Blair worked with Audubon to establish a trust in her name. Decades later, more than 100,000 annual visitors experience Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary and the Blair Audubon Visitors Center thanks to her generosity. Click here for more information, or contact Shari Kolding to learn more about giving through a charitable trust.

In 1904, New York insurance executive Albert Willcox established a planned gift to help Audubon chapters launch Audubon as a national organization. His gifts funded our earliest conservation projects and the crusade against plume hunters. 117 years later, look at the impact that single act of generosity has made. Contact Shari Kolding to learn more about making a gift from your will or retirement account.

In a year like no other, our conservation leaders, bird advocates, college students, ambassadors, volunteers, and scientists accomplished amazing things. Take a look at our top bird wins in 2020, made possible by the support of our Grinnell Legacy Society members. Contact Shari Kolding to learn more about making a gift from your will or retirement account.

Audubon’s work in western states led to 8 water policy wins before many legislative sessions ended early due to the coronavirus. This is just one of many vital programs supported by estate gifts and Grinnell Legacy Society members. Click here to read more about our work with water in the West, or contact Shari Kolding to learn more about making a gift from your will or retirement account.

Audubon magazine recently featured a cousin of our Grinnell Legacy Society’s namesake and his significant contributions to conservation science. Please contact Shari Kolding to learn more about how you can help protect birds and Audubon’s important work for generations to come.

Congress recently passed new legislation that affects everyone with a retirement plan – and their loved ones. It’s mostly good news, and this article from Fidelity gives a full explanation. Please contact Shari Kolding with questions or for more discussion on how the SECURE Act may impact you.

Now through December 31, Audubon has a powerful matching gift challenge for IRA charitable distributions. Learn more about how to double your impact, or contact Shari Kolding for information.

Bequests and other legacy gifts support Audubon’s climate science and migration studies. Click here for our recent report and steps you can take to mitigate climate change. Contact Shari Kolding with questions about the Grinnell Legacy Society.

Even small gifts left through a retirement plan, will, or living trust can make a big difference in our work protecting birds and the places they need. Click here to see summer nest cams of Osprey, Puffins, and more -- a wonderful display of how we transform donor generosity into a hopeful future for birds.

Click here for more information

contact Shari Kolding with questions.

Grinnell Legacy Society members Douglas and Nancy Chang have established a special fund to support conservation and education in Nevada. Grants from the fund will help Audubon chapters build capacity and conduct conservation and education projects.

Click here for more information, or

contact Shari Kolding with questions.

Dr. Lillian Annette Rowe’s bequest to Audubon in the 1970s made possible the purchase of the first 750 acres on the Platte River for migrating cranes. Today, the Lillian Annette Rowe Bird Sanctuary in Gibbon, Nebraska is known worldwide, and subsequent bequests continue to expand our work.

Read more about Rowe Sanctuary.

Click here to view our crane-cam live feed.

Fingold was a charismatic self-made businessman and a passionate supporter of environmental and social causes.

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