Ten Great Ways to Help WOC!

by Christine Lichtenfels

Your annual membership support goes a long way toward helping WOC successfully protect Wyoming's wildlands, wildlife and clean air and water, but there are a number of other actions you can take to make sure that WOC can continue its important work for years to come. Many of the following ideas won't cost you a cent, but will multiply the value of your contribution and save you taxes as well!

Here are 10 great ways you can help WOC:

1. Include WOC in your will. Leave a lasting legacy; don't let the state decide who gets your estate. By including WOC in your will, you ensure that your assets are used in a way that honors your values. You may leave a percentage of your estate, a specific amount, specified assets or the remainder of your estate after all other gifts are distributed. We encourage you to consult a lawyer and let WOC know of your plans.
   
   
2. List WOC as a beneficiary in your IRA and other retirement accounts. Retirement accounts ask that you designate a beneficiary if you pass away while the account still exists. Several WOC employees have listed WOC as a beneficiary for their retirement accounts. You can too!
   
   
3. Donate appreciated securities to WOC. While there are certainly fewer securities/stocks out there right now with appreciated values, remember that if you donate appreciated stocks to WOC you pay no taxes on the increased value and you can deduct the current market value from your taxes.
   
   
4. List WOC as a beneficiary in your life insurance. You may be carrying some life insurance that was critical at one point but is no longer an essential part of your financial plan. You may also have a life-insurance policy that you did not intentionally purchase but was part of a package deal, e.g. part of a health-insurance package. Consider listing WOC as a beneficiary.
   
   
5. Get your employer to make a matching gift. You may be able to double the value of your contribution to WOC. Many employers have a matching-gift program in which they match employee gifts to nonprofit groups. Check with the human resources department at your workplace to see if your employer has a matching-gift program.
   
   
6. Give a gift membership. Trying to think of a present that has some real meaning and continues for a whole year? Give a friend or relative a gift membership to WOC!
   
   
7. Make a gift of cash. A check to WOC is the easiest way for you to support WOC, and the simplest for us to manage. We always appreciate the generosity of those who contribute in any amount, year after year.
   
   
8. Use our website to make a credit-card donation. If you prefer to use your credit card to make a donation, go to our website, and click on the Donate Now! button.
   
   
9. Donate monthly. Perhaps it's difficult to budget a large annual gift to WOC, but if you break it down into 12 monthly installments it's very affordable. For example, a $20 gift each month suddenly becomes a $240 gift each year. Let us know of your intent and we're happy to remind you each month.
   
   
10. Encourage others to become WOC members. Tell your friends and relatives why you support WOC and urge them to join. Sometimes folks simply need to know that their support and involvement really do matter. Give them a little help!

If you have any questions or need more information, please contact Christine Lichtenfels at 307/332-7031 ex.11 or christine@wyomingoutdoorcouncil.org.