An Enduring Purpose Gift

A unique opportunity to help sustain the Refuge you love.

Leave a legacy...
You've spent a lifetime supporting organizations and causes that reflect your values. So why not consider including an enduring purpose gift as part of your overall financial or estate plan?

Make the world a better place.
By making an enduring purpose gift to Friends of Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, you create a legacy that protects a place you value for future generations. An enduring purpose gift gives you the opportunity to leave a lasting legacy - making the world a better place.

Why a will?
Having a will offers numerous advantages such as:

• You can decide how your estate will be distributed and who will put your affairs in order.
• It speeds the probate process, can minimize inheritance taxes, and reduces stress for your survivors.
• You can change your mind at any time in your life if circumstances change.
• You can make specific provisions and charitable gifts.

The simplest way to make the planned gift is by including a bequest in your will or trust document. This can be done at the time the document is initiated or afterward through a codicil or amendment.

The assets committed through a bequest can be cash, securities, real property, or other valuables. In the case of cash, the bequest can be for a specified amount, or a specified percentage after all expenses and any other bequests are covered. No bequest is too small.

Let's talk.
Many people wish to keep their estate plans and wills private. The Friends of Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge understand this and will respect your wishes and your right to privacy.

• If you wish to designate your gift for a particular purpose, it is important that you contact us so we can ensure that your wishes will be honored.
• All unrestricted charitable gifts to Friends of Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge will be used strategically to support Refuge programs and projects.

Supporters whom inform us that they have included a gift for the Refuge in their will become members of the Friends of Ottawa NWR Legacy Society.

Your Values and the Refuge's Future
It ultimately comes down to your values - to consideration of the legacy you leave behind from your time on this earth. It feels good to support things you care about. Your decision to do that - to give back - reflects an important value you pass on to future generations. 

You can be an inspiration.
We invite you to help ensure that the Refuge you love remains healthy and thrives. Help protect its natural habitats and the plants and animals that live there. Help teach more children about the environment and conservation. Help preserve the special place that is the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge Complex. 

For further information or to discuss other ways of supporting the Refuge:

• Email Friends of Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge:
  [email protected]
• Call the Friends (419-898-0014 x13) and ask to be contacted by the Development Committee.
• Fill out the contact box below and let us know how we can help.

Everyone is encouraged to consult an attorney or qualified financial planner to determine what options are best for you. 

Your enduring purpose gift in support of the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge Complex is made through Friends of Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, the 501(c)3 nonprofit friends group that supports the Refuge in all aspects of its mission. Such gifts are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

The Friends group is governed by an all-volunteer Board of Directors and operates under a Friends Partnership Agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (which manages the refuge.)

Your attorney will want the following information:

Friends of Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge is a nonprofit corporation existing under the laws of the State of Ohio: 
--with principal business and mailing address of 14000 W. State Route 2 | Oak Harbor, OH 43449
--Tax identification number: 34-1904821
--Date of Incorporation: February 16, 2000
--d/b/a Friends of Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge.