Other Ways to Give

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Other Ways to Give

There are many ways you can help ensure a bright and lasting future for farming in Maine. The options below can help you achieve your financial and philanthropic goals while you make an impact with us.

Employer-Sponsored Gifts

Many employers offer workplace giving programs that allow employees to designate a nonprofit of their choice to receive a charitable gift, or offer to match employee contributions. Talk to your employer to see if you can support Maine Farmland Trust through one of these programs. Our online giving platform makes it easy to designate your employer for employer-matched gifts.

Stocks, Bonds, and Mutual Funds

Gifts of appreciated stock, bonds, and mutual funds are common ways to support MFT and save on capital gains tax. For simple gifts of publicly traded stock, please contact Kristin Varnum, CFO, at kvarnum@mainefarmlandtrust.org or (207) 338-6575 for transfer instructions.

You can also give restricted or closely held stock under the right circumstances. Please consult with MFT and with your advisor.

Donor Advised Funds

Designating a gift from your Donor Advised Fund is an easy way to support Maine Farmland Trust while having a significant impact. For proper designation, please inform your provider with the following information: Maine Farmland Trust, 97 Main Street, Belfast ME, 04915; Federal Tax ID# 01-0528014.

Planned Giving

Join our Cultivators Circle and make farms part of your legacy with a planned gift to Maine Farmland Trust. Whatever stage of life you are in, planned giving is one of the most impactful ways you can support MFT’s work. You may be able to save on taxes, receive income for life, or enjoy other financial benefits - all while helping keep Maine agriculture vibrant and growing for years to come. To speak with MFT staff about a planned gift, please contact us at (207) 338-6575 or cultivators@mainefarmlandtrust.org.

  • FreeWill
    Everyone needs a legal will, but fewer than 30% of people have one because creating one can seem daunting or expensive. Even if you are not able to include Maine Farmland Trust in your will at this time, please take 20 minutes to fill one out using FreeWill, a free resource for you, to protect your loved ones and property.
  • Updating Your Will or Trust
    The most common way to leave a gift to MFT is through your will or trust. Bequests for MFT can be for a specific dollar amount or property, a part or all of your residuary, or as a contingent beneficiary.

    If you already have a will or trust, you may update it to designate a percentage, dollar amount, or asset to be given to MFT. Please consult an attorney to include MFT in your will, trust, or codicil, or use our free resource, FreeWill. If you have already included MFT in your plans, please let us know.
  • Sample Bequest Language
    To include MFT in your will or estate plans, we suggest the following language: “I hereby bequeath _____ (specify an amount, specific property, fixed percentage, or percentage of your residuary) to Maine Farmland Trust, a Maine nonprofit corporation with a principal business address of 97 Main Street, Belfast, Maine 04915, Federal tax ID #01-0528014, for its general use and purpose.”
  • Life Insurance Policies
    Life insurance policies are another simple way to designate MFT as a primary or contingent beneficiary. You may also donate the policy itself by naming MFT the owner and beneficiary of the policy. Please consult with your life insurance provider for instructions on how to proceed, or use FreeWill as a resource.
  • Retirement Plan Assets
    Perhaps the simplest way to designate MFT in your estate plan is through your retirement accounts (IRA, 401K, 403B or other qualified retirement plans). Whether you designate MFT as a primary or contingent beneficiary, these gifts simplify your planning and eliminate expensive legal fees, as well as reduce the burden of estate taxes on your family. We encourage you to visit FreeWill, a free and online planning resource, to get started. You can also consult with your retirement plan administrator to obtain the forms necessary to make a gift to MFT.
  • Charitable Gift Annuities
    Charitable Gift Annuities and Deferred Charitable Gift Annuities are a way to provide you and your loved ones with income for life while providing a future gift to MFT. MFT partners with the National Gift Annuity Foundation to administer all gift annuities. Contact MFT staff at (207) 338-6575 to learn more about how a gift annuity may produce an income for life for you or your loved ones.
  • Charitable Trusts
    Other charitable trust arrangements could work for you to provide income for life, an immediate income tax deduction, and, depending on the funding asset, other tax savings as well. If you have already established a charitable trust arrangement, please consider adding MFT as a beneficiary. Please consult with your advisor to further explore these options.
  • Retained Life Estate
    You can deed your home or farm to MFT while retaining the right to use for yourself and others you name in the deed. You keep the use and control of your home or farm during your lifetime(s), and when the owners of the life estate have passed away, your home or farm will belong to MFT and be sold or transferred to further our charitable work.
Gifts from Your IRA

Individuals 70 ½ and older may transfer up to $100,000 per year directly from an IRA to MFT, known as a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD). Contact your IRA plan custodian to make a gift directly from your IRA to MFT. Note: While gifts from your IRA do not qualify for a charitable deduction, they do count towards your Required Mandatory Distribution (RMD), and are removed from your taxable income.

For proper designation, please inform your provider with the following information: Maine Farmland Trust, 97 Main Street, Belfast ME, 04915; Federal Tax ID# 01-0528014.

Real Estate

By donating real estate to MFT today, you may be able to reduce your capital gains tax or receive an income tax deduction. Real estate does not need to have conservation value; your personal residence, vacation home, or commercial property can also be donated. If accepted, MFT will sell the asset and use the proceeds to support MFT’s mission.

Personal Property

Your valuables and other personal property that you have acquired with care and thought over a lifetime can be donated to MFT. When you donate gifts of tangible and intangible personal property you may receive an income tax deduction by removing the asset from your taxable estate or reduce capital gains tax. Please let MFT staff know of your intentions early on so as to ensure that MFT will accept such gifts in the future.

Honorary and Memorial Gifts

Memorial and honorary recognize a loved one or special person while also supporting MFT. When completing our donation form, you can indicate the individual you would like to memorialize or honor. We will notify the honoree or their family of your thoughtful support.

Additionally, please consider including Maine Farmland Trust as a beneficiary when preparing an obituary, encouraging charitable gifts in lieu of flowers. Donations may be sent to Maine Farmland Trust, 97 Main Street, Belfast, ME 04915.

Host a fundraiser on our behalf

Support MFT by hosting a fundraiser through your business or organization. Please contact us if you would like to partner with us to donate proceeds from a benefit event, product collaboration, or ongoing fundraiser. We would love to learn more about your ideas and how we can work together to make it a success!

Purchase an item from our online store

Help us spread the word about MFT by repping or gifting our branded merchandise! The profits from your purchase also help support our work.

To discuss any of these tools or how you can create a legacy for Maine farms, please contact:

Director of Engagement Erin Baltes

Erin Baltes

Director of Engagement
207-338-6575ebaltes@mainefarmlandtrust.org

Erin Baltes

Director of Engagement

Director of Engagement Erin Baltes

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