Create a Legacy at Deer Lake
The Deer Lake Legacy Fund provides ongoing support for conserving Deer Lake and other important Deer Lake Association (DLA) initiatives now and into the future. The Deer Lake Legacy Fund is invested and managed professionally. Up to 5% of the Deer Lake Legacy Fund balance can be spent annually on Deer Lake, as recommended by the Deer Lake Environment and Preservation Committee (DLEAP) and as approved by the DLA Board of Directors.
For example, right now it’s the Deer Lake Legacy Fund that helps pay for the May – October inspections at the Deer Lake public access and helps fund operating expenses for Deer Lake Station.
Each summer, inspectors are stationed at the Deer Lake public access, on-duty seven-days-per-week from Fishing Opener to Labor Day — plus hours on additional days before and after. Last season alone, our inspectors performed over 3000 inspections plus nearly 100 thermal decontaminations using equipment at Deer Lake Station in an effort to keep Deer Lake free from prohibited aquatic invasives (AIS) like zebra mussels, spiny waterflea, and starry stonewort.
It’s critical that we maintain or improve upon this level of service going forward to protect Deer Lake. DLA has implemented multiple layers of AIS defense, but inspections are Deer Lake’s final line of defense. Unfortunately, however, funding for inspections is under threat and our current funding sources are not sustainable over time. And, if infested, prevention costs are only a fraction of remediation costs. The best path forward is to prevent AIS from infesting Deer Lake.
Please consider creating a Deer Lake Legacy by arranging for a planned gift through your will or estate plan, or by making a donation to the Deer Lake Legacy Fund today. There are numerous creative ways to make a Legacy gift without writing a check.
Over 50 Deer Lake individuals, couples, and families have already offered their support to the Deer Lake Legacy Fund — some via immediate gifts, some with donations over time, and others who’ve made designations for a gift later through their will or estate plan. We’ve received multiple gifts of $10,000 or more, including one for $25,000, one for $64,000, another for $67,00. We’ve received a pledge for $100,000, a pledge for $150,000, and a pledge for a percentage of an estate. DLA and is grateful and thankful. DLA will appreciate any amount you wish to pledge or donate.
Ideas for how to Create a Legacy at Deer Lake:
Please consider making a gift to the Deer Lake Legacy Fund. DLA is a 501(c)(3) public charity. Donations to DLA, including to DLA’s Deer Lake Legacy Fund, are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. Would you be willing to help conserve Deer Lake? Here are ways you can help:
1. Good: Make a donation to the Deer Lake Legacy Fund by check or by credit card. Make your check out to “DLA” and write “Legacy Fund” in the memo field. Our address is: Marc Fuller, DLA Treasurer, 4145 Washburn Ave So, Minneapolis, MN 55410.
2. Better: Make a once-in-a-lifetime Planned Gift to the Deer Lake Legacy Fund through your will or estate plan. There are multiple creative ways to do so. You can offer a bequest through your will. You can list DLA as a beneficiary on your IRA. You can provide a gift through a Charitable Gift Annuity. DLA is happy to provide you with ideas, examples, and additional information. See here for a library of creative examples or contact the DLA.
3. Best: Instead of planning a gift for the future, consider a direct donation to the Legacy Fund now, when you can see and experience the joy, gratitude, and appreciation of the tangible benefit that helps the DLA with its mission. A gift today can continue to grow within the Legacy portfolio at full value without further taxation. Here are two creative examples:
- Anyone age 70 ½+ can make a qualified charitable distribution (QCD) donation now, directly from an IRA in an amount up to $100,000. A QCD may even count as a required minimum distribution if a donor is age 72+. Neither the donor nor DLA pays income tax on such a donation.
- Donating appreciated stock or mutual fund shares can be especially attractive now. Because it’s a gift of shares, the donor doesn’t have to pay capital-gains-tax on the gifted shares, AND can claim a tax-deduction in the calendar year of the donation for the market value of the shares on the date of the donation.
Good Tax and Legal Advice is Essential
The information in this invitation is not intended to be legal or tax advice. DLA encourages you to seek the counsel of a financial planner, attorney, and/or tax advisor. These professionals can help you determine the most tax-wise method for creating a Planned Gift to the Deer Lake Legacy Fund while satisfying your financial planning needs.
Thank you for your consideration, generosity, support, and your love for Deer Lake.