Let the land, kids, critters, and life-affirming work of

Sacred Earth Foundation, Ekone Ranch, and White Eagle Memorial Preserve

be a part of your earthly legacy!

 

Thank You for considering making Sacred Earth Foundation a beneficiary of your estate.

 

Planned gifts have the potential to support transformative work at Ekone ~ land acquisitions, equity and reparations, innovative stewardship work in a changing climate, facilities investments, and ensuring the thrival of this organization for many generations into the future. 

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Ways to Make a Planned Gift

These are the most common and simplest forms of planned giving:

• Bequest of a specific dollar amount. This may be the simplest way to benefit SEF in your will, avoiding probate and other complications.

• Bequest of a percentage of your estate. Another excellent option, depending on how settling your estate after death goes.

• Stocks & Securities. There can be significant tax benefits to donating these assets, now or through your will. 

• Retirement Fund. Designating SEF as a beneficiary of your retirement fund is really easy (usually a simple form).

• Life Insurance. Designating SEF as a beneficiary of your life insurance is usually really easy too.

• Bequest of personal property. Perhaps an item we could use, or an item of value we’d sell ~ please contact us to ensure that it meets our Gift Acceptance Policy.

• Bequest of real estate. Depending on the property we may steward it or sell it as best serves SEF’s mission ~ do contact us to be sure that we can accept this gift. 

 

Every situation is really different, and we can’t provide you with tax or legal advice! We made this overview to plant seeds for a conversation with your advisors. You can also talk with your advisors about more complex options like Charitable Gift Annuities, Charitable Lead Trusts, Charitable Remainder Trusts, and more.

                              

Please Tell Us!

You aren’t required to tell us when you’ve added Ekone to your will, and we do like happy surprises! But for planning purposes, we’d sure love to know. You or your attorney can contact us to share your plans by phone, email, or mail. You can also complete this short, friendly pledge form to alert us!

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The Best Next Step

Make an appointment with your financial advisor or estate attorney today! Bring this printable document to your appointment, and talk through these (and other) options for uplifting your values, long after you’ve departed.

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We also be grateful to know your plans ~ let's chat! Contact Shonie Schlotzhauer, Executive Director, 509-250-1034 cell, shonie@ekone.org, or complete our short pledge form and we'll reach out. 

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Key Information & Sample Language

The essential information to include in your will to make a bequest is just the organization’s name, address, and tax ID number.  Here’s ours:

Sacred Earth Foundation ~ 401 Ekone Rd, Goldendale, WA 98620 ~ Tax ID 26-2272458

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And here’s an example of what language you can include in your will.

I bequeath $______ from my residuary estate to Sacred Earth Foundation, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation, located at 401 Ekone Rd, Goldendale, Washington, tax ID 26-2272458, to be used as determined by the board to further the mission of the organization.

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Recognition

We're creating a Legacy Giving Garden on the west side of the Cabin in the Ekone valley, facing the gorgeous sunset over the horse pasture, surrounded by the summer camp play field, visited often by White Eagle families. The Legacy Giving Garden includes a simply-carved stone with the name(s) of each member of the Long Haul Legacy Circle. We landscape and tend the Garden with native and ornamental plants and flowers, as an enduring symbol of the commitment and legacy of this visionary circle of supporters. 

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We’re also happy to keep your gift anonymous or make it “in honor of” another. 

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Legacy Circle members are invited for an annual dinner and overnight stay at Ekone on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, in gratitude and celebration!

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Are you the next Cornerstone?

A cash match is a powerful incentive for planned giving!  We are deeply grateful to Andy Cranfill for serving as our first Cornerstone donor, with his pledge of a $5,000 cash gift to Ekone for each of our first ten planned gift commitments in 2022; Dale Plank, for stepping in with a second Cornerstone gift of $5,000 cash to Ekone for each of the NEXT ten planned gift commitments; and Tere Carranza & Therese Charvet, for continuing this momentum with their $5,000 match for each of the NEXT ten commitments.

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Would you consider becoming our next Cornerstone, with a cash match of $5,000 for each of the next 10 planned gifts?  Here's how it works.  We'd be so grateful to have a conversation.

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What Your Legacy Gift Makes Possible!

Planned gifts will be instrumental in our ability to do Big Things in the future. Here are just a few possibilities:

• Acquire key properties in the watershed at risk of harm, especially along the vulnerable Ekone Creek subdrainage. 

• Engage in equity and reparations initiatives, with a focus on expanding access to this land for the Kah-Milt-Pah people.

• Invest in innovative stewardship projects for a changing climate, such as prescribed fire, oak release, and Western Gray Squirrel research.

• Improve Ekone's facilities, like adding a proper hay barn at Heavenly Heights, a covered horse training and riding arena to dramatically improve our horse program, a gazebo shelter for White Eagle visitors and burial attendees, and more retrofits to extend the lifespan of the Lodge.

• Add vital new staff positions, like a program assistant to take on some camp admin so Michelle can apply her brilliance to running programs and leading staff; a cemetery groundskeeper to free up Jodie for education and family support; a horse assistant to keep the horses in shape year-round; a finance & admin manager to allow Shonie and Jenna to focus on program delivery and leadership; a facilities assistant so we can care for the campus and focus Shawn's skills in forestry and building...we could get so much more done!

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Our preference is always for gifts designated as unrestricted ~ this gives us the most flexibility to meet emerging needs.  We also understand that some donors are passionate about supporting a particular aspect of our work; we welcome gifts designated for the Conservation Fund or Scholarship Fund.  Other gift restrictions must be discussed and meet our Gift Acceptance Policy.

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♥

 

Please reach out with any questions, we’d always love to hear from you.

Contact: Shonie Schlotzhauer, Executive Director, 509-250-1034 cell, shonie@ekone.org, or use our short pledge form to tell us of your plans!

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