The Evergreen Society
Making a bequest to the Garden creates a lasting legacy for generations to come!
Join our Evergreen Society by supporting the Vallarta Botanical Gardens with planned giving. Legacy gifts allow you to align your charitable intentions with your estate planning goals while often providing valuable tax advantages. We thank you in advance for your generosity.
The Vallarta Botanical Gardens accepts charitable donations in the USA a registered US 501(c)(3), Friends of Vallarta Botanical Gardens A.C., and in Canada via a partnership with a registered T3010 charity.
Types of Legacy Gifts
Bequests
A bequest is the most common form of Legacy Gift and involves simply remembering the Vallarta Botanical Gardens in your will or trust. Bequests are easy to arrange and can be changed at any time should your circumstances change. You may choose to leave a specific amount of money, a piece of real estate, a percentage of your overall estate, or what remains after other gifts have been distributed.
If you are planning to leave a bequest to the Garden as part of your estate, or have already done so, please contact [email protected] so we can thank you for your generosity and include it in our own long-term planning.
Donor Advised Funds (DAFs)
A donor-advised fund (DAF) is a charitable investment account created to support the causes and organizations you care about most. When you contribute cash, securities, or other assets to a DAF managed by a public charity, for example Fidelity Charitable, Schwab Charitable or Vanguard Charitable, you likely qualify for an immediate tax deduction. The funds in your account can then grow tax-free, and you can recommend grants to any eligible public charity recognized by the IRS, which includes the Vallarta Botanical Gardens!
Note: the Gardens do not ourselves sponsor a DAF, but we will happily accept gifts from them
IRAs and Retirement Assets
If you are like most people, you probably will not use all of your retirement assets during your lifetime. You can make a gift of your unused retirement assets to help further our mission. By making a gift from your retirement funds, you maintain full control and use of those assets during your lifetime, while helping your heirs avoid taxes on their transfer. Because retirement accounts are often the most heavily taxed assets in an estate, they can be an excellent choice for a planned gift. Without such planning, assets in qualified retirement plans—such as IRAs, 401(k)s, and Keogh accounts—may be subject to combined income and estate taxes exceeding 70%. If you are 70½ or older, you can make a tax-free donation directly to the Vallarta Botanical Garden from your IRA, which also counts toward your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD).
Life Insurance Policies
A charitable donation from your life insurance policy can support the Gardens in our mission, both while you’re living and after you’ve passed away. You can donate the entirety of your policy, name the Gardens as a beneficiary while retaining ownership of the policy, or use any policy dividends as regular gifts. You may also choose to transfer ownership of the policy to the Garden, making it both the owner and beneficiary—an arrangement that can qualify as a tax-deductible charitable gift. Another option is to purchase a new life insurance policy, naming the Gardens as both owner and beneficiary, while making annual contributions to cover the premiums. These payments are generally eligible for an income tax deduction.
Appreciated Securities (Stocks & Bonds)
Through the donation of long-term appreciated securities—such as stocks, bonds, or mutual funds— the Vallarta Botanical Gardens receive the full value from their sale, while you may avoid capital gains taxes on the appreciated amount. By giving securities instead of cash, or selling them yourself and donating the after-tax proceeds, you may be able to increase both the value of your gift and your potential tax deduction – a win-win for you and the Gardens!
Please note that the Vallarta Botanical Garden does not provide tax, legal, or financial advice of any sort, including regarding planned giving and estates. We strongly encourage you to seek counsel from your own legal and financial advisers.
4 simple steps for adding the Vallarta Botanical Garden as a beneficiary in your Will or Trust
Step 1
Let us know that you are considering leaving a gift to us. We would like to be on hand to help in any way possible, to answer questions and provide you with all the information you need to add us to your Will or Trust. Please contact Chris Jacobs, Head of Development at [email protected] or by phone on +52 322 223 6182.
Step 2
Please take note of our registered name as a US 501(c)(3) non-profit organization: Friends of Vallarta Botanical Garden Ac. This is the exact name you will need to include in your Will or Trust. You will also need to include our EIN, which is 33-1156194.
Step 3
Decide which type of Gift you want to leave to us. You have many options. For example, you might want to leave a Pecuniary gift (a set amount of money), a Residuary Gift (a % of your estate) or a Specific gift (a specific object, asset or property). This is when you should speak to your estate planning attorney, to decide on which type of Gift works best for you.
Step 4
Go ahead and add the Vallarta Botanical Garden to your Will or Trust. You might want to use the following type of language:
I give and devise to Friends of Vallarta Botanical Garden Ac, EIN 33-1156194, located in Mill Valley, CA, the sum of $___________ to be used for its general support (or for the support of a specific program).
I give and devise to Friends of Vallarta Botanical Garden Ac, EIN 33-1156194, located in Mill Valley, CA, all (or a percentage) of the rest, residual and remainder of my estate, both real and personal, to be used for its general support (or for the support of a specific program).
Again, please ask your estate planning attorney to advise you on this. We are here to help in any way possible and are always happy to join a call to discuss things with you and your attorney!
Thank you so much for your generosity.
Tax Information
The Vallarta Botanical Garden can provide tax-deductible receipts for donations made by Canadian and US taxpayers.
We are a registered charity (Asociación Civil) in Mexico.
Donating within Mexico
Cash, check and credit card donations are accepted at the Vallarta Botanical Garden. Please visit us!
Donating by Credit Card
Credit card payments may be made by phone: 322 223 6182 (10am – 6pm, closed Mondays over the summer)
Donating by Bank Deposit
Direct bank deposits can be made to: Banorte account # 0201383728 (account name: Vallarta Botanical Gardens A.C.)
Vallarta Botanical Gardens AC is a not-for-profit organization registered in Mexico. The VBG is not a “Donataria Autorizada” and therefore cannot expedite a tax-deductible receipt in Mexico.
Donating within Mexico
Cash, check and credit card donations are accepted at the Vallarta Botanical Garden. Please visit us!
Donating by Credit Card
Credit card payments may be made by phone: 322 223 6182 (10am – 6pm, closed Mondays over the summer).
Donating by Bank Deposit
Direct bank deposits can be made to: Banorte account # 0201383728 (account name: Vallarta Botanical Gardens A.C.)
Vallarta Botanical Gardens AC is a not-for-profit organization registered in Mexico. The VBG is not a “Donataria Autorizada” and therefore cannot expedite a tax-deductible receipt in Mexico.
Thank you for donating to the Vallarta Botanical Garden and for helping to guarantee horticultural excellence and protecion of our region’s biodiversity.
Donating within the U.S.A.
Our direct support 501(c)3 partner charity in the USA is “Friends of Vallarta Botanical Gardens A.C.”, which takes donations and issues tax-deductible receipts on our behalf.
Donating Online
You can donate online by following this link and choosing one of the options. Make a one-time donation or join our GEM (Give Every Month) program! Your support means the world to us.
Donating by Check
Please make out checks to “Friends of Vallarta Botanical Gardens A.C.” and mail to:
Kim Roberts, Treasurer,
1 Glen Drive
Mill Valley CA, 94941
United States
Donating by Wire Transfer
If you would like to donate by wire transfer, please get in touch with Chris Jacobs, Head of Development & Fundraising, by email at [email protected] or by phone on +52 322 223 6182. Chris will be happy to help!
Donating by Credit Card
Please call us to donate by card on +52 322 223 6182. Ask for Chris Jacobs.
If you have any questions at all about donating to the Vallarta Botanical Garden in the US, please feel free to contact Chris.
Thank you for donating to the Vallarta Botanical Garden and for helping to guarantee horticultural excellence and protecion of our region’s biodiversity.
Donating within Canada
Our educational programs qualify for tax-deductible receipts provided by the Canadian Children’s Shelter of Hope Foundation (CCSHF), our partner T3010 registered charity. Your donations to Vallarta Botanical Garden via CCSHF are, therefore, tax-deductible.
Donating Online
You can donate online by following this link and choosing one of the options. Make a one-time donation or join our GEM (Give Every Month) program! Your support means the world to us.
Donating by Cheque
Please mail your cheques to:
Canadian Children’s Shelter of Hope Foundation, 87 Lavinia Ave, Unit #2, Toronto, Ontario M6S 3H9, Canada
Please write your cheques to “Canadian Children’s Shelter of Hope Foundation”, indicating in a covering note that the donation is for the Vallarta Botanical Garden.
Donating by Wire Transfer
If you would like to donate by wire transfer, please get in touch with Chris Jacobs, Head of Development & Fundraising, by email at [email protected] or by phone on +52 322 223 6182. Chris will be happy to help!
If you have any questions at all about donating to the Vallarta Botanical Garden in Canada, please feel free to contact Chris.
Thank you for donating to the Vallarta Botanical Garden and for helping to guarantee horticultural excellence and protecion of our region’s biodiversity.