Protecting Southwest Florida’s water, land, wildlife, and future doesn’t happen by chance – it happens because people who care choose to act with intention.
When you include the Conservancy of Southwest Florida in your will or estate plan, you’re making a lasting commitment to the places and species that define our region. Your decision helps ensure that clean water flows, wildlife thrives, and future generations can experience the natural beauty we cherish today.
Named for a symbol of strength and tradition, the Eagle Society honors individuals who have chosen to include the Conservancy in their estate plans, any planned gift arrangement, or have established an endowed gift for the benefit of the Conservancy.
Why legacy giving matters
Our region’s water, land, and wildlife face constant pressures, from development and climate change to invasive species, making the need for conservation more urgent than ever. Through science-based programs, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida is making a measurable impact, including the removal of more than 20 tons of invasive Burmese pythons from the region since 2013. By making a planned gift, you become a partner in the long view, helping the Conservancy plan boldly, invest strategically, and respond to emerging threats. Your legacy ensures that future generations can explore the 21-acre Nature Center, experience electric boat tours, encounter native wildlife, and learn how to protect the natural world around them. As a member of the Eagle Society, you affirm that conservation isn’t just for today – it’s for tomorrow.
Ways to give
You can support the Conservancy’s mission through a variety of planned-giving options. Each option has unique benefits and can be tailored to meet your personal, financial, and philanthropic goals.
Here are some of the most effective & flexible ways:
- Bequest in your will or trust: A simple and widely-used way to leave a legacy gift. You specify a dollar amount or percentage to come to the Conservancy after other distributions.
- Beneficiary designation: Name the Conservancy as a beneficiary of an IRA, retirement plan account, life-insurance policy, or other financial account.
- Charitable remainder trust (CRT): Create a trust that provides income to you or other beneficiaries for a period of time, then the remainder flows to the Conservancy, offering income, tax, and estate-planning benefits.
- Gift of real estate, stock, or other assets: Giving appreciated assets may produce tax advantages and let you support conservation in a meaningful way.
- Endowed fund or named legacy gift: Establish a fund in your name (or in memory of a loved one) that supports a specific program or general mission, forever.
- Gifts in honor or memory of someone: A meaningful way to celebrate a life and support the natural treasures of Southwest Florida.
Click here to view resources, benefits, and more.
Tell us about your gift
If you’ve chosen to make this kind of legacy gift, we encourage you to let us know. Sharing your plans allows us to honor your intentions, steward your generosity wisely, and plan responsibly for the future of conservation in Southwest Florida.
When you share your gift with us, you:
- Help ensure your gift is used exactly as you intend.
- Choose to join a community of like-minded conservation supporters creating lasting impact.
- Aid the Conservancy plan responsibly for the future.
- Allow us to thank you for your generosity and vision.
If privacy is important to you, your gift can remain anonymous. And if flexibility matters, many estate gifts allow you to update your plans at any time.
We’re in this together. Your commitment makes you a valued partner in our work to protect the natural environment of Southwest Florida, today and for generations to come. We would welcome the opportunity to talk with you about how your dedication can become your legacy. To share your plans or learn more, please contact Jan Fernandez, Director of Development, at janf@conservancy.org.