Planned Giving

Gift Planning Today Can Save Wildlife Tomorrow
Making a planned gift to the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium offers many personal and financial benefits such as:

Increasing your cash flow
Receiving a charitable deduction
Avoiding capital gains
Reducing estate taxes

There are many ways to make a gift that also takes into consideration your personal circumstances.

Retirement Assets
Retirement assets are perhaps one of the best gifts to make to the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium. If they are bequeathed to anyone except a spouse or charity, they might be subject to extremely high rates of taxation (both estate and income).

Thanks to charitable IRA legislation enacted at the end of last year, you can make lifetime gifts using funds from your individual retirement accounts (IRAs) through 2009 without any undesirable tax effects. If you want to support the Zoo, we hope you'll consider making this type of IRA gift that can be accomplished simply and without tax complications, while you are living and able to witness the benefits of your generosity.

You may contribute funds this way if:

You are age 70½ or older at the time of the gift
The gifts do not total more than $100,000 in 2009
You transfer funds directly from an IRA

Note: You can make a gift from your IRA even if you don't have to take a required minimum distribution in 2009.

Simply contact your IRA custodian for the forms necessary to transfer your desired gift amount directly to the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium.

A Bequest
By naming the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium as a beneficiary in a will, you make a personal affirmation of the value of a world-class Zoo to our community and you become a lifetime member of the Magee Society. A bequest may be tailored to individual needs and interests so that the donor gains a unique opportunity to provide for the Zoo and loved ones.

Donors and their attorneys are encouraged to discuss specific restrictions they wish to include in bequest language with the Zoo's Senior Development Officer to make sure that their wishes can be fulfilled and meet the Zoo's long-term objectives. For more information, please call Sarah Poweska at 412-365-2541 or spoweska@pittsburghzoo.org.

A Gift of Life Insurance
By naming the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium the owner and beneficiary of a life insurance policy, you may receive a charitable deduction for the amount close to the present-day cash value of the policy. You may either transfer an existing policy to the Zoo or purchase a new one. If you choose to continue to pay the premiums on a policy transferred to the Zoo, you can deduct the amount of the premiums as charitable deductions.

Charitable Remainder Trust or Charitable Gift Annuity
A donor who wishes to make a significant gift to the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium now, but prefers to retain the income earned by the assets may want to consider a "Life Income Gift." Both unitrusts and gift annuities allow a donor to give to the Zoo while providing life income to the donor and/or loved ones. In many cases the income paid on such gifts is greater than currently paid on certificates of deposit or similar investments. Also, this type of gift may reduce estate taxes.

For more information, please call 412-365-2541 or email spoweska@pittsburghzoo.org.

Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium does not render legal or tax advisory services. This information is to provide accurate and authoritative information of a general nature. For advice and assistance in specific cases, the services of an attorney or professional advisor should be secured.

For more information, please call 412-365-2541 or email spoweska@pittsburghzoo.org