Make a Gift in a Few Easy Steps

Not everyone wants to commit to making a gift in their wills or estates. Some prefer the increased flexibility that a beneficiary designation provides by using:

  • IRAs and retirement plans
  • Life insurance policies
  • Donor advised funds
  • Commercial annuities
  • Payable on death (POD) bank account or certificate of deposit

It is very simple to name Sierra Club and/or Sierra Club Foundation as a beneficiary. Start by requesting a change-of-beneficiary form from your policy administrator or download the form from your provider's website. Make your desired changes and return the form to establish your gift.

If you expect to have a taxable estate (currently $22.8 million for a married couple for federal estate tax) you may want to support Sierra Club with a tax-deductible provision for the Sierra Club Foundation. Contributions to Sierra Club are not tax-deductible if your estate exceeds the current allowable limit. Contributions to the Sierra Club Foundation are fully tax-deductible. Learn more about our two entities.

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An Example of How It Works

Couple smiling Robert and Carol treasure the financial help they have been able to give their children and Sierra Club over the years. The couple recently updated their will to leave stocks and real estate to their kids. They left the Sierra Club Foundation a $75,000 IRA to be transferred following their lifetime. Because the Sierra Club Foundation is tax-exempt, all $75,000 will help support our mission.

If Robert and Carol had left the IRA to their children, approximately $18,000* would have gone to pay federal income taxes—leaving only $57,000 for their family's use. Robert and Carol are happy knowing they are making the most of their hard-earned money thanks to their updated estate plan.

*Based on an assumption of a 24% marginal income tax bracket.

Next Steps

  1. Contact the administrator of your retirement plan, insurance policy, or bank account for a change-of-beneficiary form, or simply download a form from your provider's website. 
  2. Decide what percentage (1 to 100) you would like Sierra Club and/or Sierra Club Foundation to receive and name us, along with the percentage you chose, on the beneficiary form. Return the completed form.
  3. Contact our team at (800) 932-4270 or giftplanning@sierraclub.org to let us know your goals for the gift so we can ensure it is used as you intend.

Learn more about our two entities:

Legal name: Sierra Club Foundation
Address: 2101 Webster Street, Suite 1250, Oakland, CA 94612
Federal tax ID number: 94-6069890

Legal name: the Sierra Club
Address: 2101 Webster Street, Suite 1300, Oakland, CA 94612
Federal tax ID number: 94-1153307

Please note that contributions to Sierra Club are not tax-deductible if your estate exceeds the current allowable limit. Contributions to the Sierra Club Foundation are fully tax-deductible. Learn more about our two entities.

Legal name: Sierra Club
Address: 2101 Webster Street, Oakland, CA 94612
Federal tax ID number: 94-1153307

Legal name: Sierra Club Foundation
Address: 2101 Webster Street, Suite 1250, Oakland, CA 94612
Federal tax ID number: 94-6069890