Donate Stock 

There are several significant benefits that can result from gifts of securities. With certain limitations, you can deduct the full fair market value of long-term appreciated securities—that is, securities you have owned for more than one year and that have increased in value. Thus you can give away appreciated property and usually avoid the tax on the gain. Here's how:

If Your Broker or Bank Holds Your Securities
Call or write your broker and let them know that you want to make a gift of stock to The Land Conservancy of McHenry County (Tax ID #36-3727476). Your broker will want to know the name of the stock(s) and the number of shares you are contributing.

After you have notified your broker, please call us at (815) 337-9502. We will need to know the name and telephone number of your broker, the name of the stock(s) and number of shares your are contributing. If requesting the transfer in writing, please mail a copy of the transfer request letter to the The Land Conservancy of McHenry County, PO Box 352, Woodstock, IL 60098.

Please remember that you don't want to tell your broker to sell the stock and forward the proceeds to TLC. This will jeopardize your tax savings benefits. Stock should be transferred to The Land Conservancy of McHenry County's account. TLC will send you an acknowledgement letter with the dollar amount of your gift based on the date the transfer is completed. Gift value is based on the average of the stock's high and low price on the day of transfer.

TLC has an account with Edward Jones. When you call, we will give you the account information so that your broker can make the transfer.

Make a Bequest

A will is the easiest and most effective means to ensure that you fully provide for your family and that your assets are distributed as you wish. Gifts by will, or bequests, both large and small, are very important to The Land Conservancy of McHenry County. A bequest through your will provides much needed support for land preservation in McHenry County.

You may bequeath a gift to TLC in the form of a dollar amount, a specific property, a percentage of your estate, or what remains after your loved ones have been provided for. Bequests to The Land Conservancy of McHenry County are entirely free from federal estate tax, and there is no limit on the amount you can leave to TLC in your will. 100% of all donations (in dollars) to TLC support land preservation in McHenry County.

To make a bequest to TLC, the following language may be helpful to your lawyer:

"I give, devise, and bequest to The Land Conservancy of McHenry County, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) Corporation, with a mailing address of PO Box 352, Woodstock, IL 60098, and a Tax Identification # of 36-3727476, the sum of $_____ (or "the rest, residue and remainder of my estate") to be used for land preservation."

You may wish to dedicate your bequest to one or more of TLC's dedicated funds:

- Land Acquisition Fund. These funds are used only when TLC needs to purchase land that is a priority to be preserved and is up for sale. At the present time, this fund has about $40,000. We would like to have at least $100,000 in the account at all times.

- Long-term Land Stewardship Fund. These funds generate income each year that TLC uses to manage the properties we own. At the present time, this account has $99,750 in it, and our target is $400,000. This principle would generate about $20,000 a year (average, over time) to be used to take care of the 200 acres that TLC owns at present.

- Legal Defense Fund. These funds generate some annual income that helps cover the costs of annual monitoring for the properties TLC owns. The principle can only be accessed to cover legal costs related to defense of any of the conservation easements that TLC holds. This fund currently stands at $500,000.

- Third Generation Oak Fund. This fund is used to cover out-of-pocket costs related to Project Quercus. Once the account exceeds $50,000, we plan to begin using it to make mini-grants to landowners to help them restore and replant their oak woods and savannas. The account is currently at about $18,000.

To designate your gift, simply specify the fund in your will. For more information, please call us at 815-337-9502.

Give a Matching Gift

Many larger, for-profit employers match donations that their employees make to qualified charities (501(c)(3)s like TLC). Some of the Companies that TLC has received matching gifts from include Follett, HSBC, Allstate, PepsiCo and U-Line.  

If your employer has a matching gift program, request a matching gift form from, and send it completed and signed with or without your gift. We will do the rest. The impact of your gift to TLC may be doubled! Some companies match gifts made by retirees and/or spouses.

If you are unsure about whether or not your employer will match your donations, check the employee benefit packet or ask someone in the Human Resources Department if your employer will match charitable donations you make.