Six Unique Ways to Give

voices

Mary McCord, ONDA Volunteer

Mary McCord, ONDA Volunteer

“I find enjoyment in the peaceful wide open spaces, geology, and rich history of Oregon’s high desert,” says Mary. Reflecting on volunteering, she continues, “If you have the ability and desire, it’s important to do something to contribute. It doesn’t have to be big, because every little bit helps.”

voices

Elisa Cheng, member since 2013

Elisa Cheng, member since 2013

“ONDA stewardship trips inspire me. I get to learn new things and see new places, and in the process perform important work that improves the wildlife habitat.”

voices

Aaron Tani, Sage Society Member

Aaron Tani, Sage Society Member

“It feels good to support ONDA on a monthly basis, because I know they never stop supporting our public lands. ONDA works to help make our lands a better place for the future, and I feel like I’m a part of that every month with my support.”

1. Give through a donor-advised fund

Recommending a donation to ONDA through your donor-advised fund is a simple, convenient way to support high desert conservation. If your fund is hosted by Fidelity Charitable, Schwab Charitable or BNY Mellon you can begin the recommendation process right from our website. And, we accept donations from all donor-advised funds, including Oregon Community Foundation, so you can also go through your institution’s regular grant-making process to recommend a contribution to ONDA. Questions about giving via a donor-advised fund? ONDA is available to assist with the process.

2. Claim a match from your employer

Many employers sponsor matching gift programs and will match any charitable contributions made by their employees. To find out if your company has a matching gift policy, please ask your employer. The impact of your gift to ONDA could be doubled or even tripled.

3. Make a monthly gift via bank transfer

You’ve probably heard of monthly giving and know setting up a monthly gift is one of the best ways to sustain high desert conservation year-round. But did you know setting up or converting your monthly gift to a bank transfer means you never have to worry about credit card expiration dates and you avoid processing fees? Selecting “eCheck” on our donation form will provide all the prompts. Or, go to ONDA.org/givemonthly.

4. Donate stock

Giving appreciated stock to Oregon Natural Desert Association is a relatively simple process with some advantages over giving cash. Your gift avoids capital gains tax, and you gain a charitable deduction. And, you may be able to make a larger gift in support of critical high desert conservation needs than you ever thought possible. ONDA has an account ready to receive your donation of stock, and our staff is available to help.

5. Make an IRA Distribution

This one’s for all ONDA supporters age 70 ½ or older. At this age, you must begin taking required minimum distributions if you have a traditional IRA, even if you don’t want or need the money. Instead of taking a disbursement and paying taxes on these funds, a Qualified Charitable Distribution from your IRA is worth considering. To realize the tax savings, funds must be directly transferred from the IRA custodian to ONDA, an eligible 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

6. Make a Legacy Gift

Legacy gifts are about planning for the future – your future and the future of Oregon’s wild desert lands, waterways and wildlife. Leaving a legacy for Oregon’s desert wildlands is surprisingly simple and accessible to most people. Learn about including ONDA in your will or naming ONDA as a beneficiary of a life insurance policy or retirement account.
Already included ONDA in your estate plans? Let us know so we can thank you! 

 

Thank you for all you do to care for and conserve Oregon high desert. Because of you, Oregon’s high desert is wild, vibrant, and brimming with opportunities to inspire and explore, now and always.

Michelle Alvarado   Website

Chris Christie

Greg Burke

Donor-Advised Fund Giving

Recommending a donation to Oregon Natural Desert Association through your donor-advised fund is simple, and if your fund is hosted by Fidelity Charitable, Schwab Charitable or BNY Mellon you can begin the recommendation process right here. We accept donations from all donor-advised funds, including Oregon Community Foundation. To recommend a donation in support of high […]

Read More

Contact Allison Crotty

Please contact me or 541-330-2638 x315 to discuss any of these giving opportunities. You can also email me at alllison@onda.org. I’d love to hear from you!

Connect

Category: How-To

Learn a new skill that will help you enjoy and protect the high desert.

Six Unique Ways to Give

By on May 28, 2020 | Posted in: How-To

An inky night sky studded with endless stars. Quirky sage-grouse dancing at dawn. A soothing soak in a peaceful hot spring. Discovering delicate desert blooms. Spotting soaring migratory birds. Sage-green vistas that stretch out for miles and miles.  Scenes like these – which you can see in the photos below – are just a...

Read More
Basalt Beardstongue

How to Identify Native Plants

By on April 29, 2020 | Posted in: How-To

By Scott Bowler Hey, what’s that cool flower? After leading wildflower discovery and identification trips for 40-plus years, I can tell you that people’s most common reaction upon encountering a new flower is: “Oh, cool! What’s that?” They want a name. In this blog post, I’ll guide you through the key steps to figuring...

Read More

Appreciating Stormy Skies

By on January 22, 2020 | Posted in: How-To

Maria Mudd Ruth, author of “A Sideways Look at Clouds,” is fascinated by clouds. In this post, she identifies the clouds seen in the stormy skies over Oregon’s high desert. She’ll be presenting “The Remarkable Clouds of Oregon’s Desert” to kick off ONDA’s High Desert Speaker Series for 2020.

Read More

Five New Year’s Resolutions
that Help Oregon’s Desert and You

By on January 2, 2020 | Posted in: How-To

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, there’s no denying that New Year’s resolutions are a thing. In “8 Reasons We Really Do Need to Make Resolutions,” Dr. Theo Tsaousides concludes that goals keep people connected. As he writes, “Common goals are the foundational block upon which we build communities. From families to sports teams, from small start-ups to...

Read More

How To Upcycle
Last Year’s Wild Desert Calendar

By on December 9, 2019 | Posted in: How-To

ONDA’s Wild Desert Calendar is chock full of desert beauty, and, each year around this time, we hear from members who simply can’t bear to just throw last year’s calendar away. Here’s an easy craft project that will allow you to upcycle all those gorgeous landscapes, by turning those pages into envelopes.  

Read More
Fall color along Whychus Creek

Opt Outside,
Act for Desert Rivers

By on November 25, 2019 | Posted in: How-To

Escape the Black Friday crowds and #OptOutside to a wild river near you! Sen. Ron Wyden is asking Oregonians to help him develop legislation to protect Oregon’s most special rivers, and he wants to hear from YOU. The day after Thanksgiving is the perfect opportunity to take your family and friends on a hike...

Read More

Only You Can Prevent
Sagebrush Fires

By on July 1, 2019 | Posted in: How-To

You might think of forests when you think “wildfire,” but, as OPB reported in May, nearly 75 percent of all acres burned in the west over the past two decades were on rangelands — not forest. As someone who lives in or visits sagebrush country, you have an important responsibility to help prevent human-caused...

Read More

How To: Raft the Lower Owyhee

By on May 14, 2019 | Posted in: How-To, Where-to

Rafting the lower Owyhee River is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that introduces you to some of the most spectacular and untouched high desert landscapes found in eastern Oregon. Deep canyon walls, riverside camps, and hikes climbing to sweeping vistas are all highlights of this trip. Just be sure to gather some information ahead of time...

Read More

Dark Desert Skies

By on March 29, 2019 | Posted in: How-To, Where-to

For those of us who have spent time in Oregon’s high desert, there is no need to explain how truly dark skies showcase the wonders of the stars viewable by the naked eye. Night skies relatively free from light pollution — that is, human-created artificial lighting and atmospheric disturbances such as smog — will...

Read More

Happy Birthday!
Oregon Desert Trail Turns Five

By on March 20, 2019 | Posted in: How-To

In the spring of 2014, ONDA released a basic map-set for an ambitious route we’d started to call the “Oregon Desert Trail.” It wasn’t long before a few hikers set their sights on completing the route. Over the past five years, we’ve developed and refined many new resources to make our challenging eastern Oregon...

Read More