Giving Beyond the Checkbook

Derek Loeb

There are almost as many ways to support conservation as there are reasons to love Oregon’s desert. Here we highlight five ways to donate to preserve the environment you love that you may not have considered just yet.

With creativity and generosity, millions of acres across Oregon’s high desert can gain and sustain the protection they so richly deserve.

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.

Oregon Natural Desert Association’s federal non-profit tax ID is 94-3098621. 

fact

What defines Oregon’s high desert?

What defines Oregon’s high desert?

Bounded by the Cascade Mountains to the west and the Blue Mountains to the north, Oregon’s high desert covers approximately 24,000 square miles. Annual rainfall in the high desert varies from 5 to 14 inches. The average elevation is 4,000 feet; at 9,733 feet, the summit of Steens Mountain is the highest point in Oregon’s high desert. The terrain of the high desert was mostly formed by a series of lava flows that occurred between 30 and 10 million years ago.

Sources: The Oregon Encyclopedia; Wikipedia  

voices

Carl Axelsen, member since 1999

Carl Axelsen, member since 1999

You folks at ONDA really have your stuff together. Such a well-planned opportunity to comment, since figuring out how to connect with the gummint is off-putting. You make it work for me.

voices

Craig Terry, ONDA member and stewardship volunteer

Craig Terry, ONDA member and stewardship volunteer

“The people I have had the privilege to share time with each season keep me volunteering again and again. Who else but those ONDA staff leaders would make fresh coffee at dawn each morning or pack a watermelon all day to serve as a reward under a juniper in a steep canyon?” Craig, who grew up in northwestern Nevada, says ONDA connects him with places he loves and a mission he believes in. “My grandfather and his father put up wire fences for their ranching needs. Taking out barbed wire sort of completes a circle for me.”

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 you can receive our account information by contacting our staff or filling out our stock donation interest form. Most banks and brokerage firms require a letter of instruction; some have a special form.

Email Allison Crotty or call (541) 330-2638, ext 315 for additional information.

Start your stock gift

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. This benefits you in two ways, since your gift counts toward your annual required minimum distribution and lowers your taxable income. To realize the tax savings, funds must be directly transferred from the financial institution to ONDA, an eligible 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

Each financial institution has its own process for initiating a Qualified Charitable Distribution, so follow their instructions and email Allison Crotty or call (541) 330-2638, ext 315 for additional information about how your gift will benefit Oregon’s high desert.

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 desert conservation today, you can go through your institution’s grant-making process and recommend a contribution to Oregon Natural Desert Association. Our tax ID is 94-3098621.

For questions about donating to ONDA through your donor-advised fund, contact ONDA’s Development Director.

Many employers sponsor matching gift programs and will match any charitable contributions made by their employees to qualified non-profit organizations like ONDA. This includes large employers, such as Intel, Nike, KEEN, Google, Salesforce, and U.S. Bank, as well as many privately-owned law firms and small businesses.

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.

Your gift of a reliable vehicle will deliver staff and volunteers to the far-flung places where we work. We’ll use your vehicle, which increases the tax advantages of your donation. Call us at (541) 330-2638, ext 314 or email Carrie Bowden.

Brent Fenty

Bruce couch   Website

Jeremy Austin

Greg Burke