Bequests

Leaving a gift in your will is a simple way to provide a living legacy to Ohio's environment after your death. Making a will gives you control over the distribution of the assets you have worked a lifetime to build. It also avoids involving family members in a lengthy and costly probate process.

With a bequest, all your assets remain available to your during your lifetime. For some people, a bequest may reduce estate taxes.

Making a bequest to the OEC gives you the opportunity to:

• make a lasting imprint on the health of Ohio's environment
• contribute to the OEC's financial and programmatic growth
• give more freely than you might have been able to during your lifetime
• save inheritance tax

We recognize that your family's future is your first priority. The future is our priority as well. Bequests can take several forms and we offer suggestions below which allow you to secure a future for your loved ones while showing your support for OEC's ongoing mission:

• Make a specific bequest to OEC by designating a dollar amount, a percentage of your estate, or a particular asset.
• Provide for your family through specific bequests and then designate all or a portion of your remaining estate to the OEC.
• Make the OEC a contingent beneficiary, such that the OEC will receive all or a portion of your assets only if your named beneficiaries do not survive you.
• Establish a trust to provide income to your beneficiaries for life.
• Make the OEC the remainder beneficiary of that trust such that OEC would receive the principal of the trust at the death of your last surviving beneficiary.

To include the Ohio Environmental Council as a beneficiary, include the following language: The Ohio Environmental Council, a nonprofit corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of Ohio (tax identification number: 31-0805578), and with the current business address of 1207 Grandview Avenue, Suite 201, Columbus, Ohio 43212-3449.

Please contact us to learn more about making a bequest to the OEC. We want to hear about the Ohio you envision for your children and we are happy to share with you our plans for preserving the integrity of Ohio's environment.

If you have already designated the OEC as a beneficiary in your will, please inform us so we can thank you for your generosity and discuss how you'd like your gift to be used. Contact us at LegacyClub@theOEC.org or (614) 487-7506.

OEC Membership Benefits

For all membership levels:

• Being part of the team that secures healthy air, land, and water for all Ohioans.
• OEC's event invitations, announcements, and Greenwatch newsletter mailed/emailed to you.
• Reduced admission to OEC events such as Environmental Lobby Day, Clean Water Conference, and the Green Gala.
• Have the opportunity to sharpen your citizen-activist skills through events and on-line action alerts.
• Ohio Legislative & Government Directory - a handy pocket guide to the Ohio General Assembly and Congressional delegation, including updated contact information and committee assignments.

Fiscal Responsibility

The Ohio Environmental Council has earned the trust, respect and support of leading Ohioans.

By consistently demonstrating exceptional fiscal responsibility, the OEC outperforms many of its peers in efforts to allocate and grow finances.

For four consecutive years, the Ohio Environmental Council has received a 4-star rating for sound fiscal management, from Charity Navigator, America's largest independent evaluator of charities.