Conservation is worthy of your individual philanthropic investment. Here are various ways in which your generosity can make an impact on environmental conservation.

Need help determining which giving plan meets your individual needs? Contact Todd Witcher, Executive Director at (865) 430-4757 or todd@dlia.org.

There are many ways to give:

• Outright Gifts of Cash
• Gifts of Securities
• Estate or Planned Gifts
• Designate Your Retirement Plan
• Designate DLiA as a Beneficiary on Your Insurance Policy
• Make an Outright Gift of a Paid-up Insurance Policy
• Designate Financial Accounts
• Legal Designation Information for Beneficiary Forms

Outright Gifts of Cash

Make checks payable to:

Discover Life in America
1316 Cherokee Orchard Road
Gatlinburg,  TN 37738

Or you can make a single or recurring donation now with a debit or credit card via our online donation system.

Gifts of Securities

Gifts of long-term appreciated stock or mutual funds offer a quick, easy and tax-efficient way to make a lasting contribution to Discover Life in America. Your gift will help Discover Life in America protect precious natural places like Great Smoky Mountains National Park and other places close to your heart around the world.

Securities Held By You

If you hold the securities, mail (via UPS or other traceable medium) or hand-deliver the certificate(s) to:

Discover Life in America
1316 Cherokee Orchard Road
Gatlinburg,  TN 37738
Attention: Todd Witcher

In a separate envelope, mail or deliver to the address above a signed stock or bond power for each security. You may obtain blank stock powers from the stock gift manager, your broker or bank. Please sign the power exactly as your name appears on the certificate or bond. Enclose a letter stating the purpose of your gift with the certificate(s).

Note: It is very important to mail the security certificate and the signed power separately. We also recommend that the certificate be sent by certified mail with return receipt.

Securities Held by Your Broker

Inform your broker or banker that you would like to donate securities to Discover Life in America. Your broker or banker should contact Todd Witcher or todd@dlia.org to provide the details of the gift and to process your transaction.

Estate or Planned Gifts

Naming Discover Life in America as a beneficiary is simple and has lasting effects. You can name us as a beneficiary in a:

• Will
• Retirement Plan
• Insurance Policy
• Financial Account

After your lifetime, the asset will come to Discover Life in America without going through probate. Your estate benefits from this contribution because it is entitled to a charitable deduction for the amount of the gift.

Include Discover Life in America In Your Will

Having Discover Life in America as a beneficiary of your Will or Revocable Living Trust, you can specify some or all of your assets to Discover Life in America after your lifetime. If you would prefer, all or some of your assets can be specified for a specific Discover Life in America program. After your lifetime, the asset(s) you specify will pass to Discover Life in America and your estate can take a charitable deduction for the amount of your bequest.

Types of Bequests to Use in Your Will

There are several types of bequests that allow you to designate how your estate will be distributed.

• Specific Bequest: You describe exactly what you want to leave to a specific individual or organization and the designated source. If you want to leave a specific dollar amount from a specific source or a particular item (such as an antique or collector’s item), this is the type of bequest that you would use.
• General Bequest: This type of bequest does not specify the source from which it should be paid. This gives your executor the flexibility to honor the bequest from any available source.
• Residuary Bequest: This type of bequest is honored after all other bequests have been made, and all debts, expenses and taxes have been paid.
• Contingent Bequest: This type of bequest is fulfilled if certain conditions are met. For instance, if your primary beneficiary does not survive you, you can indicate your next choice through a contingent designation.

Designate Your Retirement Plan

Your retirement plan benefits you during your retirement. In the event you pass away, you may name beneficiaries for your plan with funds remaining in your account. Along with family, relatives and friends, a charity, like Discover Life in America, may also be named as the beneficiary.

Retirement fund assets can be great charitable gifts because of the tax implications to your non-charitable beneficiaries. Most retirement plans are income tax-deferred, meaning you do not pay income tax on the funds contributed to your plan or on the growth of the assets within the fund. However, you are responsible for paying the tax when the funds are distributed. Your beneficiary is also required to pay the income tax that has not been paid. Charitable organizations, like Discover Life in America, are tax-exempt and not liable for the unpaid taxes. If you name Discover Life in America as a beneficiary of your retirement plan, the full amount of your gift will be used for effective conservation action. To name Discover Life in America as a beneficiary, contact your plan administrator and request a beneficiary change form.

Designate Discover Life in America as a Beneficiary on Your Insurance Policy

Discover Life in America accepts gifts of life insurance, either as the beneficiary of a policy or as the sole owner and sole beneficiary.

You can name Discover Life in America as primary beneficiary of your life insurance policy or as contingent beneficiary should your other beneficiaries not survive you. After your lifetime, the benefits from your policy pass to Discover Life in America free of federal estate tax. To change your beneficiaries to Discover Life in America, contact your insurance carrier and request a beneficiary change form.

Make an Outright Gift of a Paid-up Insurance Policy

You can donate your paid-up life insurance policy to Discover Life in America. If the policy has cash value, Discover Life in America has the option of either holding the policy until the maturity date or surrendering the policy in order to receive the policy’s current cash value.

Designate Financial Accounts

Another way you can include Discover Life in America in your estate plan is by designating us as the beneficiary of a financial account, including a bank or brokerage account, or an asset, such as a certificate of deposit. All you need to do is complete a beneficiary designation form (often called a transfer-on-death or pay-on-death form) provided by the financial institution. After your lifetime, the asset passes directly to Discover Life in America allowing us to continue our environmental conservation work

Interested in other categories of funding for DLiA? Find out more.