Looking for a way to show how much you love Helena?
Lynda Saul has a suggestion — consider setting up an endowment through the Montana Community Foundation. Lynda did just that 12 years ago. When Lynda moved to Helena after graduate school in 1986, she was smitten. “I feel lucky to have found Helena,” Lynda said. “I love Helena.”
After she participated in a job exchange that took her to Washington, D.C. for a year, Lynda returned to
Helena and learned about the Montana Endowment Tax Credit. The Montana Endowment Tax Credit allows people who make a qualified planned gift to a qualified charitable endowment (like Prickly Pear’s at the Montana Community Foundation) to receive a valuable tax credit, which is dollar-for-dollar at the state level in addition to the charitable deduction on one’s federal taxes.
“I learned about the tax credit and said ‘I want to do that,’” Lynda said. “I started my own endowment: the ‘I Love Helena Endowment.’ The cool thing about it is you don’t need a truckload of money to start an
endowment; you can contribute annually and, assuming you have tax liability, you can take the tax credit with your donation.”
PPLT is among the beneficiaries of Lynda’s endowment. Planned gifts, like Lynda’s, are gifts that benefit PPLT’s future every year and help us continue the work of connecting land and people for generations to come.
“The purpose of it for me is about leaving a legacy for the future,” Lynda said. “I encourage everyone who is philanthropically inclined and wants to leave a legacy of open space and trails and view space—join me in making a planned gift to Prickly Pear Land Trust.”
You can make a difference in PPLT’s future through tax-credit eligible planned gifts at the Montana Community Foundation or through PPLT’s own endowment managed at D.A. Davidson. Contact Lanie White, Development Manager, at 406-442-0490 or [email protected] to talk about the option that’s best for you!