The Richard O. Ristine Heritage Society

The Heritage Society recognizes donors who have shared in the mission of the Leelanau Conservancy by making a gift through a will, bequest, trust, annuity, insurance or other planned or deferred gift. Over 100 individuals and couples have notified the Conservancy that they have made such a commitment. The Society is named after Richard O. (Dick) Ristine , who served as Chairman and then Honorary Chairman for many years.

Download our Planned Giving Guide: The Gift of a Lifetime

If you wish to include the Leelanau Conservancy in your deferred gift, here is the info you need for your documents:

Leelanau Conservancy
PO Box 1007, 105 N. First Street
Leland, MI 49654
231-256-9665
Federal Tax ID: 38-2710855

As always, we advise you to seek independent financial and legal advice as you consider significant gifts.

The current work of Conservancy friends, staff, volunteers and donors will benefit many generations to come. Through wills, bequests, and other estate planning, Heritage Society members ensure their support will not end after their lifetimes. While supporting the Conservancy’s future, planned gifts can also serve the donor in important ways. For instance, a deferred gift can help minimize the tax liability of heirs. Some estate planning instruments can even create secure, annual income for donors right now, during their lifetimes. As one Heritage Society member likes to say, “It’s a win-win-win: for us, for our family, and for the Conservancy.”

If you would like more information about including the Conservancy in your financial plans and becoming a member of the Richard O. Ristine Heritage Society, please contact Emma Stoppani, Major Gifts Officer, at estoppani@leelanauconservancy.org or by calling 231-256-9665.

Click here to view the Planned Giving Guide, The Gift of a Lifetime. You may also contact estoppani@leelanauconservancy.org to receive a printed copy.

Have you already designated the Conservancy in a planned gift? We hope you will let us know so that we can honor your wishes and invite you to join the Richard O. Ristine Heritage Society. Please fill out and return the Planned Giving Intention form.

Richard O. Ristine Heritage Society ambassadors. Read their stor y

Read why our members decide to make planned gifts to the Leelanau Conservancy.

“Leelanau has been important part of my life since childhood, and the work that the Conservancy has done to protect the peninsula means a lot to me. In discussing how we could include the Leelanau Conservancy in our estate plans, Ann and I settled on naming the organization as the beneficiary of my IRA. First, it was extremely easy to do! I just filled out a “change of beneficiary” form online. Second, the change will eliminate significant taxes. And finally, IRAs are complicated assets for your heirs to receive, from a tax standpoint if nothing else. This solution addressed all those concerns, while enabling us to support the Conservancy’s great work.” ~Warren Watkins.

“Jeff and I knew that we wanted to help keep Leelanau ‘the land that we love’ and that we could do much more through our estate than we could do in cash or stocks while we were alive. We’re first generation Leelanau folks, but now there are three generations who love this special place. We wanted to set an example to them for how to care for the land we all love and to help make certain that their memories of Leelanau are like ours. It seems important to share that link across time—and it made a gift to the Conservancy a gift to them, too.”~Susan Green

Download our Planned Giving Guide: The Gift of a Lifetime

Become a steward of the land.