Planned Giving - Friends of Retzer

Planned Giving/Endowments

Whether you’re a longtime supporter of the Retzer Nature Center, or a new friend, we greatly appreciate your interest in our work and our center. The Friends of Retzer Nature Center, Inc relies on partners and supporters like you to help us preserve the natural beauty of our center, build and maintain proper facilities and trails.

Estate Planning
Leave YOUR personal legacy for the future of Retzer Nature Center. When you name Friends of Retzer Nature Center, Inc as a beneficiary of your personal will, pension plan, IRA, or life insurance policy, you will secure your place in our future… each and every day.

Make certain to specify the Friends of Retzer Nature Center, Inc and include our address: S14 W28167 Madison St., Waukesha, WI 53188-9501 and include the statement: “I give to Friends of Retzer Nature Center, Inc, Waukesha, WI, with the following (insert description of bequest).”

Other Legacy Gifts
Retzer staff and volunteers are frequently asked how supporters can make a major gift during their life, or upon their death. Following are just a few ways in which you can leave a legacy at the Retzer Nature Center. In many cases you may also enjoy significant tax benefits. Please consult your attorney, accountant or other appropriate tax professional to determine the best choice to accommodate your wishes and provide a practical gift. You can either designate your gift for a specific program or project or make a general contribution, which will be used to support all of Friends of Retzer programs and services.

Outright Gifts

At any time during your life you can give cash, securities, real estate or personal property as an outright gift to Friends of Retzer Nature Center, Inc. In the case of securities and real estate you can enjoy the tax benefit of avoiding capital gains taxes while taking the allowable charitable deduction.

Bequests

By remembering Friends of Retzer in your will you can feel confident in the future and continuing care for this nature area. Your bequest can be in the form of cash or securities.

Life Insurance Policies

By remembering Friends of Retzer in your will you can feel confident in the future and continuing care for this nature area. Your bequest can be in any form: cash, real estate, securities or personal property, and can be either a specific item or amount, a percentage of your estate, or the residuary of your estate.

Charitable Trusts, Annuities & Life Estates

The establishment of any trust, annuity or the transfer of interest in a life estate requires an attorney with expertise in the field.

Charitable Remainder Trust

This is the most commonly used trust. Under a charitable remainder trust you would transfer your interest in property to the trust which would pay you a variable income for the rest of your life, depending upon the value of the trust principle at any given time. Upon death, the trust assets become the property of Friends of Retzer. Almost any property from stocks to real estate to artwork can fund a charitable remainder trust. When the charitable remainder trust is established it locks in the value of the trust principle and provides an immediate tax deduction while avoiding capital gains taxes. Because of tax benefits this income is usually more than the donor would have received had the property been retained.

Do you want to make a positive impact through stewardship, citizen science, and educational activities? If so, you may want to become a Wisconsin Master Naturalist Volunteer. 🌳📓🏞 Waukesha County Parks and Friends of Retzer Nature Center are hosting its 5th annual week-long Master Naturalist Volunteer Training from July 21-26, 2025, at Retzer Nature Center, a 480-acre County Park located in the heart of Waukesha County. REGISTRATION OPENS on Monday, January 13 at 9 a.m. sharp and will fill up fast!The Wisconsin Master Naturalist program is statewide and supported through University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension. The program promotes awareness, understanding, and stewardship of the natural environment by developing a network of well-informed volunteers dedicated to conservation service within their communities.Through expert-led trainings out in nature and in the classroom, Master Naturalists are equipped to address environmental challenges facing the state. Expect an exploration of the prairies, forests, waters, wildlife, and geology of southeast Wisconsin. The training will include limited classroom time at Retzer Nature Center and local field experiences incorporated into each day throughout Waukesha County (i.e. Lapham Peak, Fox River Park, Pewaukee Lake, just to name a few).Learn more about Retzer Nature Center’s training at: wimasternaturalist.org/trainings/volunteer-training/ ... See MoreSee Less