Legacy giving
Carry the work past your lifetime
A conversation, not a form. Chris Anderson handles every legacy gift personally.
Why legacy gifts matter to us
WolfCenter is a small organization doing thirty-year work. A bequest, a trust or a beneficiary designation is the single most powerful thing a supporter can do for us: it turns a year of gifts into a generation of them.
Most of our largest legacy partners began as monthly donors who never expected to do more. Then their circumstances changed — and they told us so. The decisions got made together, unhurried, over months.
The ways a legacy gift can be structured
- A bequest in your will — the most common. A fixed sum, a percentage of the estate, or a specific asset designated to WolfCenter.
- A beneficiary designation — on a retirement account (IRA, 401k), a life insurance policy or a donor-advised fund. Often the simplest and most tax-efficient route for U.S. donors.
- A charitable trust — charitable remainder or charitable lead trusts. Lets you support your family and the Center from the same instrument. We work with your estate attorney, not around them.
- A tangible asset — real property, equity, a collection. We evaluate case by case.
What happens when you reach out
Chris Anderson handles every legacy conversation personally. There is no intake form and no sales script.
When you write, we set up a call — yours, ours, your attorney’s, whatever makes you comfortable. We explain how the Center uses restricted and unrestricted legacy gifts, show you where the money has gone historically, and answer any question you have about organizational continuity past Chris’s own tenure. The call usually ends with you going off to think. That is fine.
We are a 501(c)(3) (EIN 82-0453409) and your legacy gift will be fully deductible for U.S. estate-tax purposes.
Language your attorney can use
If you have already decided and just need wording for your will, this is a starting point your attorney can adapt:
“I give, devise and bequeath to the Wolf Education & Research Center, a nonprofit organization with principal offices in University Place, Washington (EIN 82-0453409), [the sum of $______] / [____ percent of the residue of my estate] / [the following described property: ______], to be used for its general charitable purposes.”
Your attorney will adjust for your jurisdiction and estate structure.
Start a conversation
Write Chris directly: chris.anderson@wolfcenter.org. First response within two business days; first full conversation usually within the same week if that is what you want.
