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ACRES protects local land, for the benefit of all – today and forever.

Together, with your support, we guarantee our promise to future generations. Donate, renew your membership, join for the first time, give a gift membership to someone else or make a memorial or tribute gift.

Why give? Why now?

ACRES operates through the generosity of people like you. Individuals, businesses and foundations provide the financial support needed to acquire new land, care for natural areas, maintain trails and provide fun, educational and inspiring programs.

Your donation to ACRES is spent locally, right here at home. Through ACRES, you can invest in our region’s quality of life and that of future generations, resulting in tangible, lasting benefits that you can walk on.

Donor Privacy & Donor Intent

ACRES Land Trust does not sell, share or trade its donor list with outside groups. ACRES adheres to the Association of Fundraising Professionals Donor Bill of Rights and Donor Intent. Learn more>>

Nonprofit Status

ACRES Land Trust is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization. All charitable donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Current financial statements, annual budget and previous fiscal year’s reviewed financial statements are available upon request. ACRES most recent IRS Form 990>>

Ways to Give

MONTHLY, ANNUAL OR ONE-TIME DONATIONS

In addition to joining as a member, you can make a one-time donation or set up a recurring monthly or yearly gift. Your recurring giving is convenient and easy and provides a steady and reliable stream of income. Secure payments on your credit/debit card help cut postage, paper and administrative costs – so your contribution goes further!

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Become a Member

You’ll hear a lot about membership at ACRES – because ACRES is its members. ACRES Land Trust is not simply a nonprofit or thousands of acres of land. ACRES is a community of the land, united by shared values and by our beloved common ground. ACRES members protect land and beyond this unique benefit, receive a variety of benefits, including unique preserve opportunities.

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HONORARY AND MEMORIAL GIFTS

A tax-deductible gift to ACRES can help you celebrate an anniversary, holiday, or birthday or remember a friend or loved one. Your contribution to ACRES might become an annual tradition made in their honor, or a lasting tribute to celebrate the life they lived. Your honoree or gift recipient will receive a letter from ACRES, letting them know of your thoughtful gift and the lasting impact it will have on preserving natural areas right here in our community. This person will also be recognized and receive our Quarterly publication. The amount of your contribution will be kept confidential. Honor or remember your friend or loved one with a gift.

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BECOME A CORPORATE MEMBER

The natural environment is one of our greatest economic assets. As a corporate member, your business will help protect our shared natural resources while gaining visibility. Corporate giving enables nonprofits such as ACRES to continue providing the valuable services to the community. Thank you!

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REQUEST A CORPORATE GIVING MATCH

Do you work for (or are you retired from) a community-minded business? Many employers match donations their employees and retirees make to qualified charities. If your employer has a matching gift program, request a matching gift form and send it completed and signed to ACRES. We’ll take care of the rest. The impact of your gift may be doubled! If you are unsure about whether or not your employer will match your donations, check the employee benefit packet or ask someone in the Human Resources Department if your employer will match charitable donations you make.

Donate an item from ACRES wish list

Your generous donations of any of these supplies help keep our overhead costs down to focus on our mission. Thank you!

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The Acorn Society – Planned Giving

Your bequest, planned gift or legacy donations from your estate helps ensure that the places you cared about and worked for in your lifetime are preserved long after you are gone. With a planned gift, you’ll become part of the Acorn Society, recognized for your dedication toward ensuring the future of ACRES.

You have many planned giving options to help you achieve your financial and philanthropic goals, while supporting the mission and work of ACRES.

Your options may include:

  • Bequest by Will or Living Trust
  • Retirement Assets such as 401(k) plans and Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs)
  • Stock and Securities
  • Real Estate
  • Charitable Lead Trusts
  • Charitable Remainder Trusts
  • Life Insurance

You may bequeath a gift to ACRES in the form of a dollar amount, a specific property, a percentage of your estate, or what remains after your loved ones have been provided for. Consult your financial and legal advisor about the benefits and methods of making a planned gift to be sure which option is right for you.

To make a bequest to ACRES, the following language may be helpful to your lawyer:

“I give, devise, and bequest to ACRES, Inc., a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation, with a mailing address of PO Box 665, Huntertown, IN 46748, and a Tax Identification # of 31-0976955, the sum of $____ (or “the rest, residue and remainder of my estate) to be used for land preservation.”

Photo by Thomas Sprunger

To ensure your gift may be used as you intend, please contact ACRES for options before designating a gift. If you have already made plans for ACRES, we would love to know now so that we can recognize your generosity during your lifetime.

Please contact our office to speak about planned giving or to request a Statement of Intent or Gift Acceptance Policy.

Call us at 260-637-2273, ext. 105

Email Heather Barth, Advancement Director

Email Jason Kissel, Executive Director

Endowment Giving

Forever is a mighty long time.

In order to financially back “forever”, ACRES has grown our endowment funds to a level that ensures that the land we protect today will be protected for future generations, regardless of future giving.

How does this work? The annual endowment payout provides enough income for very basic operations: scaling back to one staff member, paying liability insurance and drainage assessments. However, purchasing new land, maintaining trails, managing natural areas and providing programs requires more robust ongoing support, and quite simply, as ACRES acquires new land, so must our endowment grow to keep pace with community needs.

ACRES holds endowment funds at community and private foundations across the region. Your donation, small or large, to a fund near you helps provide revenue that supports our work in your community. Your gift to these funds also supports your local community foundation.

Below, you will find links to donate to your county’s community foundations and financial institutions: