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bristlecone pine legacy society - Ways to join

where alpine beauty meets your generosity

Ways to Give

There are many ways to make a lasting gift to Betty Ford Alpine Gardens. Whatever your situation, we’d love to help you find the one that’s right for you. Melissa Ebone, our Vice President of Development, is available to answer any questions and guide you through the process.

A Gift in Your Will or Trust A bequest is one of the most powerful gifts you can make — and one of the simplest. By including Betty Ford Alpine Gardens in your will or trust, you ensure that the wildflowers, the seed-banking work, and the place you love will be here for generations to come. A bequest can be a specific dollar amount, a percentage of your estate, or the remainder after other gifts are made. No attorney visit is required to get started — just a conversation.

Resource – A Guide for Donors: Leaving a Gift in Your Will or Trust

IRA and Retirement Assets If you are 70½ or older, you may be able to transfer funds directly from your IRA to Betty Ford Alpine Gardens without counting it as taxable income. This is called a Qualified Charitable Distribution, and for many donors it is one of the most tax-efficient ways to give. You can also name the Gardens as a beneficiary of your retirement account — a simple form that costs nothing today and can be changed at any time.

Gifts of Stock and Securities Donating appreciated stock directly to Betty Ford Alpine Gardens can be more tax-efficient than giving cash. When you transfer securities you’ve held for more than a year, you generally avoid capital gains tax on the appreciation — and the Gardens receives the full value of your gift. We accept gifts of publicly traded securities and are happy to walk you through the transfer process.

Donor Advised Funds If you have a Donor Advised Fund, recommending a grant to Betty Ford Alpine Gardens is usually just a few clicks through your provider’s portal. You can also name the Gardens as a successor beneficiary of your DAF — meaning any remaining funds pass to the organizations you love when your account closes. It’s a simple way to extend your generosity beyond your lifetime, with no additional estate planning required.

Life Insurance If you have a life insurance policy you no longer need for its original purpose, naming Betty Ford Alpine Gardens as a beneficiary — or transferring ownership of the policy to the Gardens — can turn it into one of the most significant gifts you’ll ever make. It often requires nothing more than a one-page change of beneficiary form.

Beneficiary Designations You don’t need a will, an attorney, or a formal estate plan to make a planned gift. Many financial accounts — including bank accounts, brokerage accounts, and retirement accounts — allow you to name a charity directly as a beneficiary. The assets pass to the Gardens automatically, outside of probate. It takes about ten minutes and can be changed at any time.

Real Estate and Other Assets Gifts of real estate — a family cabin, a piece of land, a second home — can be among the most significant a donor ever makes, and they often come with meaningful tax benefits. Here in the Vail Valley, we know that many of you have a deep connection to this land. Every gift of real estate is evaluated individually. We welcome a quiet conversation about what might be possible.

As with all charitable planning, we encourage you to speak with your financial advisor or estate planning attorney to find the approach that best fits your situation.

Ready to start a conversation? Contact our Development team with the information below:

Melissa Ebone Vice President of Development melissa@bettyfordalpinegardens.org · 970-306-7616

How Your Donations Help

We rely on your donations to support our mission to protect and preserve Alpine plants and their habitats. Your support is needed to help us with research, programming, acquisition of plants, collection and preservation of native seeds, and special events to bring the importance of alpine environments to life. Below are just a few of the ways your donations have helped protect Alpine habitats around the world.

Alpine Plant Conservation Strategy

Beginning in 2020, we partnered with Denver Botanic Gardens to author the North American Botanic Garden Strategy for Alpine Plant Conservation. Through a series of Objectives and Targets we have created a plan for protecting North America’s alpine plants, with a view to collaboration across North America between various research organizations and individuals who can lend support. You can view the Alpine Strategy to better understand our work.

Special Exhibits

Imagine a child’s wonder as they discover an alpine plant they can see nowhere else, then watching their understanding bloom as our exhibits reveal how this single plant supports an entire ecosystem of life.

Through past partnerships with the Smithsonian and New York Museum of Natural History, we bring world-class educational exhibits on pollinators, climate change, and alpine conservation directly to Vail’s mountain visitor. These nationally acclaimed experiences—made possible by member support and grants—transform curiosity into deep environmental connection.

Colorado Alpine EcoFlora Project

The Colorado Alpine EcoFlora Project is helping us understand and document Alpine plant diversity. Primary to this project is knowing where the plants are, and when they are blooming. This is a community-science botany project powered by iNaturalist, the free, easy-to-use nature identification app. The two goals of this project are:

Obtain research-grade observational data from around the state that will help us understand distributions of alpine plants.
Increase awareness of and appreciation for alpine plants in Colorado

Workshops and Speaker Series

Our Workshops and Speaker Series illuminate the intricate web of alpine life—revealing how rare mountain plants sustain the wildlife, pollinators, and bird species that depend on them for survival. Each summer, we curate an exceptional lineup of renowned authors, scientists, and conservation experts who share cutting-edge insights in our stunning mountain setting, creating affordable educational experiences that unite our community around the wonder of high-altitude ecosystems.

Leadership Circle Spotlight
$10,000+

When you choose to make a leadership contribution to Betty Ford Alpine Gardens, you’re not just supporting programs—you’re nurturing a sanctuary where fragile alpine life thrives against all odds. Your generosity breathes life into groundbreaking conservation efforts that protect species found nowhere else on Earth.

Every leadership gift tells a story of hope. It’s the story of a rare alpine wildflower that blooms again because of your research support. It’s a child’s eyes lighting up during an educational program you helped fund. It’s the peace a visitor finds walking our paths, knowing this sacred space will endure because of your vision.

When you make a leadership gift, you’re not just giving to the Gardens; you’re giving future generations the irreplaceable gift of connection to our planet’s most vulnerable and beautiful places.

Reach out to our Development Office here or call 970-306-7616 to talk about a meaningful way you can support the Gardens.

Betty Ford Alpine Gardens

;bristlecone pine legacy society - Ways to join