Company Matches

Your gift to BTA/BOLT, Inc. could be matched dollar-for-dollar by your employer.  Many companies offer cash and volunteer hours, matching gift programs that double, even triple a donation's value. Check with your company.

Once you have determined that your company matches donations or volunteer hours made to BTA/BOLT, obtain the appropriate matching gift verification form from your employer and submit it to BTA/BOLT, PO Box 95, Boxford, MA 01921. We will complete the form and mail it to your employer.

Donate or Sell Your Land for Conservation

Not only will conserved land benefit people and wildlife, it also offers the landowners tax advantages. There are many ways to permanently protect your land, including donating, selling, or applying a conservation restriction.

Fee Simple Acquisition

One way to protect land is through "fee simple" acquisition by donating the entire interest in a piece of property. To own land "in fee simple" means to have complete ownership of the land, with all the usual rights associated with ownership.

Conservation Restriction (CR)

Another way is purchasing or accepting the donation of a partial interest in a piece of property. A CR (also known as a conservation easement) is a legal agreement between a landowner and a government agency or land trust that permanently protects open space by limiting future uses of the land, usually including the amount and type of development that can take place, but continues to leave the land in private ownership. The document conveys to the agency or land trust the right to monitor the property and enforce the terms of the agreement.

When a landowner sells or donates a CR, s/he can continue to live on or work the land - in accordance with the CR's provisions - and can sell the land or pass it on to heirs. The CR is recorded with the property deed, and the terms of the agreement remain in place on the land even if the land changes ownership. The value of the property has been reduced by this process (by prohibiting development), which may lead to tax benefits. A state law requires the approval by the Secretary of EEA on CR's if they are to be permanent. This sign-off assures there is a public benefit offered by the CR.

Gift and Estate Planning

One simple way to protect trails for the future is to leave a charitable bequest to BTA/BOLT.

A bequest to BTA/BOLT is free from federal and state taxes and can be made either outright or contingent upon the death of the named beneficiary. The amount of the bequest is deducted from your estate total, offering substantial savings by decreasing the value of the estate subject to taxation. There is no limit to the amount of your estate that can be left to charitable organizations.

Life Insurance Policies

Life insurance policies allow several ways to give. You can donate a paid policy that you no longer need by naming BTA/BOLT, Inc. as the beneficiary and policy owner. In return, you will receive an immediate tax deduction based on your cost basis in the policy, and it will reduce the value of your estate by the full face value of the policy, potentially reducing estate taxes. Upon your death, the life insurance proceeds will be passed on to BTA/BOLT, Inc.

Charitable Lead Trust

If you are in a high gift and estate tax bracket, you may wish to consider a charitable lead trust. This allows you to set up a trust for a term of years, after which the assets pass to your heirs. Meanwhile, BTA/BOLT, Inc. receives the income annually for the term of the trust, putting it to work on trail and in the community.