Home » Support BBG » Giving Opportunities
Giving Opportunities
- Honorary & Memorial Gifts & Dedications
- Gifts to BBG Programs
- The Gager Society
- Planned Gifts & Bequests
- Corporate & Foundation Grants & Sponsorship
- Matching Gifts
Your tax deductible donations can be made via check, credit card, or appreciated securities. There can be significant tax advantages to giving appreciated securities to BBG. Not only are you often able to obtain a full charitable deduction on your income tax return, you may also save capital gain taxes as well. To make a gift using appreciated securities you must first contact BBG to secure necessary routing information.
Honorary & Memorial Gifts & Dedications
You can make a meaningful gift that will be a lasting tribute in honor or in memory of people whose lives have been touched by the Garden.
These honorary and memorial gifts can be designated to the ongoing maintenance of BBG, to one of our specialty gardens, to our education or outreach programs, to the library book purchasing fund, or to botanical research.
Some gifts can be designated toward a Dedication in the Garden. For more information please call Leila McCarthy at 718-623-7248 or email LeilaMcCarthy@bbg.org.
Gifts to BBG Programs
Did you first develop your love of nature as a participant in BBG's Children's Garden?
Are you inspired by the community horticulture and neighborhood revitalization efforts of BBG's Brooklyn GreenBridge program?
Do you see the long-term value of BBG education programs that teach students and teachers basic science principles that are essential to the understanding and conservation of the natural world in which we live?
You can designate a gift to support one of BBG's innovative programs. For information, please call Leila McCarthy at 718-623-7248 or email LeilaMcCarthy@bbg.org.
The Gager Society
Named in honor of Dr. Charles Stuart Gager, BBG's visionary first director, the Gager Society recognizes individuals whose significant annual support and commitment help maintain our position as one of the world's premier botanical gardens, an important research center, and a living classroom for generations of children and adults.
Annual benefits include invitations to the Gager Society Dinner each year, and a luncheon visit to one of our region's most outstanding private gardens.
The Gager Society is open to all individuals who make an annual contribution of at least $1,500 to the Garden. There are several levels of giving with increasing recognition opportunities for gifts of $2,500, $5,000, and $10,000. For further information about the Gager Society, please call Sarah Young, Director of Major Gifts, at (718) 623-7246.
Planned Gifts & Bequests
You do not need to have a fortune to give a lasting gift to BBG. Planned gifts, both large and small, play a critical role in ensuring the future of BBG. Invested over time, any size gift can make a significant impact.
Planned gifts tailored to an individual's unique circumstances have become increasingly important because they provide long-term support to BBG yet save donors surprising amounts in estate, gift, and income taxes.
Bequests are the simplest and most straightforward mechanism for leaving a gift to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Bequests can be unrestricted, allowing BBG's Trustees to apply the gift where the need is greatest. They can also be earmarked for special purposes. If you are considering restricting your gift, however, we would appreciate the opportunity to discuss your ideas, and the language you plan to use, before you finalize the gift.
If you would like to benefit the Garden but would welcome extra income during your lifetime, a charitable gift annuity might be perfect for you. Alternately, if you wish to maximize the capital received by your children and/or grandchildren and are lucky enough to be able to forego some income during your lifetime, a charitable lead trust might suit your financial goals.
BBG can also be named as beneficiary of your retirement plan or life insurance policy and will accept gifts of real estate or closely held stock, pending Board approval. Please contact us at the numbers below to learn more.
As a special way of saying thank you, the Forsythia Society has been established to honor BBG's loyal supporters who've made a planned gift or included a bequest to BBG in their wills. In 1940, at the urging of BBG Benefactor, Mrs. Edward C. Blum, forsythia was proclaimed the Brooklyn flower and imbued with the message of brotherhood, unity, and understanding. It is a perennial shrub whose golden color announces the arrival of spring each year. Members of the Forsythia Society enjoy benefits that include recognition at an annual Forsythia Society event and invitations to special BBG events and programs.
If you have made a bequest to Brooklyn Botanic Garden, please let us know so that you can be recognized as a member of the Forsythia Society and we can keep you apprised of upcoming Forsythia Society activities.
If you or your attorney have any questions about how best to accommodate your estate planning goals with a gift to BBG, or for more information about the Forsythia Society, please contact Sarah Young, Director of Major Gifts, at 718-623-7246, or e-mail sarahyoung@bbg.org.
Corporate & Foundation Grants & Sponsorship
Corporate & Foundation Grants play a significant role in ensuring that BBG remains a beautiful oasis and a world class educational resource for today's visitors and for future generations. BBG welcomes the opportunity to establish new partnerships with the corporate and foundation community.
BBG also offers Corporate Sponsorship opportunities in conjunction with our public programs, such as our hugely popular annual cherry blossom festival, Sakura Matsuri, and the annual celebration of the world's most popular culinary ingredient, the Chili Pepper Fiesta. Corporate Sponsorship is an excellent opportunity for corporations to reach new audiences, while enhancing their visibility as a partner with this important New York City cultural landmark.
For further information on grants or sponsorship, please call Amy Vanry, Director of Institutional Funding, at 718-623-7287 or e-mail amyvanry@bbg.org .
Matching Gifts
There is no better way to double or even triple your support for Brooklyn Botanic Garden than through a Matching Gift Program. Click on the link below or contact your company's human resources department to find out if your company will match your generous gift to BBG, helping your contribution go event farther to support a true treasure in New York's cultural landscape.