Home » Support BBG » Giving Opportunities
Giving Opportunities
- Honorary & Memorial Gifts
- 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
Brooklyn Botanic Garden holds a special place in the hearts of those who come to know and love its natural magnificence, who value its educational and outreach efforts, and who see the far-reaching importance of its scientific endeavors. Many friends choose to make gifts in honor of or in memory of loved ones who have treasured BBG. These donations can be made either as a Tribute or as a Dedication.
Tributes can be given in any amount in honor of or in memory of a loved one. These special gifts are a wonderful way to celebrate the lives of those who have been touched by BBG. A special notification card is sent to the honoree or, in the case of memorial gifts, to the family or friends of the deceased.
Dedications are given toward a specific living or structural feature in the Garden. From the planting of scarlet oaks, which will grow to form regal double allées, to lilacs on Lilac Hill to wisteria pergolas in the Osborne Garden, dedication opportunities are abundant. These dedications can mark exciting events—births, marriages, birthdays—or serve as a source of solace and inspiration for people touched by the lives of Garden lovers. Plants and structures that are designated at BBG receive expert care, and enrich one of the world's most beautiful gardens.
The gifts are commemorated with individualized tags or plaques containing a personalized message. Associated costs vary, from a $2,500 contribution for a lilac, to a $15,000 contribution for a 1914 stone sink in our historic Children's Garden, to a $50,000 contribution toward a Kasuga-shape stone lantern in the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden.
All Tributes and Dedications are tax-deductible. For more information on BBG'S Honor and Memorials program, please call Christopher Shannon at 718-623-7248 or e-mail christophershannon@bbg.org.
Please note: BBG does not plant new trees for dedication purposes.
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's education programs which teach students and teachers basic science principles 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 Tiffany Bernardo at 718-623-7254 or e-mail tiffanybernardo@bbg.org.
The Gager Society
Gager Society members hold a place of high honor in the life of BBG by continuing the work of the Garden's visionary first director, Stuart Gager, and sustaining the Garden's acclaimed and wide-reaching programs in education, research, and community greening through annual donations.
Experience an insider's view of Brooklyn Botanic Garden by joining the Gager Society. Your annual tax-deductible gift of $1,500 or more makes you a partner in a community of dedicated individuals whose support maintains the Garden's programs today and well into the future. In appreciation of your philanthropic commitment to Brooklyn Botanic Garden, we are delighted to offer you unique privileges that provide behind-the-scenes access.
For more information on becoming part of this special group, please call Sarah Young at 718-623-7246 or e-mail sarahyoung@bbg.org.
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 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 flower of Brooklyn 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 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 Van Ry, 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 even farther to support a true treasure in New York's cultural landscape.