Support OCCA Today!
YOU CAN SUPPORT OUR WORK IN A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT WAYS:
To learn more about donating to OCCA contact Executive Director, Amy Wyant at director@occainfo.org or Assistant Director, Shelby MacLeish at coordinator@occainfo.org. Both would be excited to speak to you about how your gift will further the mission and work of OCCA in 2024. Our office number is 607-547-4488.
The Annual Fund
Your annual contributions cover operating expenses on an ongoing basis: paying salaries, keeping the programs running, invasive species pulled, and the lights on. An unrestricted cash gift has many advantages as it is immediately available to assist in carrying out our mission of promoting the appreciation and sustainable use of our region’s resources.
You can contribute with a check to OCCA, or an increasing number of donors are scheduling monthly recurring credit card payments. You can set this up directly by clicking the button below or contacting the OCCA office for more information.
BY MAIL:
Otsego County Conservation Association
P.O. Box 931
Cooperstown, NY 13326
BUSINESS SPONSORSHIP
We welcome businesses to donate through our regular donation program or become a sponsor of one of our many public events throughout the year. OCCA is currently seeking sponsors for our bi-monthly lecture series, a NEW fall recycling event, Earth Festival (in April), Drive Through, Drop Off (in April). Please contact Assistant Director, Shelby MacLeish if you would like to learn more about these sponsorship opportunities.
Planned Giving & Bequests
If you don’t have a will, please allow us to recommend a service that allows you to designate beneficiaries of your estate by visiting FreeWill. Setting up your will online is free and takes about ten minutes. We hope you will consider designating a percentage of your estate to OCCA.
No matter your age and stage, we encourage you to think about how you might make an impact with what you have when you no longer need it. Or sit down with your partner or spouse to discuss how you anticipate supporting the ones you love and the institutions and causes that matter the most to you—just starting a family? That’s a perfect time for the conversation, even if your plans change.
Please consider naming OCCA as a beneficiary in your will or of a trust, annuity, 401K, TIAA (or other) brokerage account, or life insurance policy.
If you decide to name OCCA a beneficiary of some portion of your estate, please let us know so we can thank you.
Matching Gift Contributions
Please ask your employer or organization for information on matching gift eligibility. Many companies have conjoined foundations to match charitable giving by their employees. If your company has such a program, please name OCCA in the gift-matching documentation.
Contributions of Goods or Services
For an in-kind gift, contact the OCCA office with a description and value of the gift. We are not equipped to take all in-kind gifts, but the correct item at the right time can be a great help.
Required Minimum Distributions
An RMD is the amount of money that must be withdrawn from a traditional IRA, 401(k) (or 403b), once you hit the age of 72 (until recently 71.5). This has become a very popular form of annual gift to OCCA for several reasons.
First, the money has to come out of the fund by law so that it might feel like “found money.” Second, if instead of withdrawing the money for another purpose, it goes directly from your IRA to a verified 501(c)(3) like OCCA, then the income is not taxed. This means you pass the savings along to OCCA– a great “win-win.”
Please ask your financial institution about RMDs.
