Planned Giving

When you include ACORN in your estate planning you can make a bigger difference in the future of Vermont, today and for generations to come. Whether it’s a legacy gift in your estate plan, a gift of stock, or a contribution from your retirement account, your donation helps us build a more resilient, equitable food system.

Want to make a lasting difference? Join our Sowing Circle by becoming a monthly donor. Your steady support ensures we can continue to promote the growth and health of local food and agriculture in the Champlain Valley.

Bequest - Leave a gift in your will

Make a lasting and meaningful gift through your will. When you include ACORN in your will, your support of a thriving food system can live on forever. Gifts can be designated for a specific use or for our Nonprofit Endowment Fund housed at the Vermont Community Foundation.

Making a gift in your will may also qualify your estate for an estate tax charitable deduction. You can make a gift by including the following language in your will:

“I give  (insert dollar amount) or (insert a specific asset, such as securities, real estate or other property) or (insert percent of the rest, residue, and remainder of my estate) to ACORN in Middlebury, Vermont, to be used for the general purposes of the nonprofit organization.”

Beneficiary Designations

You can make ACORN a beneficiary of your retirement account, life insurance, donor-advised fund (DAF), or other assets. Contact your fund administrator for a beneficiary form to name ACORN the beneficiary of the entire account or a percentage of the fund.

Gift from a Retirement Plan or IRA

A Qualified Charitable Distribution or QCD (sometimes called an IRA Charitable Rollover) is a great way to make a tax-free gift now to ACORN and also satisfy your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD). Your RMD is the minimum amount that an individual must withdraw from their IRA each year once they reach age 73. Instruct your IRA provider to distribute funds directly to ACORN.

Charitable Gift Annuities, Remainder Trusts, and Lead Trusts

ACORN has partnered with the Vermont Community Foundation to offer Charitable Gift Annuities, along with Charitable Remainder Trusts and Charitable Lead Trusts. This partnership offers ways to give through your will, living trust, retirement plans, and other mechanisms that may provide fixed income back to you or a loved one for life.