Funding the Future of Conservation
Include FNPS in your Will or Trust
Including FNPS today in your estate planning can help safeguard Florida’s native plants for generations to come.
What is Planned Giving?
Planned giving is a way to make a meaningful charitable gift — often through your will, trust, retirement account or other financial plans — that supports the causes you care about beyond your lifetime.
These gifts can be arranged today but take effect in the future, allowing you to leave a lasting legacy for conservation without affecting your current income or lifestyle. Whether it’s a gift of cash, stock, real estate or a portion of your estate, planned giving ensures your values live on and help protect Florida’s native plants for future generations.
What is Freewill?
We’ve partnered with FreeWill — a free, easy-to-use online tool — to help you include FNPS as part of your legacy. It only takes 20 minutes or less, and you don’t need an attorney to get started.
Just like a seed planted today can grow into a thriving forest, your legacy can help ensure Florida’s native plant communities are protected for generations. By making the Florida Native Plant Society part of your legacy through FreeWill, you give future generations the chance to explore and fall in love with Florida’s native landscapes, just as you have.
A simple will today, a thriving wild Florida tomorrow.
Step-by-Step Guide to Include FNPS in Your Will Today
1
Research
Consult with your estate planner and explain that you'd like to include a gift to FNPS in your will.
2
Prepare
Include “Florida Native Plant Society” as a beneficiary in your will or trust.
3
Inform
Inform the executor of your will and where to find it.
4
Notify FNPS
Notify FNPS of your future gift with FreeWill so we can ensure your wishes are honored.
Types of Planned Gifts
1. Bequests
A gift made through your will or trust — you can leave a specific dollar amount, a percentage of your estate, or a particular asset to FNPS.
2. Beneficiary Designations
Name FNPS as a beneficiary of your retirement account, life insurance policy, or bank account.
3. Gifts of Stocks or Securities
Transfer appreciated assets to avoid capital gains tax and support conservation.
4. Charitable Trusts
Create a trust that pays you (or someone you choose) income for life or for a set number of years. After that, the remainder of the trust goes to a charity like FNPS.
Benefits
Leave a Lasting Legacy
Your planned gift helps protect Florida’s native plants and natural habitats for future generations, ensuring your values live on.
Flexibility & Control
You can make a meaningful commitment today without affecting your finances during your lifetime — and you can update your plans at any time.
Potential Tax Advantages
Planned gifts can reduce estate taxes and offer financial benefits for you and your loved ones, all while supporting a cause you care about deeply.
When longtime FNPS supporter included the Florida Native Plant Society in her will in 2020, she hoped her legacy would help protect and restore Florida’s wild beauty long after she was gone. What she couldn’t have known was that her generous planned gift would arrive at just the right time — just at the start of an economic storm testing nonprofits across the country.
Thanks to this Anonymous donor's gift, FNPS has the security and strength to continue its mission through the next three years, even as funding landscapes shift. Her foresight means ongoing support for native plant conservation, habitat restoration, and science-based advocacy, ensuring that FNPS can remain a steady voice for Florida’s wild places — no matter what challenges arise.
Because of her lasting commitment, future generations will inherit a Florida where native plants still thrive.
Melissa Fernandez-de Cespedes
Executive Director, FNPS
With a planned gift, you can create a lasting legacy — ensuring the causes you care about are protected for future generations, without impacting your finances today.
FAQ - Planned Giving With a Will or Trust
Q: What is a planned gift?
A planned gift is a future donation you arrange today — often through your will, trust, retirement account, or other estate planning tools — to support the causes you care about beyond your lifetime.
Q: Why should I include the Florida Native Plant Society in my will or trust?
Including FNPS in your plans is one of the most meaningful ways to protect Florida’s native plants and habitats for generations to come, and it allows you to leave a lasting legacy that reflects your values.
Q: Do I have to be wealthy to make a planned gift?
Not at all! Planned gifts of any size make a powerful difference. Whether it’s a small percentage of your estate or a specific amount, every commitment helps ensure the future of Florida’s native ecosystems.
Q: Can I change my planned gift if my circumstances change?
Yes! A planned gift is flexible and can be updated at any time as your needs and wishes evolve.
Q: What types of assets can I give?
You can leave a gift of cash, securities, real estate, retirement funds, life insurance, or other assets through your estate plan.
Q: How do I get started?
We’ve partnered with
FreeWill — a free, secure online tool — to help you create or update your will and include the Florida Native Plant Society in your plans. It only takes about 20 minutes!
Q: Is my donation anonymous?
If you wish, yes. Indicate in your will whether to share your name with the nonprofit or to make your gift anonymously.
Q: How will my Planned Giving gift support FNPS?
When you include the Florida Native Plant Society in your estate plans, your gift helps ensure that Florida’s native plants and natural habitats are protected for future generations. Your support will strengthen FNPS’s ability to:
- Conserve native plant species through science-based research, habitat restoration, and land stewardship
- Educate communities about the importance of native plants and inspire future conservation leaders
- Advocate for sound environmental policies that protect biodiversity and preserve Florida’s natural heritage
Your legacy gift ensures FNPS has the stability and strength to meet both today’s conservation needs and tomorrow’s challenges — creating a lasting impact for Florida’s wild places.
Let's Chat!
More Ways to Make an Impact
Explore other options that may suit your needs.
Ways to give today
Ways to give in the future
Include FNPS as a beneficiary in your will, trust, or on your bank accounts; join our legacy society
Tax-smart giving
Double your impact
Unique ways to give
Disclaimer: Estate and financial planning may implicate both state and federal laws, and estate planning needs will differ based on personal circumstance and applicable law. The Florida Native Plant Society is not a law firm and its services are not substitutes for an attorney’s advice. The information here is provided for educational purposes only and is not intended to provide, and should not be construed as providing legal or tax advice. This information is general in nature and is not intended to serve as the primary or sole basis for investment or tax-planning decisions.
