Gift Giving Guide
About the Arc of Appalachia
Our legal name. Please direct gifts and bequests to Arc of Appalachia, the legal name of our 501(c)3 organization. At our inception, our name was The Highlands Nature Sanctuary, Inc. The Highlands Nature Sanctuary remains the name of our preserve headquarters. As our nonprofit grew far beyond the boundaries of our first preserve, the name no longer made sense when applied to system of preserves. To solve the problem, we formed the dba, Arc of Appalachia, and on February 20, 2025, we registered Arc of Appalachia as our formal legal name.
Directing your Gift. Directing a gift or bequest directly to our organization is always a good option. Do not hesitate to let us know if you have any directives that restrict the use of gifts to purposes near and dear to your heart. Restricted donations are noted and permanently archived. Our staff is diligent in tracking restricted donations and fulfilling donor desires.
Arc of Appalachia Address. Arc of Appalachia, 7660 Cave Road, Bainbridge, OH 45612.
Our Tax ID. 31-1434730
General Contact Information: The Arc’s main information line is 937-365-1935, arcpreserveinfo@gmail.com
If you prefer this information as a pdf, just drop us an email and we will be happy to send you one.
Contact Information for Arc of Appalachia Director. Nancy Stranahan, 937-365-1489; nancyoftheforest@gmail.com
Gifts of Land
If you wish to donate or bequeath a gift of land or a conservation easement, please reach out to us to begin that conversation. The following instructions concern the gifting of cash and investments.
Making a Gift or Bequest Directly to the Arc of Appalachia
Cash Wire Transfers:
Wire transfers be sent to our account at Schwab. Schwab routes transfers through a central Schwab hub account before credited to our funds, which keeps our account information secure.
How to wire money to Schwab: Provide us with news of your intended gift so we know to look for it, so we can tell you when it has safely arrived. We will then send you the directions and account numbers for Schwab distribution hub so that you can forward them to your broker or investment company.
How to send Stock or Other Investments to Schwab: Provide us with news of your intended gift so we know to look for it. We will then send you the directions and account numbers for Schwab distribution hub so that you can forward them to your financial advisor or investment company.
Making a Gift or Bequest through the Columbus Foundation
Our nonprofit has several funds at the Columbus Foundation. Below are most of them that could be of interest to you. The top two have the most general appeal and are used the most often by donors.
*All Funds with an asterisk are operated as endowment funds. Unless there is a board-recognized emergency, the fund balances are left intact to build income, generally at 5% a year at the Columbus Foundation and 4% a year for funds in smaller Foundations. In our 30-plus year history, we have never dipped into our Endowment Fund Balances.
1. 0881 – Arc of Appalachia Special Projects Fund. This Fund exists to support any special project or purpose the donor wishes, such as land acquisition or land stewardship, and can also be left unrestricted. We will track and fulfill all restrictions communicated to us.
2. *2515 - Arc of Appalachia Endowment Fund exists to endow the stewardship of the Arc of Appalachia lands in perpetuity. The Fund is managed to provide a combination of growth and investment income while managing the principle to keep up or exceed inflation. Under normal market conditions, income to the Arc is typically 5% of the Fund annually.
3. *4578 - Arc of Appalachia Conservation Easement Stewardship Fund exists to support the costs of creating, monitoring, and defending conservation easements that are held by our organization.
4. *4577 – Arc of Appalachia Hocking Hills Forever Regional Stewardship Fund exists to support the stewardship and visitor services of nature preserves that are owned and managed by the Arc of Appalachia in the geographic region of Hocking County and its neighboring counties, Perry and Vinton.
5. *4579 - Arc of Appalachia-Quiverheart/Tremper Regional Stewardship Fund exist to support the land stewardship, trails, and educational services provided for our organization’s preserves in Adams and Scioto Counties.
6. *4461 - John Roger Simon Historical Farm Fund exists to support the staffing, facilities, historic furnishings, history research and archival, and the sponsoring of educational programs at the preserve, with a special focus on the Simon Sorghum Festival. This fund was founded by John Simon and is open to other donors.
7. *2901 - Junction Earthworks Fund exists for the purpose of maintaining and developing Junction Earthworks Preserve near Chillicothe, OH in Ross County. This fund was founded by Barbara Herlihy and is open to other donors.
We also have Funds at other Foundations. Other funds that you might be interested in include the following. Let us know if you wish us to help you make contact or if you want to learn more about their purposes.
1. *Simon Farm Preserve Fund in the Scioto Foundation
2. *Stewardship of Arc Preserves in Knox County Fund in Knox Foundation
3. Preserve Acquisition Fund in Several Named Ohio Counties in Knox Foundation
4. *Hocking Hills Forever Regional Stewardship Fund in The Foundation for Appalachian Ohio
5. *Stewardship Fund for Gallia, Lawrence, and Jackson County Arc Preserves in The Foundation for Appalachian Ohio
Does Foundation Money securely end up in the Arc’s hands? Yes, it does. All gifts to the above Funds are directed to the Arc as grants, or they build up in endowment funds and we are supplied with the annual interest income. All gifts to the Endowment Fund become permanent assets of the Fund and are gifts that “give forever.”
Are Foundation Funds Safe? The Special Projects Fund is invested in the money market, while our endowment funds are generally invested in mutual funds and other investments. All funds are professionally administered and they are as safe as funds can be that are tied to the market. Since our endowment funds are in the market for the long haul, unless the market begins to suffer long-term, we will continue to enjoy growing balances and increasingly large sums of yearly interest income. We have found that these funds have historically surpassed the growth of inflation.
How & Where to Direct the Gift or Bequest to the Columbus Foundation. Direct the gift to the Columbus Foundation, an Ohio nonprofit corporation, of Columbus, Ohio, and directed specifically to the Fund of choice. Their mailing address is Columbus Foundation, 1234 E. Broad St., Columbus, OH 43205, and their EIN (tax ID number) is 31-1197385.
As a first step, be sure to contact Brad Britton, our representative at the Columbus Foundation. Brad Britton, J.D., LL.M., is Director of Planned Giving and General Counsel. Because Brad often works off-site, email is the fastest way to reach him. Write to him at BBritton@columbusfoundation.org. Website: www.columbusfoundation.org Main line is 614/251-4000. Brad’s line is 614/545-3243 but it is faster to email him because he works from a home office.
How do I fill out a mutual fund’s or other asset’s beneficiary form if I want the money to go directly to the Arc or to one of your Funds at the Columbus Foundation at my passing? By doing so, does my gift circumvent probate?
Yes, a named beneficiary circumvents probate, although it will still take an executor or other concerned party to notify the investment company, fill out the paperwork, and supply a death certificate.
Directing Assets directly to the Arc. Completing a beneficiary form for funds to be sent directly to our nonprofit is straightforward. Include our legal name. Arc of Appalachia, Federal Tax ID # 31-1434730, and address: 7660 Cave Road, Bainbridge, OH 45612. If you wish to restrict your gift, write us a letter or an email expressing your wishes and we will archive your request as part of your records. We will apply and track your restrictions as soon as we receive your gift.
Directing Assets to the Foundation. When completing a beneficiary designation form directed to one of our accounts at the Columbus Foundation, include the account name and fund number in the beneficiary designation. For example, you might list: “The Columbus Foundation, for the “2515 - Arc of Appalachia Endowment Fund” as the beneficiary, including the address of 1234 E. Broad St., Columbus OH 43205, and the EIN (tax ID number) of 31-6044264. If you wish to restrict your gift, be sure to contact us to express your wishes. We will archive your request as part of our records and we will be sure to apply your wishes to your funds when they come our way. As previously mentioned, you will not be able to request restricted uses with the Columbus Foundation, but you can request them through us and still direct your gift to the Columbus Foundation.
Or you can do both. If you want your money to end up in an Endowment Fund but you don’t trust the form to include the level of detail needed, you can always list us as the beneficiary and simply instruct us NOW to move your money into the Endowment Fund at the Columbus Foundation once we receive the Funds. This is a very common practice for us.
Lots of assets offer named beneficiary options. Many assets that can be efficiently transferred to the Arc of Appalachia via a beneficiary designation form at death, such as mutual funds, IRAs, 401(k) plans, 403(b) plans, life insurance, and bank accounts, just to name a few examples. Some donors have created property deeds with T.O.D.s (transfer on death) to our organization (transfers at death) that also circumvent the probate process. For complex and large estates, it is always advantageous to work with a specialized estate attorney. We do not have the expertise to offer consultation in these realms.
Which is better, gifting my bequest to Arc of Appalachia, or to one of the Columbus Foundation Funds that serve you?
Both choices are equally valid and sound. If you list Arc of Appalachia, the slight benefit is that we are the organization directly benefiting from your gift. Being smaller and quite likely and having some relationship with you, we will probably more personal, and faster in recording the gift. On other hand, if you err in properly designating your bequest, the Columbus Foundation has attorneys on staff to navigate a solution.
Follow your heart. One way is not inherently better than the other. What is important is to be precise in your language and instructions, and we hope this guide aids you in accomplishing this goal.
Charitable Trusts
Setting up a trust now can provide endowment or land funds to the Arc after your passing, while providing the benefit of an immediate tax deduction. The Columbus Foundation, one of the largest and most prestigious foundations in the United States, can assist you and your attorney in this planning process. Contact Brad Britton at bbritton@columbusfoundation.org.
QUESTIONS? Please do not hesitate to write or call us at any time.
