Bequests
Gift Annuities
Deferred Gift Annuities
Gift of Real Estate
Gift of IRA Assets
Bequests
Gardiner Greene Hubbard was a lawyer, financier, and philanthropist who openly acknowledged that he was neither "a scientific man, nor … a geographer." Nevertheless, through his passion for conservation, research, exploration, and education, he became one of the founding fathers of the National Geographic Society in 1888.
Similarly, Mr. McCallister of California, is not a geographer, but has always had a passion for horticulture and travel. Mr. McCallister chose to include the National Geographic Society in his estate plans to ensure that the legacy of Gardiner Greene Hubbard continues. In doing so, he became a member of the Hubbard Society – National Geographic's way of formally recognizing and thanking individuals who support the Society's mission through bequests and planned gifts.
Mr. McCallister was first introduced to the Society when his aunt sent him a gift subscription to the Magazine in the 1940s. "I used it to work on my high school compositions," he recalls. With fond memories of National Geographic in his youth, Mr. McCallister explains, "I have left the National Geographic Society in my will because I want it to be around for future generations to enjoy."
Mr. McCallister was first introduced to the Society when his aunt sent him a gift subscription to the Magazine in the 1940s. "I used it to work on my high school compositions," he recalls. With fond memories of National Geographic in his youth, Mr. McCallister explains, "I have left the National Geographic Society in my will because I want it to be around for future generations to enjoy."
Now in retirement, Mr. McCallister is active in his community, volunteering as a massage therapist at a local hospital and as a tour guide for the International Hospitality Center—proudly sharing the city he loves with visitors. Mr. McCallister spends many contented hours landscaping his garden, which features three California Redwoods. He is a passionate reader, is involved with local politics, and travels extensively around the world.
Recently, Mr. McCallister visited Washington, D.C. and the National Geographic campus. "I like everything about National Geographic, what it stands for, and what it is accomplishing," he says.
Like Mr. McCallister, you too can become a member of the Gardiner Greene Hubbard Society by providing a bequest or other gift as part of your long-range financial and estate planning. Perhaps you have already made such a gift – many quiet supporters include the National Geographic Society in their wills and other estate plans without informing the Society. In these instances we miss the chance to acknowledge their invaluable support.
Read more on how to become a member of the Gardiner Greene Hubbard Society.
Or contact the Office of Gift Planning at 800 226 4438.
Read more about bequests.
Back to Top
Gift Annuities
Born in Berlin, Germany, Mr. Ephraim was a teenager when World War II began, and like most people of his generation, Mr. Ephraim's view of the world was forever changed by it. When the war ended, he met his wife and, after a time, they decided to leave Germany for a new life in the United States.
It was in the U.S. that Mr. Ephraim read his first copy of National Geographic magazine. Growing up in Nazi Germany, he had been cut off from the rest of the world, but through the pages of the magazine the world was opened to him. He began to read National Geographic regularly cover-to-cover, captivated by the stories.
Mr. Ephraim decided to establish a gift annuity with National Geographic in 2002 after his wife became sick and was moved into a nursing home. With no children or other family, Mr. Ephraim worried about who would care for his wife if something were to happen to him. He contacted the Society about creating a life income gift with annuity payments that would cover Mrs. Ephraim's assisted-living expenses. A year later he established a second annuity for supplemental retirement income. In 2005, after 54 years of marriage, Mrs. Ephraim passed away.
Mr. Ephraim established a third annuity in 2007 to create additional fixed income for himself. He likes annuities because they offer better rates than a savings account or a certificate of deposit (CD), the income is guaranteed, and "the payments come from a reliable and admirable place," says Mr. Ephraim.
After a 22-year career with IBM, Mr. Ephraim still feels strongly that "it's important to never stop learning new things." Now 87, Mr. Ephraim makes the most of life. He is an active member of his retirement community, attending concerts, seeing movies, and taking walks around the local marina. He still reads his copy of National Geographic each month and then donates it to his library.
Through his charitable gift annuities, Mr. Ephraim enjoys a consistent income and the confidence of knowing his gifts will help fund the future of National Geographic, the organization that changed his world-view and, he hopes, that of many generations to come.
Read more about gift annuities.
Back to Top
Deferred Gift Annuities
Enjoying their early retirement in Central Florida, Mr. and Mrs. Spinelli lead a particularly athletic lifestyle. Mr. Spinelli rollerblades 14 miles every day around their neighborhood, and plays pickle ball, softball, and tennis. He and his wife enjoy golfing together and bird watching at the lake beside their home.
Mr. Spinelli was the son of Italian immigrant coal miners and grew up in a small West Virginia town. He moved away to attend the University of Maryland where he studied business administration. While working in Washington, D.C., he met his wife. They married and raised a wonderful family. "Mrs. Spinelli was a very dedicated mother," he says, and her sacrifices allowed him to put in the extra hours needed to build his construction business.
The Spinellis have been long-time subscribers to National Geographic magazine and remember having it in each of their childhood homes growing up. Mrs. Spinelli reads National Geographic from cover-to-cover and keeps abreast of the latest research, exploration, and wildlife conservation stories. "We have always felt that National Geographic was an important source for education and solutions to challenges facing our planet and we want the world to be in good shape for our grandchildren," said Mr. Spinelli, who visited National Geographic headquarters with his daughters and their children in 2005. He feels it was important for his grandchildren to see the behind-the-scenes at National Geographic and to model the importance of philanthropy for future generations.
In 2004 the Spinellis saw an ad in the Magazine for charitable gift annuities and decided to call and inquire more about them. "We received a detailed illustration that showed how a charitable gift annuity could provide us with income in our retirement, help us save on taxes, and support National Geographic's mission at the same time. It was simple to set up and we started receiving quarterly payments last fall when my wife turned 65," explained Mr. Spinelli. Asked why they were motivated to give, Mrs. Spinelli said "We believe in the important work of the National Geographic and wanted to be involved."
Read more about deferred gift annuities.
Back to Top
Gift of Real Estate
For Ms. Cleere, it is simply inconceivable that anyone would not be interested in the rest of the world. Nearly twenty years ago, while working for the U.S. Navy, she wandered into the National Geographic Society and found like-minded friends in our Geography Education department. Using her Navy connections, she and NGS put together a novel idea that became Project Marco Polo, a month-long overseas sea-and-land learning adventure for middle schoolers. For nearly ten years, she convinced the Navy to fill empty berths on oceanographic vessels with students and teachers from around the country. She then worked with Geography Education to devise real-life lesson plans on oceanography and geography.
Ms. Cleere says travel is key to education—after all, Mark Twain once called it "fatal to prejudice and bigotry." She feels, "If we don't know and understand our neighbors, we are bound to find ourselves at odds with them. If we don't know and understand our world, we are bound to mistreat it. And if we are not curious about all living things on our planet, we are bound to lose them through thoughtlessness and indifference."
For years, Project Marco Polo students and teachers visited a small Calabrian village in southern Italy called Monterosso to expose students to the traditional ways of the region. In 2002, Ms. Cleere purchased a small vacation home, part of a 12th-century palazzo, named Palazzo Morano, in that same village.
In 2005, when National Geographic Society established The Grosvenor Fund for Geography Education, Ms. Cleere decided to make a gift to National Geographic of a retained life estate, the first one in the Society's history, using her house in Calabria.
A donor making a gift of a retained life estate enjoys the use of their home for life and may qualify for a federal income tax deduction. Ultimately, the property will go to National Geographic to fund education, because, she says, "I support the Society's urgent attention to geography, and the deep and permanent change it will make, one student at a time. Look around. We've no time to lose."
Read more about a retained life estate.
Back to Top
Gift of IRA Assets
Born in New York during World War II, the late Ms. Gottschalk went on to become a renowned general surgeon dedicated to human health. However, outside of the operating room, one of her greatest passions was the preservation of wild animal species.
Gottschalk's love of large animals, particularly primates, may have prompted her initial support of National Geographic. In 2001, when she passed away unexpectedly, National Geographic learned of her outstanding generosity and commitment.
Gottschalk had named National Geographic as a beneficiary to her individual retirement account. The Society was extremely grateful to receive U.S. $719,000 to support its work.
Gottschalk's gift is being used to support National Geographic-funded research projects like the Camp Louis Project in the Congo. This important project studies a previously unknown ape in one of the last wildlife havens in Africa.
Read more about donating retirement assets.
Back to Top
