How Can I Help?
Ways to Donate

You make a difference! Your financial support makes the land preservation work possible, now and in the future. It can take years and sometimes decades to preserve and protect land. Having resources lets us plan long-term and allows us to act when government agencies cannot. You can help preserve, defend, and restore the natural lands on and around Mount Diablo by becoming a member, make a donation in honor or memory of a loved one, donate land, donate your car, leave Save Mount Diablo a bequest, donate your IRA distribution, etc.

To donate securely online please either click the "Donate" button on the left hand tool bar or click here. All donations of $35.00 or more include membership to Save Mount Diablo. Additional ways in which donations can be made to Save Mount Diablo are listed in the left hand tool bar and described below.

Save Mount Diablo is a 501 (3) c non-profit organization. Our Tax ID number is 94-2681735. Contributions are tax deductible. For more information about donating to Save Mount Diablo please contact Julie Seelen at (925) 947-3535.

Tribute & Memorial Giving

You can honor that very special person by making a gift to Save Mount Diablo in his/her name. Consider a tribute gift for birthdays, anniversaries, remembrances, or just as a way of saying "I care about you". Your donation in honor of someone is a terrific way to express your admiration for that person while at the same time sharing your concern for the protection of our Contra Costa county and Mount Diablo environments. We will send a beautiful card to the honoree or their family letting them know of your gift.

If you would like to make a memorial or tribute gift, simply include with your check the name and address of the person you are honoring and to whom you would like us to send a letter advising them of your gift. For more information call us at (925) 947-3535 or e-mail at smdinfo@savemountdiablo.org. To give print and mail the Save Mount Diablo gift form.

Mountain Heritage Program
Adopt a part of Mangini Ranch and save the mountain’s natural lands

What better way to honor the memory of a loved one, or celebrate a special person in your life, than by dedicating a living tree or grove on land in the shadow of Mount Diablo? A valley oak was chosen by a mother whose daughter had died seven years earlier: “Her birthday is coming up in June, and I always try to think of something to keep her memory alive.”  A young couple wanted a place to bring their 2 1/2-year-old daughter and chose an oak with a branch that dips low to the ground, so she can sit on the limb.  A large grove was adopted in honor of the work of the Boy Scouts.  Sometimes a tree or grove is chosen as a great place to picnic.  Others are chosen for the view or because they’re visible from the road.

Save Mount Diablo’s Heritage Tree Program focuses on Mangini Ranch, a pristine 208-acre parcel on the north side of the mountain. Mangini Ranch is home to sensuous blue oak groves, sprawling valley oaks, and spectacular buckeye groves.  SMD acquired the land from the Mangini family in 2006 and will eventually turn it over to the park system.  Meanwhile, SMD supporters can help the preserve this and other land around the mountain by adopting a tree, a grove, or even a pond on Mangini Ranch.

There are a number of ways you can participate. You can visit the property with a Save Mount Diablo representative to choose your tree or grove. Or, Save Mount Diablo can make the selection for you. After the selection is made, a very small marker is placed at the base of the tree. If you have faraway family members, all of you can even use Google Earth to chose a tree right from your computer. Check our hike schedule for the next hike on Mangini and join us.

After you make your gift, you’ll receive information, including a description, a photo, and the GPS coordinates of the tree or grove that you have chosen, and a certificate of appreciation. Notification and appropriate information will be sent to those being honored. Your gift is fully tax deductible. For more information call (925) 947-3535 or email smdinfo@SaveMountDiablo.org.

Heritage Tree
to 10 inch diameter   -    $  250
to 15 inch diameter   -    $  500
to 20 inch diameter    -    $ 750
over 20 inch diameter - $ 1,000

Commemorative Grove
1 acre grove     -      $ 2,500
2 acre grove     -     $ 5,000
5 acre grove    -    $ 10,000
10 acre grove   -   $ 20,000

Gifts of Stock, IRA Distributions

Your investment conserves the lands, waters, wildlife and scenic views you love in your community. You may help conserve a creek, the oak-studded foothills, or build a trail for children to enjoy. Act today to keep your corner of California the place you know and love. Please consult with your financial advisor regarding tax implications. Our tax ID is 94-2681735. To coordinate your stock or IRA gift please call Monica, our Finance Director, at (925) 947-3535.

Donate IRA Distributions - Tax Free until the end of 2011!
Seniors at least age 70-1/2 may make direct charitable disbursements from their Individual Retirement Account (IRA) to a land trust in 2011 and pay no tax on the distribution. There is a limit of $100,000 per taxpayer per year. This tax-benefit has been extended through the end of 2011.

Stock Gifts
You can invest in our work to protect the open space in Contra Costa county by giving stocks, bonds, and/or mutual fund shares. By donating securities, you can receive an income tax deduction for the full market value of your gift and avoid the capital gains tax.

Conservation Easement or Real Estate Gifts

Under federal tax law a donor is allowed to claim an income tax charitable contribution deduction for transfers of real property interests for conservation purposes. The contribution can be the land itself or an easement or restrictive covenant that prevents the development of land, thereby safeguarding its natural characteristics. For more information and to discuss options please call (925) 947-3535.

Leaving a Legacy - Join the Diablo Legacy Circle

Save Mount Diablo honors every planned gift donor with membership in the Diablo Legacy Circle. We invite you to become a member of the Diablo Legacy Circle, created exclusively to honor and recognize people who have helped to continue our land preservation work through a gift to Save Mount Diablo in their wills, trusts, Charitable Gift Annuity or estate plans. As a Diablo Legacy Circle member, you’ll receive a certificate of appreciation and invitations to special events. Your gift can be recognized publicly, unless you prefer to give anonymously. The society also provides information and assistance to donors considering a planned gift.

Bequests
By including Save Mount Diablo as a beneficiary in your will or trust or life insurance policy, you can support our work even after you are no longer with us. For more information please call Julie at (925) 947-3535.

Charitable Gift Annuity
It may sound too good to be true, but it is true! Our Charitable Gift Annuity program is a way for you to support Save Mount Diablo and at the same time receive generous fixed income---guaranteed for life. Here's how it works:
You make an irrevocable donation of cash or appreciated securities. Save Mount Diablo's trustee then guarantees payment of a fixed amount for life to you or other named beneficiaries. After the death of the donor or beneficiaries, 75% of the remainder of the gift is distributed to Save Mount Diablo.

The benefits to you are:

- An immediate deduction from current income taxes for a portion of the gift.
- Fixed income, guaranteed for life, which is partially tax free.
- The possibility of avoidance of capital gains taxes when donating securities.
- Reduction of potential estate taxes.

The Charitable Gift Annuity is extremely simple to set up. To learn more, please contact SMD board member: Burt Bassler at (925) 837-9297.

Donate Your Car

Save Mount Diablo has teamed up with Car Donations Services, Inc. to provide you with the easiest way possible to donate your vehicle. Car Donations Services has been helping local charities for over fifteen years and will take care of every aspect of your car donation, allowing you peace of mind that the transaction will be completed efficiently and properly. CDS is a licensed Commercial Fundraiser as recognized by the California State Attorney General's Registry of Charitable Trusts. Visit them online at www.cardonationservices.com or call 1-888-6TO-GIVE (1-888-686-4483)

Save Mount Diablo Store


Help raise awareness of the threats to Mount Diablo. Save Mount Diablo works with Cafe Press to offer clothing and merchandise with the Save Mount Diablo logo. In addition to helping get the word out, portions of your purchase are donated to Save Mount Diablo's land preservation programs. So, shop and wear with pride!

Wish List

Every non-profit organization has needs for the office and events. Our needs may include items that you want to donate. At present we need:

• 2 - 17 inch flat screen computer monitors
• riding mower
• box van (moving van)
• flat screen TV (for presentations and meetings)
• Pulaski Ax and McLeod hoe (trail building and fire fighting tools both for SMD and the State Park)
• Auction items for Moonlight On The Mountain fundraiser