Support WCHS
Membership
“Why become a member of the Washington County Museum”
Local history begins with our own community. The Washington County Historical Society preserves and interprets the history of Washington County.
Your support is needed to unlock the treasures, stories and legacies of the past and place the riches of our local history at the doorstep of the community.
Washington County’s past leaders – Native Americans, pioneers, farmers, timber companies, lumberjacks, inventors and technology giants – have shaped the land and livelihood through their special contributions. Your membership cherishes their legacy.
I / We wish to join the WCHS at the following membership level:
| Individual | $20.00 |
| Couples | $30.00 |
| Family/Grandparent | $40.00 |
| George Ebbert Society | $50.00 |
| Joseph Gale Society | $100.00 |
| Joseph Meek Society | $250.00 |
| Tabitha Brown Society | $500.00 |
| Director's Circle | $1000.00 |
| Click here to make a tax-deductible contribution |
Donate
Both members and nonmembers are welcome to contribute at any time and in any amount to the Washington County Historical Society and Museum.
You are an important part of the success of the Museum. Your donation supports the Museum’s daily operations, special exhibits and ambitious educational programs.
Here are examples of what your donation can do to help WCHS preserve,interpret and educate.
- $20 - $30 donation: The purchase of a new book or reference material for our research library, which holds the most complete documentation of Washington County’s history.
- $40 - $50+ donation: Assistance from our librarian to help someone in researching some particular aspect of Washington County’s history. Serving over 400 researchers each year, many require five or more hours of help.
- $100+ donation: Scout Saturday presentation at the Museum for up to 15 five to ten year olds. Here Scouts learn about our local history through stories, games and hands-on activities.
- $250+ donation: Mobile Museum presentation for first through eighth grade students. These presentations tell students the story of our local heritage and bring it to life by offering hands-on discovery based learning opportunities.
- $500+ donation: One of our many traveling exhibitions can be moved to a new venue so that other community members will have the opportunity to learn one of the many stories about our local history.
- $1,000+ donation: Museum internship to assist with our collection of 40,000 artifacts; or care of our current exhibition or development of a new exhibition; or help with our many education programs and special events.
Charitable Estate Gift Planning
Charitable estate gift planning is a powerful philanthropic means to provide for you, your loved ones and Washington County Historical Society. The purpose is to achieve maximum benefit from a charitable gift for both donors and WCHS. If you want more information on the various gift planning options, read the information below or contact the Museum, at 503-645-5353. Click here to send an us email message.
The following information is provided as educational information only. Your personal advisors should always be consulted in the estate planning process.
Wills and Trusts
One special gift choice can often be overlooked – a bequest in your will or trust. A bequest is a powerful way to contribute to the preservation of Washington County’s rich history. WCHS has gratefully received a few bequests. If there were more, the financial impact could greatly enhance the way we are able to do our important work. More information?
Charitable Remainder Trusts
This is a way to give that allows you to use cash or appreciated assets, convert them into income and reduce your tax burden. More information?
Charitable Gift Annuities
Here is a way for you to give that gives back an income for life to you and your spouse and also create a future gift for WCHS. More information?
Retirement Plans, Savings Accounts, Life Insurance, Real Estate
These are convenient assets that could provide support for WCHS and possibly reduce your tax burden. More information?
WCHS Legacy Circle
WCHS would like to thank and honor individuals who make gifts to WCHS through their estate plans. More information?
Wills and Trust
If you would like to be able to provide more support for WCHS, but hesitate to make a larger annual gift from your current income, you might consider including WCHS in your will or trust. You can structure it to provide first for your primary concern, your loved ones, and still make a charitable gift to WCHS.
You may choose to make an outright bequest to WCHS by designating a:
- Specific asset, like $10,000 cash, coin collection or
- A percentage of an asset, like 50% of a piece of property, or
- A percentage of your estate, such as 10%, 25% or
- The residue or part of the residue of your estate
The process of including WCHS in your will or trust is simple. The following is sample bequest language you can provide your estate planning attorney:
“I give, devise and bequeath to Washington County Historical Society, at 17677 NW Springville, Road, Portland, Oregon 97229, Tax ID Number 93-6031454, a not-for-profit corporation organized and existing under the laws of the Sate of Oregon, the sum of $ __________ (or _____% of my estate) to be used for the purposes determined by WCHS (or, describe a specific purpose).”
If you would like more information, please click here to request a brochure describing charitable bequests in more detail. More Information?
Charitable Remainder Trust
If you need current or future income for your retirement years, as charitable remainder trust (CRT) can provide income to you for life. It can also be used to provide income for others. A charitable remainder trust is set up by transferring cash or assets to a trust (at a bank or a trust management company.) The trust pays you, or a beneficiary that you select, an income for life or for a term of years. If you use appreciated securities to fund a CRT, you may completely avoid capital gain tax on the asset’s appreciation. Upon the death of the income beneficiary, or the expiration of the term of years, the principal passes to WCHS for the purposes you designate.
There are two basic types of CRTs, a unitrust and an annuity trust:
- Unitrusts pay you a fixed percentage of the trust’s value, which is revalued every year. If the trust’s value goes up, its payout increases. Likewise, if the trust’s value decreases, the distribution decreases.
- Annuity trusts distribute your income as a fixed dollar amount – a percentage of the trust’s initial value regardless of the trust’s value.
Charitable Gift Annuities
A charitable gift annuity is a simple contract between you and the charitable organization. In return for a gift of cash or assets, the organization agrees to pay you or a beneficiary of your choosing, a fixed payment for life. The annuity amount paid to you is based on established rates up to 11.3%, depending on your age.
Some of the advantages of the charitable gift annuity are:
- You receive a current income tax deduction based on a portion of the gift
- Part of the income you receive is non-taxable
- Payments can be made to you, or a loved one
- Income from annuities can be deferred for a number of years and used to supplement retirement
- Income from the annuity is established and guaranteed when you make the gift
- If your annuity is funded with highly appreciated assets, you will only have to report some of the capital gain, and the rest is spread over a number of years.
- A gift of the remaining principal provides for WCHS at the death of the income beneficiaries.
Retirement Plans, Savings Accounts, Insurance and Real Estate
Retirement Plans – You may have accumulated funds in your retirement plans which is beyond your needs or potentially subject to a number of taxes. It may be convenient and tax wise in such cases to make a charitable gift from those accounts during your lifetime or through your will. Your heirs could be liable for a tax burden of up to 70% on retirement plan assets without proper planning.
Savings Accounts – You can also designate WCHS as the beneficiary of a savings account, certificates of deposit or similar savings instrument.
Life Insurance – A simple way to make a significant future gift is to name WCHS as the beneficiary to receive all or a portion of the proceeds of a life insurance policy no longer needed for its original purpose. You may also purchase a new policy for the benefit of WCHS. There may be some tax advantages if WCHS is both the owner and beneficiary of the policy.
Real Estate – A gift of your residence, farm, vacation property or other types of real property is a creative way to make a meaningful gift to WCHS and receive tax benefits.
WCHS Legacy Circle
We are very pleased to thank and honor individuals who remember WCHS in their estate plans through membership in the WCHS Legacy Circle. All charitable estate gifts qualify for Legacy Circle membership. Individuals who make a gift through their estate before November 2007, qualify to be “charter members” of the WCHS Legacy Circle.
Membership benefits include:
- Invitation to special events
- Gift of Appreciation
- Annual Report appreciation recognition
- Inclusion on our donor wall
Building Campaign
Washington County Historical Society is Growing
Dear Friends,
The Museum Makeover, the building expansion, has arrived at its first major milestone. With completion of Phase I, the building shell is up, covered with a roof and protected from weather. We still need more dollars to finish the project, and we need volunteers to help us move the Collection. Please help us in any way you can to build this new Washington County Museum that will preserve and interpret our local history for many years to come. For more information, contact us at (503) 645-5353.
Will you please consider a generous pledge toward the Millennium Makeover of the Washington County Museum?
(Pledge form - Adobe Acrobat Reader required)
In return, you will receive recognition and tax benefits for your gift (WCHS is a private 501c (3) non-profit organization), and you, your family or business will be permanently recognized on a beautiful donor wall in the new Museum lobby.
In addition, you or your company will automatically become a member of the Society, be recognized in its Historian magazine, and, of course, enjoy the good feeling of knowing that you made a long-lasting gift to the community.
How You Get Involved and Answering Your Questions
To arrange a time for a guided tour of the Museum, or if you have any questions regarding the building plans and how you could get involved, please contact the Museum at (503) 645-5353.
If everyone joins in, and we sincerely hope you will, we can help the Museum continue its outstanding efforts to preserve, interpret and educate. Thanks in advance for doing something important to help in the preservation of our local history!
Millennium Makeover Campaign Naming Opportunities
Facilities |
Gift Size |
Donor |
|---|---|---|
| Main Exhibit Gallery | $300,000 | |
| Pioneer Classroom | 200,000 | Merrill Family Foundation |
| Outdoor Plaza | 150,000 | |
| Changing Exhibit Gallery | 100,000 | The Collins Foundation |
| Visitors Square/Entry | 100,000 | Reser’s Fine Foods - Al and Pat Reser |
| Outdoor Stage | 100,000 | |
| Museum Store | 100,000 | |
| Research Library | 100,000 | |
| Collections Room | 100,000 | |
| Archives Room | 100,000 | |
| Outdoor Kalapuya Hut | 100,000 | |
| Outdoor Exhibit Areas (3) | 50,000 | |
| Conservation Laboratory | 50,000 | Baker Trust |
| Catering Kitchen | 50,000 | |
| Director’s Office | 50,000 | |
| Board and Volunteer Room | 50,000 | |
| Kalapuya Exhibit | 50,000 | Spirit Mounain Community Fund |
| Logging and Timber Exhibit | 50,000 | |
| Log Jail Exhibit | 50,000 | Bobsy Graham |
| Silicon Forest Exhbit | 50,000 | |
| Pioneering Business Exhibit | 50,000 | |
| Collections and Exhibits Department Office | 25,000 | |
| Education Department Office | 25,000 | |
| Membership and Marketing Dept. Office | 25,000 | |
| Volunteer Department Office | 25,000 | |
| Museum Office | 25,000 | |
| Dirt Room | 25,000 | |
| Donor Wall | 25,000 | Ritz Family Foundation |
| Library Research Carrels (5) | 10,000 | |
| 33’ Row of Mobile Artifact Shelving (7) | 10,000 | |
| 10’ Row of Mobile Archive Shelving (8) | 5,000 | |
| Outdoor Plaza Benches (many) | 1,000 | |
| Antique Classroom Desks (20) | 500 | |
| Plaza Bricks (many) | 50 |
Corporate Sponsorship
We have several sponsorship opportunities and ways to offer our business supporters public recognition. Please contact the Museum for details at (503) 645-5353.
