Make a Bargain Sale
A bargain sale occurs when you sell real estate that you’ve owned for more than one year to the Zoo for less than its current fair market value, subject to our agreement. After we purchase your property: 1) You receive a cash payment from the Minnesota Zoo for the sale price, 2) you qualify for a charitable deduction for the difference between the sale price and the higher fair market value, and 3) we receive the property at a bargain price. You benefit financially, and so do we.

Use Property to Fund a FLIP Charitable Remainder Unitrust
Another approach is to use your property to fund what’s known as a FLIP charitable remainder unitrust. Such a trust can be set up to make lifetime payments to you or any other recipient you name after the property is sold. At your death, the Minnesota Zoo receives the balance (remainder) in the trust. Donating property to a charitable remainder trust may provide you with a number of potential benefits, such as an up-front capital gains tax elimination on the increase in the property’s value since you bought it, an income tax deduction for the present value of the remainder interest and income from the trust for the rest of your life once the property is sold.

Establish a Memorial or Endowment Gift
A gift of real estate is a perfect way to honor your loved one through a memorial or endowment type gift. If you have a loved one whose life has been impacted by the Minnesota Zoo, we hope you’ll consider making a gift to us in honor of that person. When you make an endowed gift, your contribution is invested and becomes part of our endowment. An annual distribution is made for the purpose you designate. Because the principal remains intact, the fund will generate support in perpetuity.