Gifts by will are one of Oakland Zoo’s significant sources of charitable support. Unrestricted gifts give us the greatest flexibility to use funds where they are most needed. You can leave Oakland Zoo:


• A stated dollar amount
• A percentage of your residual estate (what remains after gifts to loved ones and expenses have been paid), or
• Specific liquid assets, such as securities

Naming Oakland Zoo in your will

Legal Name: Conservation Society of California


Address: P.O. Box 5238, Oakland, CA, 94605


Federal tax ID#: 94-1687847

Sample language:

"I give and bequeath to Conservation Society of California, Oakland, CA [the sum of _______ Dollars ($_______)] [ _____ % of the rest, residue and remainder of my estate], for such uses and purposes as its governing body deems appropriate."


Notifying Oakland Zoo of your gift


Please let us know when you have named Oakland Zoo in your will or trust so that we can thank you and include you in our Legacy Circle.

Always seek the advice of your financial or legal advisor regarding your estate plans.

Naming Oakland Zoo as a beneficiary on your retirement account or life insurance policy is a simple and powerful way to support us without changing your will or living trust. Beneficiary designation gifts pass directly to Oakland Zoo without going through the probate process.

Retirement accounts

You can name Oakland Zoo as a beneficiary of all or a specified percentage of their IRA, 401(k), 403(b), or other retirement plan. Individuals who inherit retirement plan assets are usually required to pay income tax on them, so they're often considered among the best assets to leave to charity.

How to name Oakland Zoo as a beneficiary:

Ask your retirement plan administrator or financial institution for a change of beneficiary form. Please list us as:

Legal name: Conservation Society of California


Address: P.O. Box 5238, Oakland, CA, 94605


Federal tax ID#: 94-1687847

Notify us of your beneficiary designation


Please let us know when you’ve made a beneficiary designation for Oakland Zoo so that we can thank you and include you in our Legacy Circle.

Always seek the advice of your financial or legal advisor regarding your estate plans.

What is a charitable lead trust?

A charitable lead trust allows you to support Oakland Zoo while safeguarding assets for your loved ones. You transfer cash, securities, or other assets to a trust. The trustee invests the assets, providing annual payments to Oakland Zoo for a period of time that you select. When the trust terminates, the remaining amount is paid to you or your heirs with the benefit of a reduced transfer tax.

The trust may be a charitable lead annuity (fixed payments) or a charitable lead unitrust (fixed percentage).

What are the benefits of a charitable lead trust?

• Reduction in transfer tax on the amount passing to your heirs
• Appreciation in trust value passes to your heirs free of gift and estate tax
• Control over when your heirs inherit trust asset


Always seek the advice of your financial or legal advisor regarding your estate plans.

Stocks, securities, and mutual funds

A gift of appreciated securities can provide significant benefits, including a charitable deduction for the full market value of the stock and avoidance of capital gains taxes that would normally be due upon sale.
Please write us at stocks@oaklandzoo.org with your name and details about the assets you plan to donate so we can connect you with our broker.

Qualified charitable distributions (QCDs) from your IRA

The charitable IRA rollover, or qualified charitable distribution (QCD), is a tax-efficient way for individuals who are 70½ years or older to make gifts to charities like Oakland Zoo directly from their individual retirement account (IRA). Contact your IRA custodian if you wish to make a QCD, and use our legal name, Conservation Society of California, and tax ID 94-1687847, when completing paperwork.

Donor-advised funds

Donor Advised Funds (DAF’s) are giving vehicles that offer immediate tax benefits and allow you to support charities like Oakland Zoo on your own schedule through grant recommendations. They can be funded with cash and non-cash assets including stocks and cryptocurrency. Please make the gift to our legal 501(c)(3) nonprofit name, Conservation Society of California, and ask the fund to disclose your contact information so that we may properly acknowledge you.

Always seek the advice of your financial or legal advisor regarding your estate plans.