Planned Giving

Leave a Legacy of Stillness and Compassion

For more than forty years, Mountain Cloud Zen Center has offered a refuge for meditation, study, and community in the high desert of Santa Fe. The sangha’s generosity has sustained this place through the decades — and with your foresight, it can continue to serve future generations of practitioners.

Planned giving allows you to make a lasting contribution to Mountain Cloud’s future while meeting your own financial and personal goals. Whether through a bequest in your will, a beneficiary designation, or another legacy gift, your support ensures that this center — its land, teachings, and community — will thrive for decades to come.

1. Bequests

Include Mountain Cloud Zen Center in your will or trust. You can designate a specific amount, a percentage of your estate, or a residual gift after other bequests are fulfilled. If you have included Mountain Cloud in your estate plans, please let us know. We would love to express our gratitude and welcome you into our Legacy Community, a small group of donors whose foresight ensures that the Dharma continues to flourish here. To discuss your intentions confidentially or to learn more, please contact our Executive Director, Sarah Giffin, at sarah@mountaincloud.org.

2. Beneficiary Designations

Name Mountain Cloud Zen Center as a beneficiary of your retirement account or life insurance policy, or designate Mountain Cloud to receive the remaining balance of your donor-advised fund. These designations can often be updated without revising your will and create a lasting legacy of support.

3. IRA Charitable Gifts

If you are age 70½ or older, you may be eligible to make a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) directly from your IRA to Mountain Cloud. Because a QCD is generally excluded from your taxable income, it can be one of the most tax-efficient ways to support the organization.

For those who are subject to Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs), a QCD may also count toward satisfying that requirement.

Consult your financial or tax advisor to determine what is appropriate for your situation. You can also learn more here: https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans

4. Gifts of Assets

Some donors choose to contribute appreciated securities, real estate, business interests, or other assets. These gifts can be a tax-efficient way to support Mountain Cloud while potentially reducing capital gains taxes. Consult your financial or tax advisor to determine what is appropriate for your situation.

5. Legacy Gifts in Honor of a Loved One

Some donors choose to make a planned gift in honor or memory of someone who has deeply influenced their lives, creating a lasting expression of gratitude while supporting future generations of practitioners.