Leave a Legacy

Remembering the Zoo during your estate planning leaves a lasting legacy and ensures that the Zoo and the community it serves will continue to thrive for generations to come.

Since 1882, the Zoo has evolved from a source of community pride to a conservation agency with worldwide influence. Today, the Zoo is a leading provider of informal science education in the region, recognized nationally for its animal welfare standards, and an invaluable partner in the global effort to secure a future for wildlife.

The Cleveland Zoological Society has an excellent track record of funding innovative and mission-critical initiatives at the Zoo that have supported this substantial evolution, including:

• Generous scholarships for Northeast Ohio students and teachers
• Research to benefit the health and welfare of animals in zoos and in the wild
• Plans to protect species in the wild through high-impact conservation partnerships

Continuing the Mission

You are invited to create your own legacy through ZooFutures. The ZooFutures Heritage Society is open to anyone who invests in the future of the Zoo Society through a planned gift. When you remember the Cleveland Zoological Society in your estate plans, you leave a lasting legacy and ensure that the Zoo and the community it serves will continue to thrive for generations to come.

Planned Giving Options

Many special friends of the Zoo have joined the ZooFutures Heritage Society after expressing their commitment to the Cleveland Zoological Society through their estate plans. There are many ways to make such a gift:

• Making a gift to the Cleveland Zoological Society through your will or trust
• Naming the Cleveland Zoological Society as a beneficiary of your IRA or retirement plan
• Making a gift that pays you income (gift annuities or trusts)
• Participating in an IRA Charitable Rollover (for those donors age 70 1/2 years or older)

If you have already included the Zoo Society in your plans, we would like to thank you for your generosity by welcoming you to the ZooFutures Heritage Society. Please let us know by contacting the Cleveland Zoological Society Development Department at (216) 635-3329. And, of course, you may always give and choose to remain anonymous.

ZooFutures Heritage Society Benefits

Benefits of being in the ZooFutures Heritage Society include:

• Invitations to special events and member events at the Zoo
• One annual golf cart driving tour with Zoo Society staff or Zoo Society Volunteer Docent
• A subscription to the Zoo's quarterly Z Magazine
• Name recognition in Zoo Society's publications and website; donors may also choose to remain anonymous
• The satisfaction of knowing your gift will help ensure a strong future for Cleveland Metroparks Zoo for generations to come

Read stories from some of our ZooFutures Heritage Society members here.