NOLS HAS COURSES IN THE FIELD AGAIN: HERE’S HOW WE GOT THERE
In late May, seven NOLS instructors spent three nights together in the Wind River Mountains, testing NOLS’ newly developed protocols for COVID-19—figuring out how to cook meals, hold classes, and build community while wearing masks and remaining 6 feet apart.
The group hiked using trekking poles to maintain distance, set up hand washing stations in each camp (and used them frequently), and tested out individual sleeping arrangements using tarps and bug netting.
Though many of the routines of the course were different than normal, by the end of the trip, the group showed it was possible to support the outcomes NOLS aims for on any expedition—that students learn to assume leadership roles, care for themselves and others, and connect with natural spaces.
Running that test course was just one step of many that led to NOLS’ decision to run select field and classroom courses this summer. In order to develop protocols, we needed to fully understand the risks and how to mitigate them, as with any risk we anticipate on an expedition. So, a dedicated task force spent months reviewing and revising our protocols, in close consultation with federal, state, and local public health experts; peer organizations; medical advisors; and local governmental agencies.
Highlights of the new protocols include:
• Managing risks before students arrive by requesting they monitor for COVID-
19 symptoms, frequently wash their hands, and practice social distancing for 2 weeks prior to the course
• Staging students at remote sites when they arrive and depart from their courses, to prevent disease spread in the local community
• While on course, conducting daily health checks, practicing social distancing, wearing masks when social distancing isn’t practical, and sleeping in individual arrangements rather than shared tents
• If someone on the course experiences symptoms, we have plans in place to separate that individual from the group
and seek further medical advice
Thanks to hard work by the task force and stabilizing philanthropic support from friends and alumni, the first post-pandemic NOLS courses began on July 1. In accordance with our new protocols, students on expedition courses were housed and issued gear and rations at a property several miles from Lander—one of just two NOLS locations that weren’t temporarily shuttered since mid-March. Meanwhile, NOLS Wilderness Medicine’s residential WEMT program resumed on July 20 at the Wyss Wilderness Medicine Campus.
“We
NOLS adopted and practiced COVID-19 protocols before returning to classrooms. Kirk Rasmussen
—Jen Sall NOLS Rocky Mountain Director
YOUR WILL AND YOUR CHARITABLE INTERESTS
You have plans for the disposition of your estate, from taking care of your family to making a special gift to NOLS, but you may have questions. Here are answers to some common questions about planned gifts.
The Benefits of Giving
Gifts bequeathed to NOLS through your will are 100% estate tax deductible. Because of this deduction, with some advanced planning a gift to NOLS can actually increase the amount your heirs will receive. But the benefits of your gift extend beyond tax deductions—your bequest creates a lasting legacy.
How Much to Give
When designating a charitable gift in your will, it can take a variety of forms. It can consist of cash, securities, real or personal property—anything from land to an art collection. You can even give a sum of money that, when invested, provides regular gifts to NOLS on a permanent basis.
You can bequeath a specific amount to NOLS, or give a percentage of your estate. The size of your estate may change between the time you make your will and your death, so giving a percentage may be more predictable than giving a specific amount.
Control of Your Gift
If you make an unrestricted bequest, NOLS has the freedom to use your gift for our general purposes. If you give for a specific purpose, you can tell NOLS how your gift is to be used, such as for scholarships.
Different Kinds of Gifts
The method you choose to make your gift should be designed so you and your heirs can reap the greatest benefits. Some of your options include:
Take care of your loved ones first. When all their needs have been met, give the residue of your estate to NOLS. Residuary gifts provide a way to make a gift once heirs are properly provided for. You simply indicate that the remainder of your estate is left to NOLS. Personal property such as a home or farm is often designated as a specific gift. Memorial gifts can be designated in your will with a specified amount or percentage to endow a fund, in honor of a special person or loved one. The income from this memorial fund can be designated either for a specific purpose or for general purposes.
Contingency Gifts
Name a primary recipient of your estate,
such as your spouse, and then name NOLS as secondary beneficiary. If other beneficiaries don’t survive you, your estate passes to NOLS. Without this protection, the government could inherit your estate in the absence of other heirs.
Final contingent beneficiaries provide an opportunity to name several beneficiaries as recipients of shares of your estate, while designating NOLS as the final beneficiary if your named beneficiaries do not survive you.
Tailor a Trust to Generate Income
A “testamentary trust” is one that’s established through a will. Trusts offer flexible planning tools, and each type provides unique tax advantages. Here are examples of ways you can provide for a survivor and also make a charitable gift:
A charitable remainder unitrust can be used to pay income to your survivors for their lifetimes or for a term of years. Because the trust can save estate tax, it often provides a higher income for your heirs. When the trust terminates, NOLS receives the remainder of the trust.
A gift annuity provides expense-free management of property and a guaranteed income for a survivor for life, or for a term of up to
BUILDING TOOLS FOR ANTI-RACISM
As educators, it’s NOLS’ responsibility to make sure we create learning environments in which students and staff feel safe and have equal access to learning. Doing this demands that we engage in dialogue around dismantling systemic racism, examine our practices, and own up to what we don’t know. Even though it makes us uncomfortable. Even though we’re going to stumble—and stumble again. But as any good teacher will tell you, discomfort is critical to growth. It’s how we learn. And it’s what leads to change.
If you’re someone who, like us, is looking to the leadership of those who have invested years in anti-racism advocacy, especially in the outdoors, here are a couple of stories that can provide a
starting point. For more resources, see the full story on the NOLS blog.
I Said I wasn’t Outdoorsy...But I Lied (Personal narrative)
Why diversity matters: the importance of racial and ethnic equality in conservation (Academic article)
MOLLY STEFFES: PLANNED GIFT ELIMINATES HARDSHIP FOR OTHERS
By Dan Kenah, Development Officer
20 years. This gift often saves estate tax and also provides partly tax-free income, often resulting in a higher return for your survivor. A charitable lead trust can include a gift in your will that makes annual contributions to NOLS for as many years as you like. The property then passes to your heirs with dramatic tax savings.
How to Give and Save Taxes
Creative planning often provides dramatic opportunities to transfer your entire estate free of federal estate taxes while simultaneously providing for NOLS. You may need to review your will with your attorney to be certain it’s written to take advantage of these possibilities.
The Best Gift
There are many ways to make significant charitable contributions while protecting and enhancing your personal and family financial situation. Thoughtful planning is the key. To determine which type of gift is most appropriate, please contact us. We’re happy to answer your questions and provide more information.
Like so many of our students past and present, Molly Steffes first discovered NOLS through a friend who shared her own experience with Molly. “She had done a semester in the Pacific Northwest and gave me her NOLS journal to read,” she said. “After reading her story, my mind was made up. I knew NOLS was the indepth experience I was looking for.” Not long after, Molly enrolled in a 2003 Fall Semester in the Southwest.
For Molly, who wears many hats including as a therapeutic yoga instructor and a leadership event manager, her semester still shapes how she views the outdoors and the world. Through lessons learned at NOLS, she said, “I’ve been able to be a part of many different avenues by still putting to use group expedition behavior even if it is a totally different setting.”
“I have to say my biggest take away from NOLS is that all voices and ideas should be heard, considered, and explored,” she said. This applies not only to route finding and river crossings. It can mean empowering individuals to share their ideas, concerns, and thoughts. It can mean opening your mind to experiences and perspectives that you haven’t been exposed to before. It can mean
intentionally building an inclusive community with a diversity of voices.
NOLS would not be what it is without our community and their continued engagement. NOLS grads guide new students to the school by sharing the impacts and lessons of their course; some return to us as instructors and staff, and many support the school philanthropically to put an experience like theirs within reach for others.
“Though I was able to get funding for my NOLS course through financial aid, it was still a hardship,” she said. In 2017, Molly decided to include NOLS in her lifeinsurance policy, placing her among our youngest Summit Team members. “My reason for the gift to NOLS is to not only
CONTINUED ON BACK
Examining our practices may make us uncomfortable, but it’s critical. Prasad Gadgil
SUMMIT TEAM
Molly Steffes believes all voices should be heard. Courtesy of Molly Steffes
eliminate that hardship for others, but also to stress how important it is for others to be able to be a part of an experience that is life-changing.”
“On a more general scale,” she said, “I feel the more individuals are exposed to outdoor
education, the more likely it is for them to become a steward for the preservation of the greatest gift: our natural world.” Through her estate gift, Molly has given NOLS the benefit of more voices to be heard, explored, and empowered to lead.
Join the NOLS Summit Team
An additional benefit of establishing a charitable bequest is membership in the NOLS Summit Team, our recognition society for donors who include NOLS in their estate or other long-term giving plans.
Contact NOLS for More Information
People don’t donate to NOLS simply to save taxes. We all give for many personal reasons: a belief in NOLS’ mission, a desire to preserve wilderness, or a commitment to creating opportunities for wilderness and leadership education. Regardless, most want to stretch their assets to do the most good for the most people.
Charitable bequests are among the financial arrangements that allow donors to mesh
PHILANTHROPIC TIDBIT
philanthropic goals with personal and family financial obligations. We welcome the opportunity to talk with you and your advisors about these and other tax-smart ways to achieve your goals.
This information is not intended as specific legal advice. Consult your attorney when considering any legal matter. State laws that govern wills and contracts may vary and are subject to change.
Email | development@nols.edu Web | nols.edu/giving
SMALLER GIFTS ADD UP OVER TIME
By Anne McGowan, Development Communications Coordinator
Do you want to make an impact on NOLS but are concerned about stretching your wallet too far? You may not have the means to make a significant gift at the end of each year, and you probably think that your small gifts to NOLS won’t really make a difference. Think again. You can help provide scholarships for deserving students without breaking the bank.
While some donors give $10 per month, others are able to give $100 monthly. “No matter the size of the donation, what matters most is figuring out what works in your budget,” said NOLS Fund Director Cindy Carey. “Even $10 each month will add up to $120 a year!”
It still may not sound like much, but if even a quarter of our more than 280,000 graduates did this, it would be a sizable amount. Over $6 million, in fact. That’s
enough to meet the scholarship needs of more than 1,000 students while still leaving enough to support outreach, curriculum development, and sustainability initiatives. That’s impact.
For more information about how to set up a monthly giving routine, call 800-3324280 .
NOLS FIELD COURSES CONTINUED
“We have students in the field,” Development and Alumni director Judd Rogers said in mid-July. “Yes, we’re at only 15-20 percent of a typical summer, and yes, we’ve taken a battle wound, but NOLS was built to last. We’re seeing great demand domestically for fall courses, and we are readying for the largest fall out of NOLS Rocky Mountain location in a very long time—maybe ever.”
This autumn, the school will be offering 15 fall semesters and one domestic year-long expedition. Skill areas include hiking, horsepacking, rock climbing, whitewater (canoe, oar raft, kayak), canyons, and winter. NOLS Wilderness Medicine will continue to run courses in the fall where local guidelines permit. Select Alumni trips and Custom Education field courses are scheduled to operate in the fall too, and will be announced as details become available. Meanwhile, NOLS Risk Services ran successful online courses this summer, and will be hosting the Wilderness Risk Management Conference digitally from Oct. 19 through 23.
For 55 years, NOLS has helped over 350,000 students learn the lessons of the wilderness: selfreliance, judgment, risk management, and the skills to thrive in a changing world. The current environment of uncertainty speaks directly to the NOLS curriculum and our values as a school. This is truly a time for leadership and judgment, given the unpredictable trajectory of the pandemic. We’re excited and pleased that we have students back in both our wilderness and brickand-mortar classrooms, and we’re grateful for your support and understanding as we navigate the rapidly changing landscape.
Learn more about NOLS’ Planned Giving options on our website at www.nols. edu/planned-giving, or call NOLS Development office at 800-332-4280.
