Together, you and BTA play an essential role in the conservation and stewardship of desert plants, wildlife, and ecosystems.
Together, we contribute to improved quality of life, increased science literacy, and enhanced appreciation for the natural world by students and visitors of all ages. Your gift, no matter the size, will make a significant difference! Won’t you please support the Arboretum so it can continue to be a premier desert garden treasure for generations to come?
Support Our Mission
Our mission is to inspire appreciation and stewardship of desert plants, wildlife, and ecosystems through education, research and conservation. Boyce Thompson Arboretum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, IRS EIN: 88-0061520. Every gift helps and every member matters! If you would like to make a gift in honor or memory of a loved one please refer to the ‘Ways to Give’ section below.
The Campaign for a “Water Wise” Arboretum
Leaders in Climate Adaptation
BTA is developing an integrated Climate Adaptation Plan:
• Collaborating with conservation organizations, scientific experts, and other botanical gardens.
• Assessing our living collections to determine which plants are most vulnerable to climate stressors.
• Tracking our energy and water usage.
• Developing adaptation strategies.
• Modifying public outreach, education, and engagement to include climate change mitigation and adaptation messaging.
We expect that BTA will become a national model as botanical gardens, parks, and recreational areas across the west face water shortages and increasing temperatures.
Help BTA be a “Water Wise” Arboretum and a national model for conservation and stewardship.
Vision. Growth. Legacy. YOU can shape the future
Ways to Give
Annual Fund
The Annual Fund provides general support for Arboretum programs and activities in areas of greatest mission-related need. Your contributions help us steward the land, sustain research initiatives, and provide meaningful visitor experiences. The majority of support for this work comes from individuals. Gifts to BTA are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. Consult your tax advisor for guidance regarding the deductibility of charitable donations.
Sustaining Garden Donor Program
Our gardens rely on the generosity and support of our community. The Sustaining Garden Donor Program is not a membership, but a monthly giving program. Each month, your gift will maintain the beauty of the Arboretum while also helping us grow by providing crucial resources that our gardens rely on all year round.
Help us continue our mission to inspire appreciation and stewardship of desert plants, wildlife, and ecosystems through education, research, and conservation by becoming a monthly Sustaining Garden Donor.
All funds received will go directly to support our gardens while you receive special benefits depending on your monthly gift.
Just think, in one year:
$10/month (or $120/year)
Your gift could provide 1-2 small gardening tools, such as hand shovels or rakes, for one of our horticulturalists
Your benefits:
• Emailed newsletter directly from the Horticulture staff in the Fall & Winter
• Tour with a Horticulturalist offered 2 times a year
• Digital gift certificate
• Name recognition on our website
$50/month (or $600/year)
Your gift could provide plant food and fertilizer for two gardens, like the Hummingbird and Butterfly Garden or Cactus and Succulent Garden, for one year
Your benefits:
• All of the benefits listed above
• PLUS year-round 15% discount on plants
$100/month (or $1,200/year)
Your gift could provide over 100 arid desert, low water-use plants, such as desert willow and desert milkweed, to refresh the gardens
Your benefits:
• All of the benefits listed above
• PLUS Private tour with a Horticulturalist (upon request)
• AND an additional 5% discount on plants, adding up to a year-round 20% discount on plants
Disclaimer: Discounts cannot be combined with any other membership discount or special promotions.
By becoming a Sustaining Garden Donor, you will enable us to fulfill our mission to inspire appreciation and stewardship of desert plants, wildlife, and ecosystems through education, research, and conservation. Your monthly contributions will help us maintain the beauty of the Arboretum while also helping us grow by providing crucial resources that our gardens rely on all year round.
Qualified Charitable Distributions
Annual withdrawals from traditional retirement accounts are required after age 70-1/2, and the penalty for skipping a required minimum distribution (RMD) is 50% of the amount that should have been withdrawn. However, if you are in the fortunate position of not needing your distribution for living expenses, you can avoid income tax on your required withdrawal by donating directly to a qualifying charity such as Boyce Thompson Arboretum.
Matching Gifts
Are you interested in doubling, perhaps even tripling your gift to BTA? Many companies will match their employees’ gifts, often up to $3,000 per year, at no additional cost for employees, and the Arboretum can benefit! Please check with your HR department to find out whether your company is a matching gift sponsor.
Arranging for a matching gift is as easy as 1-2-3:
1. Get a copy of your matching gift form from your company’s HR department and mail or drop it off with your gift.
2. BTA will verify your gift and return the matching gift form directly to your company’s designated matching partner.
3. Boyce Thompson Arboretum will then receive a check from your employer, matching your gift. You will receive recognition credit.
Already gave? Most matching companies will honor gifts given within the current calendar year. Simply send or bring your matching gift form to the Development Office, and we’ll take it from there! For more information, please call (520) 689-4588 or [email protected].
Thank you for considering this simple and effective way to support Boyce Thompson Arboretum!
Memorials & Tributes
From buildings to benches to boojums, dozens of structures and plant specimens throughout the Arboretum’s 343 acres stand as personalized, one-of-a-kind tributes. Commemorate an important life event with a unique addition to our horticulture collection; remember a loved one with a memorial bench; celebrate a joyous occasion with a dedicated picnic table or named garden. There are many ways to make a lasting impact. The Arboretum offers a wide variety of gift options including benches, plants and trees*, discrete gardens or other structures. To learn more about creating a memorial or tribute at the Arboretum, please call (520) 689-4588. To make a general donation in memory or in honor of a loved one click here, or choose one of the active campaigns below
Active Memorial Campaigns:
Richard “Tom” Thomas Handeyside
* The Plant Collections Committee shall approve all memorial plants and trees prior to acceptance.
Gifts in Kind
Gifts of tangible personal property (books, artwork, plant specimens, etc.) can be accepted if they further the mission of BTA. The Gift Acceptance Committee may, at their discretion, choose to accept a gift of tangible personal property that is readily marketable for the purpose of liquidating the asset. Property for the use of BTA with an appraised or estimated fair market value of less than $500 may be accepted by the receiving department in consultation with a Development Officer. Gifts of property valued at $500 or more must be approved by the Gift Acceptance Committee.
Wills and Planned Gifts
“Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree long ago.”
— Warren Buffett
Planned giving enables you to extend your legacy into the future. It helps strengthen the Arboretum and can address your estate-planning needs through tax advantages and other benefits; in some cases, it may increase your retirement income.
When estate gifts are added to our endowment fund, they enhance the Arboretum’s long-term financial stability by providing a continuous revenue source for ongoing operational expenses, designated projects and special needs.
Working together, we will always seek to devise a plan that serves your philanthropic goals and financial objectives, as well as the Arboretum’s. Examples include:
Estate gifts: Bequests from wills, living trusts, or retirement plan assets. Here is some sample bequest language you may want to share with your attorney:
“I give and devise to Boyce Thompson Arboretum, located in Superior, Arizona, all (or state a percentage or a dollar amount) of the rest, residue and remainder of my estate, both real and personal, to be used for its general support.”
Income-producing gifts: Charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder annuity trusts and charitable remainder trusts are simple arrangements that pay a donor or loved one income for life in return for a donation to BTA. We’ll work with caring, certified financial advisors to carefully steward these gifts, and after the beneficiary’s lifetime, the remainder will help advance our mission.
Life insurance: You can name the Arboretum as a beneficiary of part or all of your life insurance policy. If you contribute future premium payments, BTA will record and acknowledge the amount of the premium payment as a gift in the year that it is made.
Other planned gifts: Charitable lead trusts, gifts of real estate, or other unique assets.
Donors of planned gifts are recognized as members of the Desert Willow Legacy Society and are invited to attend special donor events. Click here to download our Desert Willow Legacy Society form to learn more!
Have you included Boyce Thompson Arboretum in your will or other estate plans? Let us know! We want to stay in touch and ensure that we can report the impact of your generosity. If you would like to discuss your estate planning goals, please call Allison Lester at (520) 689-4588 or email [email protected]
Gifts of Stock
Publicly traded marketable securities may be transferred to an account maintained at our brokerage firm or delivered physically with the transferor’s signature or stock power attached. As a general rule, all marketable securities shall be sold upon receipt unless otherwise directed by the investment committee. In some cases, marketable securities may be restricted by applicable securities laws. For more information, please call (520) 689-4588.
Major Gifts
Major gifts are critical for realizing the Arboretum’s bright future, whether they finance construction of a pavilion or patio, support educational programs that teach future generations about the importance of the natural world, or fund the upkeep of spectacular gardens. Major donors who contribute to the Arboretum have an incredible impact. The buildings, gardens and programs they fund will be a testament to that fact for many years to come.
Donors may be offered a selection of naming opportunities based on the amount and date of their gift commitment. The duration of the naming agreement will be determined at the time of the gift. To discuss opportunities for major giving, please call Allison Lester at (520) 689-4588.
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The perfect weather is calling—whether you’re here for the incredible variety of plants, curious wildlife, or simply a peaceful moment, the Arboretum has it all. Take a stroll and see what inspires you today!
#1arb #visitsuperior #thingstodoAZ #explorenature #explorepinalcounty #visitarizona #visitphoenix #visitmesa
Reconnect with the soothing sounds and sights of nature. Whether you’re seeking inspiration or a quiet retreat, the Arboretum is the perfect place to enjoy a moment of peace.
#visitphoenix #visitmesa #explorenature #explorepinalcounty #thingstodoAZ #1arb #visitarizona #visitsuperior
Did you know that milkweed is essential for the survival of monarch caterpillars? Monarchs rely on milkweed as the only food source for their caterpillars, making this plant a critical part of their life cycle.
Milkweed not only provides nourishment for these iconic pollinators but also offers protection. Monarch caterpillars ingest toxic compounds from milkweed, which make them less palatable to predators—a clever natural defense!
Sadly, habitat loss has reduced the availability of milkweed, threatening monarch populations. Planting native milkweed in gardens and green spaces helps create safe habitats for monarchs to lay their eggs and ensures caterpillars have the food they need to grow and eventually transform into butterflies.
Interested in supporting these beautiful pollinators? Consider planting milkweed in your yard and helping preserve their migration journey for future generations.
Experience the tranquility of the Arboretum, where every path offers a quiet moment to reconnect with yourself and the natural world.
#explorepinalcounty #visitsuperior #visitmesa #visitarizona #explorenature #1arb #thingstodoAZ #visitphoenix
Fall Color Update | Our fall colors are about to take center stage! According to the forecast, this weekend should bring a beautiful burst of color. Grab a friend and come experience autumn’s charm!
#explorenature #visitarizona #explorepinalcounty #visitsuperior #1arb #visitmesa #thingstodoAZ
Meet the Coatis, curious creatures that call the desert home!
Found in Arizona’s desert scrub, woodlands, and riparian areas, these playful animals are relatives of raccoons. They are recognized by their long tails and social nature. During the day, they forage for insects, fruits, and small critters, using their strong claws for climbing and digging.
Keep an eye out—you might just spot one on your next visit to the Arboretum!
#visitmesa #explorepinalcounty #visitarizona #1arb #thingstodoAZ #visitsuperior #visitphoenix #explorenature
Bird Week is still soaring until November 15th! With the perfect weather, it`s a great time to head outdoors and explore the Arboretum. Grab your bird checklist, learn about our featured birds, and enjoy a beautiful day connecting with nature. Don’t miss out on this special opportunity—see you on the trails!
#visitarizona #visitsuperior #visitphoenix #1arb #thingstodoAZ #explorenature #explorepinalcounty #visitmesa
🍂 Fall Color Update | We are starting to see some yellows and a few reds appear in the canyon.
Our best estimate, depending on the weather forecast, is peak fall color towards the end of November. We will keep you posted as things change. Stay tuned for more updates! #visitarizona #visitphoenix #visitmesa #explorepinalcounty #thingstodoaz #1arb