Create a legacy for lemurs
It’s easier than you might think to establish a planned gift of any amount from your estate to benefit the Duke Lemur Center! We can help you explore all of your options—like naming the DLC as a beneficiary of your retirement plan, including the DLC in your will, or establishing a life income gift that supports the DLC and pays you back.
By making a planned gift to the Duke Lemur Center, you’ll join a growing network of our closest friends as a member of the Legacy for Lemurs Society.
Also, there’s no better time than now to make a new commitment for a legacy gift to benefit the DLC. While matching funds last, you may qualify for up to $10,000 in matching funds from Duke University! Learn more about the Duke 100 Challenge and let Mary Paisley know if you have questions: mary.paisley@duke.edu or (919) 401-7252. Here is an online commitment form for the Duke 100 Challenge or you may open this printable Duke 100 Challenge commitment form to complete, sign, and mail via postal mail.
Why include a gift from your estate to the Duke Lemur Center?
A legacy gift to the Duke Lemur Center will provide a very special way for you to make a significant contribution that will make a real difference after your time on this Earth has ended.
Why choose the DLC for your legacy gift? There are many reasons! Established in 1966 on the campus of Duke University, the Duke Lemur Center (DLC) is recognized as the world leader in the study, care, and protection of lemurs—Earth’s most endangered group of mammals. The DLC is a hub of discovery, bringing together students, scientists, conservation biologists, educators, and visitors from around the world to learn from lemurs.
Why? Lemurs are special: in addition to their beauty, rareness, and importance to their native ecosystems, they are among the most ancestral primates in existence today. Their unique traits and behaviors are fascinating to study, and they can provide important clues for human health and medicine.
The DLC also works tirelessly on the island of Madagascar, the only place where lemurs exist in the wild. We’re proud to work with the organizations and people of Madagascar to create opportunities for positive change and to play a leading role in preventing the island’s legendary population of endemic and endangered plants and animals from being lost forever.
Legacy gift options
Whether you are considering a future gift of $5,000 or $5 million, you have an opportunity now to plan ahead for a truly personal, meaningful gift to benefit the DLC.
Consider naming the DLC as a beneficiary of your retirement plan, include the DLC in your will, or establish a life income gift that supports the DLC and pays you back! We can share a variety of options for your legacy gift to make a real difference for lemurs and the DLC.
As a part of your legacy gift, you may want to consider contributing toward an endowment—a gift that keeps giving! We can help you to create an endowment to support the Duke Lemur Center in perpetuity. An endowment may support our general operations, or there are options for a restricted area of support, such as colony care, student programs, or Madagascar conservation. It’s also possible to endow staff positions such as director, veterinarian, and more. For more information on endowments, visit our endowments page.
Learn more
For more information on planning legacy gifts and endowments, contact Mary Paisley at (919) 401-7252 or mary.paisley@duke.edu. If you have already named us in your will or as a beneficiary of your retirement plan, please notify us so that we can ensure that Duke University is notified of your intent in advance, and prepared to designate your gift specifically to the Duke Lemur Center when it is ultimately received.
