MEMBERSHIP FAQ

ABOUT THE CENTER
ABOUT YOUR MEMBERSHIP
DONATION QUESTIONS
LEAVING A LEGACY
NOT A CENTER MEMBER?

ABOUT THE CENTER

Q. What is the Center for Biological Diversity’s mission?
A. Read our mission statement.

Q. How long has the Center been around and how did the organization get started?
A. Read about the Center’s history.

Q. Where does my donation go?
A. We're proud of the way we manage our funds. According to the LA Weekly, we're "pound for pound, dollar for dollar, the most effective conservation organization in the country. When you donate to the Center, you may not get a backpack, a plush toy, or a windbreaker, but you'll get the satisfaction of being part of the best defense endangered species and wild places have got. In 2010, 86 percent of our funds spent went directly back to our conservation programs. You may request a copy of our latest financial information by writing to our office.

Q. Does my online activism make a difference?
A. Citizen voices are a crucial part of creating meaningful change. We find that in concert with litigation, education, science-based investigation and creative media, e-petitions and email comment campaigns can be powerful forces. Sometimes a barrage of public comments can be just the thing to nudge a politician or bureaucrat in the right direction. And the more succinct and direct, the better. We construct our petitions to save species and habitat after intensive investigation and then harness them as one of several parallel and complementary prongs of attack. They’ve proven to be effective, as happened when 18,000 e-comments helped compel the Obama administration to pledge a recovery plan and critical habitat for the endangered jaguar, and when a whopping 200,000-plus citizen signatures helped revoke a rule eviscerating the Endangered Species Act.

Q. Does the Center share my personal information?
A. View our Privacy Policy or contact our membership team to have a copy sent to you.

Q. Can I get a copy of the Center’s Tax ID information?
A. Yes. Contact our membership team to request that a copy be sent to you via email, mail, or fax.  Our tax ID number is 85-0420285.

Q. Can I view the Center's state fundraising registration disclosures?
A. Yes. View our current state fundraising registration disclosures here.

ABOUT YOUR MEMBERSHIP

Q. How can I change my mailing address, email address, phone number or other contact information?
A. Email your name and contact info with changes to our membership team at membership@biologicaldiversity.org, or call us toll-free at (866) 357.3349.

Q. When and how do I renew my membership?
A. Membership is good for the calendar year. We send out renewal notices by mail and email at the beginning of each year. You can renew by responding to your renewal notice, calling our membership team to make your gift by phone, or making your gift online via our secure server with a credit card or electronic check.

Q. How can I find out if my membership is current?
A. The best way to find out about your membership status is to call our membership team toll-free at (866) 357.3349. If you have a recent mailing from us, please keep it on hand for reference.

Q. How can I receive less mail?
A. If you'd like to receive more or less membership mail, we will be happy to tailor our communications to your wishes.  Call our office to speak to someone on our membership team. We can:

• Limit your renewal notices
• Limit your additional appeals by mail
• Stop all solicitations and just send the newsletter
• Stop all mail
• Not share your address with any other groups

Q. How can I be added to or removed from the Center's mailing or telephone list?
A. Send our membership staff an email at membership@biologicaldiversity.org or or give us a call toll-free at (866) 357.3349. We're pleased to honor your communication preferences.

Q. What does it mean to be a member of the Center?
A. Being a member of the Center means that you contribute regularly to support our work. Contributions are most often financial, but may include other gifts and/or services.

DONATION QUESTIONS

Q. Can I get a copy of the Center’s tax ID information? A. Yes, contact our membership team to request that a copy be sent to you via email, mail or fax. Our tax ID number is 85-0420285.

Q. How can I get the Center’s annual report and audited financials?
A. You can download pdfs of our previous annual reports and form 990 here. Please contact Assistant Executive Director Sarah Bergman for the Center's 2010 audited financials or with any questions.

Q. Can I donate something other than cash?
A. In-kind donations such as vehicles, office equipment or artwork are graciously accepted when we can make the most of your gift. Click here for more information.

Q. Can I make a gift of stock?
A. Yes! Call, email, fax or write to our membership team for current account information.

Q. Can I use PayPal to make a donation?
Yes. Network for Good can administer your gift to the Center. There, you may choose PayPal as your method of payment for a one-time or monthly gift.

LEAVING A LEGACY

Q. How can I make a planned or estate gift to the Center?
A. A planned gift is one way you can help ensure the Center will be the voice for protection of endangered species and imperiled ecosystems far in to the future. Our webpage www.biologicaldiversity.org/legacy provides information on the most common ways of making a planned gift, such as bequests, and giving through retirement plans.  Or you can ask specific questions by requesting information from legacy@biologicaldiversity.org or by giving us a call toll-free at (866) 357-3349 x318.  Please remember to always seek advice from your personal accountant or financial advisor, as well.

Q. How can I contribute through a retirement account?
A. One of the simplest ways to contribute from a retirement account is to name the Center for Biological Diversity as a beneficiary for part or all of what remains in your retirement account when you no longer need it. This includes your individual retirement accounts (IRAs), Keogh plans, 401(k) plans, 403(b) plans, and other qualified pension plans. The proceeds of these plans will be distributed outside probate and are thus entirely free from federal estate tax.

Learn more here.

Q. I’ve decided to leave a legacy to the Center. What do I do now?
A. If you make the choice to leave a legacy to the Center, thank you. Here is the information you may need.

Legal description of the Center for Biological Diversity:
The Center for Biological Diversity, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.
Federal tax ID number: 85-0420285.
Address: P.O. Box 710, Tucson, AZ, 85702-0710

For more details on leaving a legacy to the Center, please contact:
legacy@biologicaldiversity.org,
(866) 357-3349 x318 toll-free
Center for Biological Diversity
Attn: Legacy Society
P.O. Box 710
Tucson, AZ 85702

NOT A CENTER MEMBER?

Q. Can you remove me from your mailing list? I'm not a member.
A. If you're not a member of the Center for Biological Diversity, and you are receiving invitations to join, it's likely that another organization has shared your name and address with us. To be excluded from future mailings, please contact our membership team and let us know you’d rather not receive mail from the Center. We'll need the following information in order to make sure you are removed from the list:

• Your name and address exactly as they appear on the mailing
• The mailing code, which usually begins with the letter “A”

Please note that because many of our mailings are prepared in advance, it might take some time before the change takes full effect. We appreciate your patience and will do everything we can to expedite the process.