Giving to the Gardens

Ways to support this garden by the sea

Our mission is to engage and enrich lives by displaying and conserving plants in harmony with our Northern California coastal ecosystems and to preserve public access to the coast.

As a non-profit organization, our goal is to provide a setting for plants and visitors to thrive. We do this through conservation, education, and inspiration.

How You Can Make a Difference

We have many opportunities for you to join us in our mission and help to support ongoing improvements and restoration. Here are a few options:

Membership and joining at one of our Supporter Membership Levels
Become a MCBG Volunteer
Event sponsorship — Contact us about supporting Art in the Gardens, Festival of Lights, and other special opportunities
Tax-deductible charitable contributions
Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD)
Donate to our Winter Appeal
Estate planning and planned giving
Matching gifts
Naming and dedications
Memorials and tributes
Endowment building

Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization — tax ID 94-2800886 — IRS Form 990. All contributions are tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by the law. View our non-profit profiles on Charity Navigator and Candid (formerly GuideStar).

Qualified Charitable Distribution

Looking for ways to reduce your taxes through charitable giving, but finding your traditional charitable contributions are no longer deductible as of 2018? A Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) allows IRA owners over the age of 70 ½ to transfer part or all of their annual Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) directly to a qualified charity such as the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens.

Planned Giving

A bequest is a gift made through your will or trust that creates a lasting impact. It is one of the most flexible ways you can support the Gardens. Bequests also help reduce estate taxes for your family and enable you to control how your assets are used beyond your lifetime.

Won’t you consider becoming part of MCBG’s Flowerland Society? It’s as easy as a brief conversation with your attorney; or you can contact estate planning attorney and friend of the Gardens Mary Margaret O’Rourke, (707) 937-4212, for guidance if you don’t know where to start.

If you have already named the Gardens to receive a gift from your estate, please let us know so that we can acknowledge you. Contact Jaime Jensen, Executive Director at director@gardenbythesea.org or (707) 964-4352 ext. 110. If you prefer to make your gift anonymous, please rest assured we can always honor those wishes.

Legacy Stories

Many generous supporters have chosen to leave a lasting impact on the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens through planned giving and legacy gifts. By including the Gardens in their estate plans or making a bequest, these donors are part of our newly budding Flowerland Society. Their generosity and confidence in the Gardens help preserve the beauty, plant collections, and educational programs that make the Gardens so special.

Make a Donation

A Legacy in Bloom

Ben and Scott

Ben Nicholson and Scott Vorhees first visited the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens (MCBG) in 1988 and were immediately smitten by the beauty and serenity the Gardens provide. Twenty-two years later, they decided to leave a legacy gift in their trust. We are honored by the confidence they have in us and appreciate the meaningful support that planned gifts provide. Ben and Scott are early members of the Flowerland Society, which was formed in 2024 to appreciate and recognize bequests and our legacy donors.

Ben has given to the Gardens in more ways than we can count. After moving to Fort Bragg permanently in 1998, Ben wasted no time becoming a highly active MCBG volunteer. Ben did not limit himself to weeding and pruning; he also became a certified Master Gardener and served on the MCBG Board of Directors for eight years, including Vice President for several terms. He also served on a number of committees, ranging from Finance to Personnel. Ben and Scott were the hosts and organizers of the two most successful Festival of Lights Galas ever. They have since moved to a beautiful ranch in Ohio, but their hearts are still with us, and ours with them.

Ben recalls that first visit to the Gardens: ” We fell in love with the Gardens right away. Through the years, we have enjoyed seeing it flourish to its current beauty, and we are pleased to support this treasure in perpetuity.”

When a Home Becomes a Gift

The Alice Drive Bequest

In early 2024, Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens (MGBG) received a generous gift in the form of a bequest — a family home on Alice Drive in Fort Bragg. The property was gifted to MCBG through the estate of a husband and wife* who were members of the Gardens earlier in the 2000s and who had purchased a memorial bench there in the past. Consistent with the donors’ intent, MCBG sold the home in the spring of 2024 for more than $800,000 — the largest single gift ever received by the Gardens to date.

In naming Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens in their estate, this couple became the latest members of the Flowerland Society (Flowerland Society refers to the Gardens’ original sign and tagline, “47-acre Flowerland to the Sea”). Flowerland Society members are donors, friends, and lovers of the Gardens who have chosen to leave us a share of their estate upon their passing. Gifts can be large, like the Alice Drive house, or smaller portions of a donor’s estate plan.

The Gardens' annual operating budget is just about $2.2 million – and that’s just to cover staffing and cultivate our spectacular gardens. Every year, we have major planned and unplanned maintenance projects – building construction, electrical systems, wells, bridges, and other repairs above and beyond the basic operating budget. Last year alone, we needed another $100,000 for building and ground repairs and maintenance. We anticipate longer-term capital infrastructure needs in the next several years to exceed $1 million. It is expensive to continually maintain our Gardens perched on the edge of the Pacific!

You, too, can help the Gardens grow with a planned gift from your estate. Eleven other individuals, couples, and families have named MCBG to receive all or part of their estates. By naming the Gardens as a beneficiary in your will or trust, you become an enduring partner, ensuring that the beauty and joy of the Gardens will live on to enthrall generations to come.

*The family’s name is not published here out of respect for their privacy

Thankful for our Supporter Level Members

Adventist Health Mendocino Coast . Alegria Oceanfront Inn . Ananse Village . Bell Springs Photography

Dick and Gretchen Evans . Lloyd Fickett and Deborah Wilson MD – Circle L Ranch Animal Rescue

Field and Associates . honoring Lynn Frank and Patty Slomski . Caleb Giffin – Life & Health Insurance Agent

Glass Fire Gallery . Steve and Emily Gross . Haddad & Sherwin LLP . Headlands Inn B&B

Hidden Pines RV Resort and Campground . Highway 20 Feed . Wendy Hoyt and Tom Kurowski

Janie's Dahlias . Jeanne A. Jackson . Micki Klearman and Joe Iacocca . KOZT FM – The Coast . Little River Inn

Mendocino Drone . Mendocino County Farmers Market Association . Thuy Moss . Nicholson House

North Coast Brewing Company . Kenneth Petty, M.D., Megan Thomas Petty, Esq., Arabella Petty, Dashel Petty

Steven W. Rugg and Holly Laird . Saint Arnold Brewing Company . SAS Property Preservation, LLC

Roswitha and Ken Schaffer . Seagull Inn Bed & Breakfast . Sea Rock Inn . Andrea Shepard

Dr. Beverly VonDer Pool and Dr. Phillip D. Smith

Learn more

Gratitude from the Gardens

As a nonprofit botanical garden, Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens relies on a combination of grants and community generosity to thrive. Every contribution helps the organization maintain and expand its plant collections, care for rare and endangered species, and preserve the beauty of its 47-acre coastal sanctuary.

Support from members, volunteers, donors, and community partners enables the Gardens to provide educational programs, host inspiring events, and remain accessible to all who wish to experience the wonder of nature. These supporters play a vital role in sustaining this living treasure and ensuring that future generations can enjoy, learn from, and be inspired by the Gardens.

Community Foundation of Mendocino County

The Community Foundation of Mendocino County (CFMC) is a county-wide nonprofit organization that administers permanent charitable funds established through gifts and bequests from individuals, families, businesses, and other organizations. CMFC provides a number of funding opportunities that have helped improve all aspects of the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens such as technology to help us adjust our educational opportunities to a virtual platform, and an upgrade to our admissions and membership programs. CMFC grants also funded a portion of our Sprouts Educational Program through the support of DeLucia Family Fund. MCBG wants to thank the Community Foundation of Mendocino County's staff and dedicated board of directors for your continued support!

Thanks to support from the Community Foundation of Mendocino County's Jack T. and Chatter C. Bishoff Capital Fund, we were able to improve and increase the Gardens' outdoor gathering areas with a slew of shiny new picnic tables. Most recently grants awarded by the Bishoff Foundation has provided funding for our development program, operating expenses, and trail improvements.

In addition, the Gardens receives an annual gift from the Jack T. and Chatter C. Bishoff Fund in the form of a "designated fund" established within The Community Foundation of Mendocino County. In recent years, the funding has been used to purchase of mulch and newly planted specimens in the Heath & Heather Collection and Entry Garden. Funds were also used toward the purchase of new donor management software and for improvements to our front entry, gift shop, and admissions counter.

Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust

Thanks to funding from the Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust (SSHT), you will soon notice more sustainable, earth-friendly plant labels throughout the Gardens’ 47 acres. MCBG currently creates and maintains labels for more than 3,500 recorded plant taxa. In spring of 2025, with support from the Trust, we purchased a new CO₂ laser engraver that will allow us to produce labels in anodized aluminum and painted brass—durable, non-plastic materials that uphold the integrity of our current system while reducing reliance on plastics.

The Trust also funded the Heath and Heather Collection Improvement Project, which strengthens the preservation and development of this nationally recognized collection. The collection includes 125 living taxa of Erica, Daboecia, and Calluna. Funding supported the addition of new plants and improved trail accessibility, ensuring that this unique collection remains a valuable resource for research, reference, and public enjoyment.

In the North Forest, SSHT support enhanced the Conifer Collection with new trails, a bridge, and additional conifers—further enriching this beloved part of the Gardens.

SSHT’s impact stretches back more than a decade. In 2016, the Trust, together with Friends of the Gardens, made possible the purchase of a Kubota UTV. This nimble four-wheel-drive utility vehicle, equipped with a 4,000-pound winch and hydraulic bed lift, continues to improve efficiency and safety in hauling materials across the Gardens.

The Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust has played a vital role in helping MCBG preserve plant collections, improve visitor access, and adopt more sustainable practices—all while ensuring the Gardens thrive as a place of learning, beauty, and discovery.

William and Inez Mabie Family Foundation

You may have noticed some commotion around the historic farmhouse at the east edge of our Vegetable Garden. Funding from the William and Inez Mabie Family Foundation allowed us to repurpose the Farmhouse into an education center. Plenty of work was required to renovate the 100+-year-old building, including work on the foundation, floors, windows, and stairs. Walls were removed to create a large meeting space and the first floor is now ADA-accessible. We thank the William and Inez Mabie Family Foundation for supporting the Gardens and encouraging us to increase our educational offerings to the community.

The Education Center is being used for workshops, lectures, and events. Be sure to join us for one of the upcoming educational happenings in the newly refurbished 1890's farmhouse. The William and Inez Mabie Family Foundation is dedicated to providing philanthropic support to worthy causes, primarily in the areas of education and medicine.

American Rhododendron Society

Thanks to funding from the American Rhododendron Society, we will be improving our facilities used to propagate rhododendrons. The improvements will allow the Mendocino Coast Botanical Garden to preserve and enhance our Rhododendron Collection by propagating from our own unique specimens, helping us maintain and share our collection with our guests. All rhododendrons that are not needed for planting in the Gardens are made available to the public in the retail nursery, providing everyone with the opportunity to purchase locally propagated rhododendrons.

Savings Bank of Mendocino County

Small Business Lending and Savings Bank of Mendocino County chose the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens as the beneficiary of the “Denim Days Donation” for the month of August 2023! This effort has made a significant impact, more than $100,000 has been donated to local non-profit organizations through Savings Bank’s Casual for a Cause – Denim Days Program since it began. We are honored to have been chosen and greatly appreciate the support.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about supporting the Gardens, call us at 707-964-4352 ext 113 or email administration@gardenbythesea.org.