Legacy Circle spotlight: Ken Hayes

By Sofia Baum | 1.5-minute read

This summer, we’re highlighting leaders who are shaping Oregon’s future. Today, we are pleased to introduce 1000 Friends of Oregon board member and Legacy Circle member Ken Hayes, who is also an active influencer for discretionary grantmaking through his mother’s foundation.

A person wearing a navy blue collared shirt faces the camera, while positioned in front of a scenic landscape of rolling farmland, fields in autumn colors, and distant forested hills under a clear blue sky.

Ken’s perspective has been shaped by both lived experience and decades of civic engagement—from witnessing the effects of unplanned development in California to becoming a strong voice for Oregon’s land use system and urban growth boundaries. In addition to being a 1000 Friends board member, Ken also serves on the board of the Oregon League of Conservation Voters (OLCV), and has been providing ongoing support to many organizations working to protect Oregon’s communities and landscapes.

We are grateful for Ken’s continued leadership and the values he brings to this work of helping ensure Oregon remains a place where communities and landscapes can thrive together. This summer, you, too can make a difference in shaping Oregon’s future by making a tax-smart gift.

Five people sit on chairs arranged in a circle in an indoor setting, holding papers and wearing nametags. They appear to be talking to one another.
1000 Friends of Oregon board member Ken Hayes (right, gray shirt) and 1000 Friends board president Gil Kelley (left, white shirt) engage in conversation with fellow board and staff members during the 2025 board and staff retreat in Garibaldi.

Here are a few options to steward your Oregon legacy:

  • Stock or cryptocurrency contributions: Donating appreciated assets may help reduce capital gains taxes, allowing more of your support to go toward protecting Oregon’s communities and landscapes.
  • IRA gifts: If you’re age 70½ or older, a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) can reduce taxable income while helping satisfy your Required Minimum Distribution.
  • Donor-advised fund (DAF) grants: If you’ve already set aside charitable funds, recommending a grant to 1000 Friends puts those dollars to work right away.

We also want to note that recent tax changes have affected how donors are giving this year. To learn more about how they may impact you, read this piece from our partner at FreeWill.

Whether through a planned gift or another tax-smart giving option, your generosity helps ensure Oregon’s farms, forests, and communities will be able to thrive for generations to come.

We invite you to explore how these giving opportunities can deepen your impact—and perhaps follow Ken’s lead in building a legacy that lasts!

 

Give smart today