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4 most people . A taxpayer may also make a lifetime transfer of $ 600 , 000 without being subject to estate or gift tax. Also of significance is the fact that the total value of the landowner ' s estate, and consequently the estate tax, may be reduced by making a charitable donation of a portion of land or by restricting the entire parcel with a conservation easement . A donation made during a landowner' s lifetime may also qualify for an income tax deduction . Property Taxes . Restricting a property ' s use through a conservation easement may reduce the owner' s property taxes . Some states, including North Carolina, have laws that allow a property under certain circumstances to be assessed based on its current use value . For this reason, a conservation easement that reduces the fair market value of the land may or may not reduce the property taxes . As an example, where the land is assessed based on its use as farm or forest, a conservation easement will probably not reduce the property taxes . In contrast, where land is assessed based on its fair market value, a significam property tax reduction may result . Appraisal & Valuation . A deduction for a charitable gift of property with a value in excess of $ 57000 is possible but only if the donor obtains a qualified appraisal from a qualified appraiser and files an appraisal summary (IRS Form 8283 ) with the tax return on which the deduction is first claimed . IRS regulations govern what constitutes a qualified appraisal and a qualified appraiser, and an attorney familiar with charitable donations of land should be consulted to be sure these requirements are met . Financing Land Protection Land and easement purchases can be financed through three basic methods : fundraising from the private sector, government funding, and using market forces . On average, land trusts finance more than two-thirds of their acquisition costs by fundraising from the private sector . In areas where government funding is available, such funding can be a vital element of a land trust ' s acquisition program. Fundraising . A project campaign is a focused drive to raise money solely for a certain project rather than for a trust ' s operating expenses . Raising money for a specific project is easier because giving to save a certain piece of land has more appeal than paying the trust ' s utility bill . People are also more inclined to give when they know exactly what their money is going towards . In North Carolina, charitable solicitations undertaken by a nonprofit corporation such as a land trust to raise funds to finance its operations may be subject to regulation under state statute . The primary purpose of N . C . General Statute 13 IF, the Charitable Solicitations Act, is to protect the general public and public charity from unlawful solicitations and to provide for the establishment of basic standards for the solicitation and use of charitable funds . Any corporation or entity that solicits charitable contributions must apply for and obtain a license from the N . C . Department of Human Resources on an annual basis . Government Funds . Governments funds can come from the federal, state, and local level . At the federal level, a recent source of acquisition funding is the Farmland Protection Program in the 1996 farm bill . For a local entity to be eligible, it must have an active farmland preservation 1 ? r `