WILD AT HEART

We are stronger together

Join our annual giving society and invest in the future of wildlife

JOIN TODAY

Become Wild at Heart

Wild at Heart donors are essential partners in fulfilling the zoo’s mission to save wildlife

Since 2010, donors of the Wild at Heart annual giving society have played a vital role in advancing the mission of Woodland Park Zoo by providing consistent, substantial and transformative financial support.

Generous annual gifts of $1,000 or more have a profound impact on the well-being of our animals and the success of our species-saving programs. Your generosity powers excellent animal care, critical conservation initiatives, and community programs to protect and foster our planet’s biodiversity.

We are deeply thankful to Wild at Heart donors for their commitment to our community zoo and for helping us to safeguard the natural world for generations to come.

Join Our Pack

When you join the Wild at Heart donor pack you will enjoy perks such as zoo family membership benefits, invitations to exclusive events, specialized communications and personal tours. Furthermore, your contributions make an even bigger difference caring for animals at Woodland Park Zoo, providing educational opportunities and protecting wildlife and wild places in our community and around the world.

With your Wild at Heart status, you will receive zoo membership benefits* that include:

Unlimited access for one year for two adults and their children or grandchildren plus one flexible guest
Half-price admission for up to four guests per visit
Four one-time-use guest passes per named adult
Four complimentary animal feeding/experience passes
Five complimentary carousel rides

…and other perks, like:

Pre-sale opportunities for ZooTunes concerts and summer camps
Special Wild at Heart gifts
Invitations to exclusive events and personal zoo tours
Recognition on our website in our Annual Report

*Membership benefits have a fair market value of $375.00. You may choose to waive your membership and affiliated benefits by contacting us at 206.548.2491. If donating through the website, you can also select “yes” when asked if you would like to waive your benefits for a full tax deduction. Donors who give through a private foundation, donor-advised fund, United Way, Benevity and other similar organizations cannot receive any goods or services from Woodland Park Zoo because the initial contribution is eligible for a tax deduction. Event tickets, table sponsorships and zoo memberships do not count towards Wild at Heart status because they contain benefits that are not tax deductible.

Please be aware that membership usually takes about two weeks to process. If you would like to use your membership before this, please contact us at 206.548.2491 or at donations@zoo.org.

Plant Your Name

Help protect forests and have your generosity recognized in our new Forest Trailhead exhibit with your gift of $2,500 or more to the Forests for All fund. Honor a loved one or reflect your love of nature for generations to come with a beautiful leaf in the new exhibit.

Learn more and donate

Benefits

A light green silhouette of a bird in flight is centered on a dark green background. The bird’s wings are raised and its beak points to the left.

Goldfinch Group

$1,000-$4,999

All of the above, plus:

Invitation to special Wild at Heart events, including a sneak peek of our newest exhibit
Two Early Morning events at the zoo each summer
Wild at Heart exclusive perks to enhance special zoo days
Discounts and pre-sale access to zoo events (like ZooTunes)
Collectible enamel pin
Exclusive animal stories and updates in our monthly donor newsletter

Illustration of a pale green fir tree branch with needles and two small pinecones on a dark green background.

Western Hemlock Group

$5,000-$9,999

All of the above, plus:

VIP animal experience
Group or personal tour by invitation
10% venue discount for a private event

A white silhouette of a bear walking on all fours, set against a solid green background.

Grizzly Group

$10,000+

All of the above, plus:

Free parking all year
Invitation to a special event with zoo leadership

ZooKeepers Society

$100,000+ (cumulative giving)

The vision and lifetime contributions of members of our ZooKeepers Society sustain our zoo’s world-class programs and its leadership in education and conservation – today, tomorrow and well into the future.

Donors will receive recognition on our permanent Lifetime Supporter Wall at the zoo’s West Plaza.

If you are interested in making a gift of $25,000 or more, please call Chief Development Officer, Sarah Valentine, at 206.548.2624.
We would love to discuss the many ways in which a gift of this magnitude can benefit both you and the zoo.

Explore What Your Support Can Do

An elderly educator shows a group of attentive children an animal skull at an outdoor table covered with educational materials, in a wooded area.

Gifts of $1,000 can provide two children with camp scholarships to attend a full week of summer camp at the zoo.

A smiling boy in a wheelchair feeds a giraffe through a wooden fence at a zoo, surrounded by greenery and sunlight.

Gifts of $2,500 can provide care to our reticulated bull giraffe, Dave, one of the tallest animals on the planet, for an entire month.

Two penguins stand on a rock near water. More penguins walk and gather on rocky terrain in the background.

Gifts of $5,500 can feed Woodland Park Zoo’s endangered Humboldt penguin population with fresh fish for more than a month.

A person in camouflage clothing, a wide-brimmed hat, and a chest harness stands in a lush, green forest surrounded by thick foliage and tall trees.

Gifts of $10,500 can supply more than two months’ worth of salaries, food and transport for five Malaysian wilderness patrollers as they protect tigers from poaching.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Gifts can be made using the “Choose an amount” button above. Checks can be mailed to Woodland Park Zoo, Attention Donations, 5500 Phinney Ave. N, Seattle, WA 98103.

If you are making a gift through a donor advised fund, our tax identification number is 91-6070005. Feel free to reach out to our offices at 206.548.2491 for more information!

Our Washington state non-profit tax ID number is 91-6070005. In 2025, a Wild at Heart membership will have a fair market value of at least $375.00. The tax-deductible amount of a Wild at Heart donation is the amount donated less the fair market value of membership benefits.

If you would like to waive your Wild at Heart benefits, please contact our team at donations@zoo.org or 206.548.2491, or select “yes” when asked if you would like to waive your benefits for a tax deduction on our online donation form.

A Wild at Heart membership generally takes about one to two weeks to process. You will receive an email with your digital membership card information once your membership has been processed and is ready for use.

Donation receipts and Wild at Heart extras are typically sent within two weeks of your gift being processed*.

*If you require your donation receipt right away, please reach out to us at donations@zoo.org or 206.548.2491.

Please feel free to reach out to us at donations@zoo.org or 206.548.2491. We are available to answer questions Monday through Friday.

As a Wild at Heart donor, you not only get all the benefits included in the Conservation Partner membership, but also enjoy exclusive benefits such as invitations to special events, private tours and access to donor customer service support. You also gain the satisfaction of knowing your gift will go further to support Woodland Park Zoo’s mission of saving wildlife and inspiring everyone to make conservation a priority in their lives.

Cash donations and payments on pledges count toward qualifying for Wild at Heart. Matching gifts do not count toward reaching the initial $1,000 threshold for Wild at Heart, but once that level is reached through eligible giving, matching gifts may help increase your Wild at Heart recognition level. Please note that we may not be able to offer Wild at Heart benefits with a fair market value to donors who give through a third party or charitable foundation.

To receive information on summer camp registration and ZooTunes pre-sale tickets when they become available, you must be a current Wild at Heart donor and have a valid email address on file. You can update your email address on file by contacting us at donations@zoo.org or 206.548.2491.

Additionally, you must be subscribed to Woodland Park Zoo’s emails. If you unsubscribe at any point, you will not receive emails from the zoo until you re-subscribe by contacting us at donations@zoo.org or 206.548.2491.