Change the World and Still Support Your Loved Ones

Natasha van Bentum

Back in 1993, Diana Newman and her colleagues sat around a table wondering why so few people left charitable gifts in their estate plans. “I imagine they never even thought about doing it,” Newman said.

They had no idea their casual conversation would plant a seed that has borne fruit around the world. That simple conversation led to thinking about a community-wide effort to encourage everyone to consider charitable organizations in their estate plans. “We quickly recruited a core team of community leaders—nonprofit staff, corporate sponsors, and allied professionals—to design and implement a public awareness campaign we named Leave a Legacy.”

The prospect of an unprecedented transfer of wealth over the next decades and the fact so few individuals left a charitable bequest in their Wills were the compelling reasons to start a legacy-awareness campaign run by volunteers.

The Canadian Association of Gift Planners (CAGP), the leading professional association for gift planners and advisors, works “to create a better world through strategic charitable giving.”

…while up to 86 per cent of Canadians are aware they can leave a charitable gift in a Will, more than 60 per cent immediately reject doing so because they believe it will take away from their support of loved ones.

©iStockphoto.com/Tom Merton

Recent research conducted for the CAGP Foundation by Environics Canada showed while up to 86 per cent of Canadians are aware they can leave a charitable gift in a Will, more than 60 per cent immediately reject doing so because they believe it will take away from their support of loved ones.

Leave a Legacy evolves into a new, national campaign: WILL POWER, under the umbrella of the Canadian Association of Gift Planners.

“Five per cent of Canadians leave a gift to charity in their Wills,” says Ruth MacKenzie, CEO of CAGP and Executive Director of the CAGP Foundation. “With the upcoming rollout of the Will Power campaign, we intend to increase that number by making it clear to Canadians that leaving a charitable gift in your Will is not an either-or proposition. You can make a big difference to the causes you care about, while still taking care of the people that you love the most.”

We want people to realize that a Will can be more than just a legal means to distribute your personal assets; it can also be a powerful tool for social change.

Two obstacles that may keep people from taking action in their Wills: • deciding which charity to name in their Will; • talking to their family about it.

A qualified professional advisor can assist you to overcome obstacles in your thinking and guide you to open a positive conversation with your family members about your Will.

Laurie Fox, Director of Will Power, says, “A great number of Canadians already give to charity; Will Power is a new way to help in a significant way. We want people to realize that a Will can be more than just a legal means to distribute your personal assets; it can also be a powerful tool for social change.” Inviting Tax Benefits You want to leave a charitable gift in your Will to advance the causes you care about and taxes may be the last thing on your mind. You may be surprised to learn that Canada has some of the most generous tax incentives for charitable giving in the world. Once you make the decision to leave a gift in your Will, speak to a professional about how you can best take advantage of those tax incentives. s Natasha van Bentum, CFRE (Ret.), was a volunteer on the organizing committee for the first legacy campaign in Canada (Leave a Legacy BC). With 30 years’ experience in the field, she has written widely about the existing and emerging legacy campaigns around the world. Natasha mentors a new generation of fund development practitioners and publishes the Green Legacies Guide.

Mandy

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WESA has made sweeping changes.

Trevor Todd is an old hat (and trusted expert) at estate litigation who believes the new law is a game-changer -for his business and for your inheritance. Call Trevor to get a jumpstart on the changes. He knows them inside and out. Plus he loves to listen and to talk-a lot.