Professional Advisors play a critical role in helping their clients create and realize their philanthropic vision. As Oakville’s Leading Philanthropic Solutions Provider, we continued this year with the goal of educating and engaging local Professional Advisors and making them aware of the charitable gift options that are available for their clients.
The uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic has many of us thinking about future planning, and in that vein, the Canadian Association of Gift Planners’ (CAGP) new WillPower™ campaign could not have come at a better time.
Will Power™ is a public education effort aimed at empowering more Canadians to leave a gift in their Will to charity, an act that could significantly advance the causes you care about. WillPower™ aims to make gifts in Wills the social norm, with the goal to open-up $40 billion in gifts to charities by 2030.
The Foundation acted as a lead partner, as we joined with more than 80 charities, financial advisors and legal services from across the Hamilton-Oakville-Niagara Region to show Canadians how they can leave a gift to charity in their Will while still taking care of the ones they love.
“Choosing to participate in this campaign was never an option. We needed to do it for our local charities and for the well-being of our community, as we know how important philanthropy is in supporting the community’s most vulnerable,” said Les Ross, Member of the Community Legacy Building Committee and PearTree Canada’s Vice President of Business Development. “Sadly there are so many of us who don’t realize that they can give to charity through their Will, and also support their own family.”
With the importance of this campaign, we wanted to ensure our local charities were engaged as many have philanthropy-minded clients who are looking for ways to increase their charitable horizons. The Foundation supported five local charities and enabled them to benefit from the network of professionals involved in this campaign.
In August, we hosted the “Building Your Business Through Philanthropic Conversations” webinar which was generously sponsored by PearTree Canada, as part of the WillPower™ campaign. This webinar was led by Paul Nazareth, at CAGP, who took time to speak to advisors in the finance, business and legal sectors on the importance of planned giving and having philanthropic conversations with their clients.
Paul is a knowledgeable and passionate speaker and we want to thank him again for being such a large part of this event’s success. The Foundation will be participating in the national WillPower™ campaign beginning in the Fall of 2021.
The Importance of Future Planning: All it takes is a little WillPower™
We know that talking about your Will can be difficult. It brings up a lot of things we’d rather not think about. However, this document can be a powerful tool for building community and providing the charities you care about with the resources they need. If done right, it doesn’t have to come at the expense of your children’s inheritance.
There are numerous ways to plan your generosity so that it impacts the future generations. Depending on your preferences, financial position and other factors there will be a Planned Giving option that’s right for you. But, for now, let’s start with the end – your Will.
Making a charitable gift through your Estate can result in significant tax savings. A charitable bequest in your Will can provide a percentage of your Estate, or a gift of the residue (which consists of whatever remains in your Estate after gifts to your loved ones and all expenses have been paid).
Not only can we effect change today, but we believe that the future strength and prosperity of our community starts with long-term investments made today. Our job at The Foundation is to keep an eye on our community’s needs and put resources where they are most needed.
If you haven’t already done so, we encourage you to think about how you can begin the journey of philanthropic giving – not only for your own legacy but for your family and loved ones – through a gift in your Will.
