Planned Giving
Make a Gift Today—Leave a Legacy Tomorrow
Planned giving helps you achieve your financial goals while also supporting the important work of Easter Seals Canada. Through a planned gift to Easter Seals, you will help ensure that all Canadians living with disabilities have access to the life-changing equipment, technology, programs, services and support they need to truly access their world, make the most of their abilities and live life to the fullest.
Planned gifts provide vital, stable support for our work and can have a profound impact for those living with disabilities today, and well into the future.
There are many ways to make a planned gift to Easter Seals Canada:
Wills & Charitable Bequests
A charitable bequest made through your will allows you to leave a larger gift to Easter Seals than would be possible during your lifetime—it is a simple, yet powerful way of giving. In your will, you can choose to leave Easter Seals a specific piece of property, securities, cash or a percentage of your estate. By planning now, you can leave a lasting legacy for the future.
A charitable bequest through your will provides:
- Satisfaction of giving a future gift while retaining control of your assets during your lifetime
- A charitable tax receipt to your estate
- Reduction or elimination of estate taxes through careful planning
Leaving a gift to Easter Seals in your will is simple. Speak to your lawyer about drafting or revising your will or adding a codicil. Letting us know that you have made a bequest allows us the opportunity to thank you today and ensure that your gift can accomplish what you would like it to.
Endowment Funds
A charitable endowment fund is a one-time or ongoing donation that is held in trust by Easter Seals Canada and is permanently invested—providing income that supports Easter Seals every year. Named in your own name, or to honour a loved one, a charitable endowment fund can be established to support a specific Easter Seals program, service or initiative.
Establishing a named endowment fund creates a legacy and is a strong personal statement of your support and commitment to Easter Seals and the families we serve.
Gifts of Life Insurance
Gifts of life insurance are an affordable and effective way to transform modest insurance premium payments into a much more substantial gift for Easter Seals. The donation of life insurance provides a number of benefits, such as:
- Smaller current cash investment leveraged into a larger future gift
- A charitable tax receipt
- Tax savings in your lifetime or for your estate
You can give the gift of life insurance in the follow ways:
- Name Easter Seals Canada as the beneficiary of a life insurance policy. Your estate will receive a tax receipt for the proceeds of the policy.
- Transfer ownership of a paid-up policy with Easter Seals Canada named as the beneficiary. You can choose to receive a tax receipt for the fair market value of the policy, or defer the tax receipt for your estate.
- Transfer ownership of a partially paid-up policy with Easter Seals Canada named as the beneficiary. You will receive a tax receipt for the fair market value of the policy along with annual tax receipts for your ongoing premium payments.
- Take out a new policy with Easter Seals Canada as the owner and beneficiary. You will receive annual tax receipts for your ongoing premium payments.
Gifts of Securities
A gift of securities is a cost-effective opportunity to transform an asset into immediate and significant support for Easter Seals. By donating publicly traded securities—such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds, flow-through shares or stock options—you eliminate the capital gains tax that becomes payable if you were to sell the appreciated securities on the market and donate the proceeds from the sale to Easter Seals.
The benefits of donating securities include:
- Option of giving now or as part of your estate and will planning
- Satisfaction of seeing your gift put to good use today
- A charitable tax receipt
- No capital gains tax paid
- Donating part of your stock and retaining the remainder for personal use
Donating a gift of appreciated securities is easy, you simply have to:
- Determine with your financial advisor which investments will make the most philanthropic and financial impact.
- Contact Easter Seals Canada and let us know you have made your gift.
- Instruct your broker to transfer your securities directly to Easter Seals Canada and complete the appropriate transfer form.
Gifts of RRSP & RRIF Funds
Making a gift of RRSPs or RRIFs is a simple and tax-savvy way to transform these assets into significant support for Easter Seals. By naming Easter Seals Canada as a beneficiary of your registered plan, you will receive a tax receipt for the value of the plan, avoid probate fees by removing these assets from your estate, and reduce your estate taxes.
A gift of RRSPs or RRIFs is a worthwhile alternative to a cash gift and you can donate all or a portion of your remaining retirement funds to Easter Seals.
The benefits of donating RRSPs and RRIFs include:
- Providing a significant future gift, while still retaining ownership and use of the registered fund during your lifetime
- Charitable tax receipt for your estate
- Opportunity to offset estate taxes and reduce probate fees
- Ability to make a donation, while still providing for your family by naming more than one beneficiary
Donor Advised Funds
A donor advised fund allows you to have control, flexibility and involvement with your gift and is a simple and cost-effective alternative to creating your own private foundation. A donor advised fund allows you to establish a personalized, named fund and decide how your philanthropic gift is used, without the complications, associated costs and administrative requirements of a private foundation.
A donor advised fund provides an opportunity to create your own legacy or honour a loved one by establishing a named fund to support Easter Seals (and other charities of your choice) now and in the future. When you establish your fund, you will receive a tax receipt for your initial donation, as well as all subsequent contributions. If you use appreciated securities to establish your fund, you will also be exempt from paying capital gains tax.
Gifts of Property
Gifts of property provide an opportunity to make a more significant commitment to Easter Seals than might be possible with other types of giving. Gifts of property offer a substantial tax benefit and can be made in a number of different ways—you can give the property outright, place it in trust where you retain the use of it for life, or gift it by will.
Gifts of property can include things like:
- Real estate – such as a home, cottage, a piece of land, or a commercial building
- Personal property – such as jewellery, antiques or memorabilia
- Cultural property – such as a painting, sculpture or other piece of art
- Capital property – such as stocks, bonds, RRSPs, RRIFs or mutual funds
Charitable Gift Annuities
A charitable gift annuity allows you to make a gift to Easter Seals Canada, while at the same time receiving a guaranteed income for life. You can establish a charitable gift annuity by donating a sum of money to Easter Seals Canada. A portion of the gift represents an immediate charitable donation to Easter Seals for which you will receive a tax receipt. The remaining amount is used to purchase a commercial annuity to provide a guaranteed stream of income for you and your surviving partner.
Charitable Remainder Trusts
A charitable remainder trust is a life income gift that enables you to give today and receive immediate tax savings while retaining use of the asset. After a prescribed period of time, or upon your death, the asset is transferred to Easter Seals Canada.
Essentially, a charitable remainder trust irrevocably transfers a property (investments, real estate, work of art, etc.) into a trust to be managed by a trustee (a financial institution, yourself, a lawyer or other individuals). Easter Seals is named as the remainder beneficiary in trust, while you reserve an interest in the property for life.
The result of this planned gift is that you can receive income or use of the property during your life along with a tax receipt that you can use today. The value of the tax deduction available to you will depend on the value of the property, your age, beneficiary and other beneficiaries and the period of time that the income interest will exist.
Thinking About Making a Planned Gift?
Easter Seals Canada strongly recommends and encourages that you seek independent professional advice to review your personal tax situation and long-term financial goals to ensure that your planned gift is strategically tailored to your current and future circumstances.
For more information about any of these planned giving options, or to discuss how you can make a gift to support the important and life-changing work of Easter Seals Canada, please contact:
Casey Sabawi
Senior Manager, National Corporate Partnerships
