SickKids Foundation’s year-end giving campaign has generated a lot of attention for its gripping “Vs” spots. Skillfully edited, the ad borrows fight, hip-hop and adventure movie imagery to dramatize the plight of the hospital’s young patients. This campaign is highly effective and a great example of visceral, urgent annual fundraising. …
Category: Philanthropy/Charitable Giving
Total 164 Posts
Since the announcement of the “estate donation” rules in the 2014 Federal Budget, there have been a number of amendments that have addressed sector concerns and drafting errors. One unintended consequence in the original estate donation provisions relates to gifts of private company shares. At the June 2015 STEP conference…
University of New Hampshire library cataloger and alumnus Robert Morin died in 2015 at the age of 77. Morin, known for his thrifty lifestyle, spent little on food or clothes, and drove a 1992 Plymouth until his death. His will bequeathed a $4 million fortune to his employer, with the…
Combining estate plans and lifetime financial plans can be challenging, especially for individuals who have dedicated a significant portion of their estate to charity, for example 50% or more. Wills are often drafted independently of lifetime financial plans. The drafting lawyer may not ask the question “is it prudent and…
Life insurance is an effective way to make a significant future donation, but the unfortunate reality is that charitable policies have a high lapse rate. Thousands of policies have been donated since 1979 when the Canada Revenue Agency allowed premiums to be receipted. Sadly too few pay out to fund…
Deaccession. It’s a word that brings chills to donors and would-be donors of art to public galleries. The ingratitude. The betrayal. How can they sell my gift, my art?! To deaccession is, in conventional curatorial thinking, to break trust with donors. It chases them away. In the spirit of pragmatism,…
As a philanthropic advisor, I constantly discuss legacy with clients. Beyond a gift by will, a legacy transmits values, acts, and funds in a way that makes the world a bit better place. Quite unexpectedly, I recently found out my great-great grandfather, George Uglow Pope, left what I can only…
I want to float a trial balloon about charitable trusts. A clause stipulating that a trust should be limited to using income for charitable purposes, meaning that capital is untouchable, should be viewed as an administrative clause and not part of the charitable objects. The charitable purposes of the trust…
I have a friend who inherited 1 million dollars from a distant uncle. Sounds like a healthy inter generational wealth transfer occurred. She has no children. She does not worry about whether she will be leaving an inheritance. Instead, she enjoyed a trip around the world and is keeping money aside for her golden years….
Charities face a bizarre challenge when administering gifts by will. It should be simple. After the donor’s death, a charity named as a recipient of an estate donation becomes the beneficiary of a trust. The money is owed to the charity and the interest in the trust is legally enforceable. …