Technology sometimes produces unanticipated consequences. Witness Canada Revenue Agency. To its credit, CRA has implemented secure, mostly user-friendly technology over the past 20 years. For charities this includes online accounts and user-friendly “checklist” tools for charities. Unfortunately, these features sometimes create a special set of challenges for registered charities and…
Category: Philanthropy/Charitable Giving
Total 164 Posts
This blog has been written by Mahsa Pezeshki, Charity and Not for Profit Clerk at Fasken LLP Vehicles for organized and strategic charitable giving Understanding the differences between these two vehicles is a good starting point for philanthropic planning. Each giving option can be an effective and personal method for…
Canadian donors who wish to support foreign charities and international charitable initiatives have historically had limited options. While there are about 3,000 registered charities with international activities and another 700 foreign universities with qualified donee status, there are coverage gaps. It’s a big world with lots of needs. Starting in…
The headline is not intended to scare you off. Admittedly, governance is a notoriously dull topic, made worse by the enthusiasm of governance wonks. Charity governance is rarely a matter considered, at least overtly, by an estate donor when planning a gift by will. But strong governance is essential to good charities….
It’s the holidays. A time for giving, family, and tradition. The holiday mood inspired me to think about “money with purpose” that passes from one generation to the next – a bit like holiday traditions. Seeing my mother last weekend triggered these thoughts. She reminded me of a story of how she led…
Student awards are one of the most popular charitable purposes, especially in estates. Donors often strongly identify with the life changing benefit of direct educational funding to students. Named scholarship funds are often named and constitute part of the donor’s legacy. Educational awards are such a popular purpose that there…
From the 19th century to about 1990, the testamentary charitable trust was an important estate planning structure. These trusts are part of the will and are funded after death from estate assets. At one time, testamentary trusts were the primary way for an individual to support one or more charities…
One of the most common philanthropic clichés is that family foundations produce family harmony. I was recently at a forum of advisors to ultra high net worth clients. In a moment of candour, someone asked “has anyone used family foundations to promote family harmony, and has it ever worked?” The…
Changes to the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) rates and rules are scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2024. For the first time AMT will apply to charitable donations from high-income individuals, which is worrying for charities and donors. Simply, targeting donations is poor tax policy that will produce unintended…
This blog was written by Courtney Lanthier, Law Clerk at Fasken LLP. We often hear in the news of beloved celebrities passing away after years of lucrative careers. It’s also common to speculate as to how their estate will be distributed. Many celebrities have either left, or plan to…