Leaving a Legacy: Gift and Estate Planning

Your legacy can transform theirs

At Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada, we believe every child across the country deserves an opportunity to thrive.

With your support, children and youth involved with the child welfare system can move from surviving to thriving.

Your future gift to Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada — such as naming the Foundation in your Will or designating us as the beneficiary of a registered asset in your lifetime — is an impactful way to remove barriers to well-being and stability for the young people we serve.

A future gift allows you to create a powerful legacy in support of a cause close to your heart — one that will be remembered for years to come.

As you reflect on the kind of legacy you’d like to leave, we are grateful for your generosity and are here to help you along the way.

Beverley “People think that leaving a gift to a charity in your Will means you can’t also support your family, but that’s not the case. You can do both. You can ensure your family will be taken care of and leave a gift to a cause you care about. I always say to people: think ‘and’, not ‘or’!” – Beverley, Stand Up for Kids Legacy Society member

Ways to create a future gift

There are many ways to create a future gift that will be realized either during or after your lifetime. Explore the options below to learn more, and please feel free to contact Jane Durno, Director, Gift Planning, at [email protected] for more information.

A young girl

Give a gift in your Will

Leaving a gift in your Will is a simple but powerful way to create a legacy of support that will last long past your own lifetime and help children and youth from care achieve their dreams.

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Benefits of creating a gift in your Will? There are so many! These include:

Increased impact: Often, a gift in your Will allows you to leave a much larger gift than would have been possible during your lifetime.
Legacy: You can create a legacy as unique as you are by supporting a cause that’s close to your heart while ensuring your family is well taken care of.
Tax relief: A gift in your Will is an effective way to reduce estate taxes.
Cost effective: Creating a future gift through your Will does not affect your current financial circumstances.

Here are some of the most common ways to create a gift in your Will:

Leave a residual bequest. This is a % amount of the remainder of your estate once your loved ones have been taken care of.
Leave a specific dollar amount.
Leave a contingent bequest — a share of your estate after other named beneficiaries have passed on.

In all cases, Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada strongly recommends that you seek professional advice and speak with your family and loved ones to ensure your financial goals are considered, your tax situation is reviewed, your charitable goals are fulfilled, and your planned gift is tailored to your family circumstances. A financial advisor or lawyer can help you include a gift to Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada in your Will.

You will need to provide the following information:

Legal Name: Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada
Charitable Registration Number: 108076480-RR0001
Address: 25 Spadina Road, Toronto, ON, M5R 2S9

Download Sample Wording for a Will

Do you want to establish an endowment fund at Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada to create impact in perpetuity? There is a minimum capital requirement to establish a named endowment fund. For more information, please contact Jane Durno, Director, Gift Planning at [email protected].

If you have already left a gift in your Will to Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada or intend to, thank you! Please let us know by filling out our online form or downloading the below PDF (and sending it to [email protected]) so we can thank you personally and get you set up as a member of the Stand Up for Kids Legacy Society. We will respect your privacy and confidentiality.

Complete the online form

Download PDF

Gifts of securities

Giving a gift of securities is an easy and tax-efficient way to help make a difference in the lives of the kids we serve. When you donate publicly traded shares, you will receive a tax receipt for the full value of the shares.

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Your gift can be in the form of publicly traded securities, exchangeable securities, bonds, or mutual funds. You can give now, or as part of your estate and Will planning.

To make a gift of securities, simply contact your financial advisor and complete the below form.

Complete the Donation of Securities form

If you want your gift to establish an endowment fund through a gift of securities to create impact in perpetuity, please let us know as there is a minimum capital requirement to establish a named endowment fund.

Contact Jane Durno, Director, Gift Planning at [email protected] to learn more.

Gifts of life insurance

When you give a new or existing life insurance policy to Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada, you’re turning small monthly premiums into a HUGE gift.

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Donating a life insurance policy isn’t subject to taxes, probate costs or estate debts, and you can make a substantial contribution through relatively small monthly or yearly payments. The insurance benefit will eventually be paid directly to Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada. And you’ll receive a charitable tax receipt that can be used in your lifetime, or for your estate.

Ways to donate life insurance:

Name Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada as the beneficiary of an existing policy. This is a good option if you already have a policy that your family no longer needs for financial stability. Your estate receives a tax receipt for the proceeds of the policy.
Take out a new policy naming Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada as the beneficiary. You’ll receive a charitable tax receipt for the cash value of the policy, and you’ll receive annual tax receipts for your ongoing premium payments.
Transfer ownership of an existing policy to Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada and receive a charitable tax receipt for the cash value of the policy. If you owe annual premiums on the policy, you’ll still pay them, but you’ll also receive tax receipts in the amount of your payments.
Transfer ownership of a partially paid-up policy with Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada named as the beneficiary. You will get a tax receipt for the fair market value of the policy and annual tax receipts for your ongoing premium payments.

To make a gift of life insurance, contact Jane Durno at [email protected] and your insurance provider to transfer ownership of a policy, create a new policy or change the policy beneficiary to Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada.

Gifts of retirement funds

Did you know that RRSPs and RRIFs can be the most heavily taxed assets on transfer to the next generation? Luckily, there is a tax-smart and effective solution.

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Part or all your RRSP or RRIF can be donated to Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada through a bequest in your Will or a direct designation by naming Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada as a beneficiary of the plan. (Note that Quebec residents cannot make a direct designation.)

If the donation of the RRSP or RRIF is made as direct designation rather than through a bequest, the donation is not part of the estate and will therefore not be subject to probate. No tax is withheld by the financial institution which means that the entire plan balance could be paid directly to Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada and a tax receipt issued to the estate. In addition to being excluded from probate, your privacy is maintained since it will not be part of a public record and it also means your donation reaches Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada faster.

The benefits include:

Increased impact: You can make a significant gift in the future, increasing your charitable impact and advancing the mission of the Foundation.
No probate fees: If naming Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada as the beneficiary, the retirement fund is not part of your estate and is not subject to probate fees.
Tax efficient: The tax receipt offsets some of the tax burden on your estate.
Legacy: You’ll have peace of mind knowing that you’ve created a legacy for the kids we serve while retaining ownership and use of the funds during your lifetime.

How do I donate retirement funds?

This gift is quite simple and easy to do. Just request a Change of Beneficiary form from your plan administrator and name Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada as beneficiary of all or a percentage of your RRSP or RRIF account. Return the form to your provider and notify Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada by contacting Jane Durno, Director, Gift Planning at [email protected].

You can also name your estate as the beneficiary of your RRSP or RRIF and leave instructions in your Will to donate all or part of your RRSP or RRIF to Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada. You may specify a percentage of the RRSP or RRIF or a specific dollar amount to be donated. The donation qualifies for the charitable Will bequest donation tax credit for up to 100% of income in the year of death and in the year preceding.

If you have any questions, please contact Jane Durno, Director, Gift Planning at [email protected].

Would you like more information about planning a future gift to Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada?

Please fill out the form and we’ll be in touch soon!

Resources and Forms

If I had to say something to someone who is considering donating to Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada Foundation, I would say look no further. It is probably one of the most important places to donate because you’re impacting the lives of so many youth and just changing the trajectory of their lives.

— Jessie, teacher, former youth in care

Any gift in any size matters to our kids. We are grateful to you for sharing our mission to help improve the lives of as many children as possible across Canada.