LEAVING A LEGACY

Planning a donation is an act of generosity. It's giving, sharing, helping. It's also an act of respect in memory of someone dear. It's supporting a cause close to one's heart while enjoying interesting tax shelters and exemptions.

Leaving a legacy lets your loved ones know what was very dear to you. Each donation remains for charity organizations, the moral and financial support that allows them to pursue their activities for the benefit of a community, in our case, for the benefit of the visually handicapped community.

Wills and Bequests

The will allows you to plan according to your wishes, to make sure the proper measures are taken and your intentions are respected. A tax receipt is emitted to the succession of the deceased.

The Quebec Foundation for the Blind has had the privilege of being the recipient of bequests for which it is extremely grateful. Planned giving enables a charity organization to pursue its mission and to look to the future. A gift from the heart that carries itself beyond one’s life.

Gift of Insurance

A simple and discreet way to give. By taking out a life insurance policy and designating the Québec Foundation for the Blind as owner and beneficiary, you will receive tax receipts for your paid annual premiums.

Charitable Gift Annuities

A charitable gift annuity is a way of donating an irrevocable gift to the Québec Foundation for the Blind in return for guaranteed income for the rest of your life.

Charitable Remainder Trusts

The cash or asset is placed in trust and you are entitled to an annual income for life from your invested principal. The gift which is irrevocable, is held in trust and can be administered by you or a professional of your choice.

Gift of Securities

Since such a gift can have an impact on revenue, you can choose to donate stocks, bonds, mutual funds, bills and other publicly-traded securities to the Québec Foundation for the Blind.

The Foundation will issue a tax receipt for the fair market value of the gift at the time of the donation. The donor will report the disposition of the securities in his/her tax return and determine the capital gains at a specified rate.

Leave a Legacy^TM

The Québec Foundation for the Blind has become a philanthropic partner of the Leave a LegacyTM program, to promote gift planning, especially bequests. A bequest is a simple way for people to carry on, after they are gone, with their commitment to a charity that they particularly value.

Steps to leave a legacy:

The donor chooses the cause and organization he/she wishes to support. He/she will then make sure the organization has the necessary business number to issue official receipts for charity donations and is duly registered according to Revenue Canada Customs and Excise (www.ccra-adrc.gc.ca).
Once the organization has been designated and verified, it is important to consult with a financial consultant (tax expert, accountant, planner) or legal adviser (notary, lawyer) to obtain as much information as possible in order to make the best choice possible. The choices can be to:
1. Leave some or all of your assets to one or several charities of your choice.
2. Mention a specific amount of money in your will or a percentage of the value of your assets to one or several charity organizations or institutions of your choice.
3. Consider the possibility of leaving securities, real estate, works of arts, jewellery, etc….
4. Name an organization or institution as the beneficiary of your Registered Retirement Savings Plan or pension plan(s).
5. Name a charity or institution as the beneficiary of a life insurance policy.
Lastly, the donor can inform the organization(s) to which the legacy will be bequested. This gesture will be a source of encouragement for others to do so and will ensure that the donor's last will and testament are respected.

Every gift, no matter how modest, is much appreciated.