Celebrate Leave a Legacy Month This May

May is Leave a Legacy Month, a national campaign encouraging people to consider leaving gifts to charities through their wills or other planned giving vehicles. This initiative aims to highlight the importance and ease of making a lasting impact on causes you care about, such as LDS – Learn. Develop. Succeed. 

Why Leave a Legacy? 

Leaving a legacy is a meaningful way to be remembered and support the charities that matter most to you without impacting your current financial situation. Not only do legacy gifts ensure the sustainability and stability of these organizations, but they are also flexible and adaptable to changing circumstances. Additionally, they offer significant tax incentives. 

Remember, any gift, no matter the size, can make a substantial difference in the lives of those in need! 

Why LDS? 

At LDS, the needs of our families grow each year. Funds raised through legacy gifts are crucial for building and sustaining our internal bursary fund, which provides early and critical learning support for children, youth, and families in need. 

“[My daughter] loves her sessions [at LDS] and there are so many benefits tracking, from actually gaining further proficiency in core subjects to self-esteem which, in her public school career, has been seriously deteriorating.  That she can come to LDS twice a week, learn, feel good about the learning, and have a relationship with an educator that is so productive means the world to her — to both of us!” 

Parent of Grade 7 RISE One-to-One student

How to Leave a Legacy Gift 

It is important to let the charity know when you leave them a legacy gift so they can appropriately plan. There are several ways to leave a legacy gift: 

• Through a Will: Designate a specific cash amount (e.g., $10,000), a percentage of the residue of your estate after all other items have been settled (e.g., 5.5%), or the cash proceeds of the liquidation of other assets (e.g., real property). 
• Life Insurance: List LDS as a beneficiary of your life insurance policy. 
• Retirement Funds: Name LDS as a beneficiary of your RRSP or RRIF. 
• Donor-Advised Funds: Set up a fund to distribute gifts to LDS. 

Legacy giving is within everyone’s reach. Over 3 million Canadians have included a charity in their will, with 1 in 10 planning to leave part of their estate to charity.  

Make a Lasting Impact 

This month, consider leaving a legacy gift to LDS and help ensure we can continue providing critical support to families in need. For more information on how you can leave a legacy, visit our donor page here. 

Together, we can make a lasting impact that will benefit future generations. 

– Katherine Withnall, Development Officer

LDS is a community of dedicated professionals who write collaboratively. We recognize the contribution of unnamed team members for their wisdom and input.