Why give?

James Bay Community Project

By Paula Greene

Many of you may have read the sad but inspiring story of a local man, Mr. Young. Following a fatal accident it was discovered that Young had left his house to the Victoria Cool-Aid Society. He lived around the corner from me and I didn’t know him well, only to say hello to in passing. Since reading about his accident I have been greatly affected by Mr. Young’s generosity and the impact his gift will have on so many people; what an incredible legacy to leave behind you.

As May is ‘Leave a Legacy’ month I was curious to discover why people give. Why donate at all? According to Imagine Canada the top reasons for making a charitable donation are:

• you have compassion for those in need (89%);
• you personally believe in a cause and want to help (85%);

so you can contribute to your communities (79%);

• you have been personally affected by an organization’s cause (61%);
• your religious obligations or beliefs (29%); and
• to receive income tax credit (23%)

There are approximately 170,000 charities in Canada and 84% of Canadians donate a staggering $10.6 billion dollars a year (Stats Canada 2010); that’s an average gift size of $440. It’s not just money that Canadians give over 54% of the charities registered in Canada rely on volunteers to run them; I can’t begin to conceive the impact on society if Canadians didn’t care as much as they do.

On further investigation I found out that Canada’s charitable and non-profit sector is the 2nd largest in the world; the Netherlands is the largest; the United States is # 5 (Imagine Canada) and that the Canadian not-for-profit sector accounts for 8.1% of GDP, which is larger than the auto or manufacturing industries. So it’s obvious that Canadians care… a lot!

While most of you will be familiar with how to make a donation to your charity of choice it may be that many more of you aren’t aware that you can leave a gift in your will and continue a legacy of support to your favourite causes.  In fact research shows that only 7% of donors continue to support their charities of choice through planning a gift in their will and designating a charity as a beneficiary (Leave a Legacy).

Choosing to leave a planned gift can be incredibly meaningful for you and dramatically impact the causes that mean the most to you. It can also relieve a potential tax burden left to family and relatives. At James Bay Community Project (JBCP) knowing that you have left JBCP in your will helps us plan for the future and work in partnership with you to ensure that your wishes are carried out. The families, youth, seniors and adults with disabilities that rely on JBCP programs would continue to benefit from your legacy.

To find out more about leaving a bequest is to visit LEAVE A LEGACY™: www.leavealegacy.ca.  LEAVE A LEGACY™ is a national public awareness program designed to encourage donors like you to leave a gift through your will or other gift planning methods to a charity or non-profit organization of your choice. You can find out about the different types of estate gifts you can make as well as how to get the proper independent professional advice.

For more information about how to donate to JBCP contact Paula Greene 250.388.7844 Ext: 309.