…the pitch for year-end giving!  If you haven’t made your annual charitable contribution, here’s some helpful information…

Money makes the world go ’round. Unfortunately, in this day and age as we watch greed devastate our environment, this statement is all too true. But if we shift perspective a little and put that statement into the context of philanthropy, it turns into something wonderful. That is the reason I love my job; connecting philanthropists with causes that desperately need their generosity is truly awesome to watch.

This is the time of year when many Canadians think about making gifts to help others. Giving to charity looks different for every Canadian family.  As a whole, we are a generous and intelligent society. Donors are becoming increasingly more aware and savvy as to where their money goes while non-profits have to be more transparent and accountable to their donors.

If you are in the position this year to donate, and choose to donate to RAVEN, thank you!  For those who may be choosing between cash and securities, here is something to consider.  It actually makes more sense to donate shares or securities that have appreciated in value than giving cash of an equivalent amount to your favourite charity.

Gifting investments to a charity can trigger a capital gain or capital loss, depending on whether the investments have appreciated or declined in value. In the case of capital gains, one half of gains are normally taxable when those gains are realized, but thanks to changes introduced by the Canadian government in 2006, any capital gain triggered by making a donation of publicly traded securities to a registered charity is eliminated under tax law.

The result? Donating securities that have appreciated in value is more beneficial to both the donor and the charity.  RAVEN has a generous portfolio manager at Edward Jones who waives his fees on any transactions and we are set up to receive securities donations.  His name is Ali Nozari and if you email or call ((250) 544-4939), he can fully explain how your generosity with security donations is win-win. 

Laurie MacKenzie
RAVEN Development Director
laurie@raventrust.com