Fred Jonckheere was a local businessman, self-taught naturalist, and was an editor of an illustrated tree identification book entitled Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Trees of Haldimand-Norfolk. His love for Carolinian forests inspired him to leave his entire estate to the Long Point Basin Land Trust – a transformational gift that has allowed us to support the purchase of several properties and build capacity to launch a large land protection campaign.
Legacy giving is one of the most powerful philanthropic tools you could use to support a cause you love. If you have a passion for nature, considering a legacy gift that reflects your values and interests could give you the power to shape the future of conservation and environmental stewardship.
Types of Giving
Bequest:
You have the option to designate a specific sum of money, a property, or a portion of your estate residue to the Land Trust. Considering that you can claim up to 100% of your income on your final tax return and carry back any excess to the previous year, the tax benefits of making an estate gift can be substantial.
To ensure that your legacy gift is efficiently and accurately distributed to Long Point Basin Land Trust (charitable registration number CRA: 89113 5493 RR0001), consider using the following will wording:
“I direct my trustees to give the sum of $ ___ or ___ % of my Estate (or the residue of my Estate) to Long Point Basin Land Trust to be used for its general charitable purposes.”
Donation of Land:
Do you own land you love and would like to see protected forever? Several of the LPBLT properties have been donated by landowners who wanted to see their ecologically sensitive property preserved for future generations. As a local land trust, we take care to build relationships with landowners (and their legal/financial advisors) in the Long Point watershed to protect these natural spaces, and find the best giving option for your land donation.
For example, we can help you or your estate make the land donation through the federal Ecological Gifts Program, that may provide substantially better tax reductions on donated lands and estate income.
Donations of securities & insurance:
There are many other ways to leave a legacy, and through careful financial planning you can make sure your loved ones are provided for while also leaving a gift to Nature.
For example, you could name Long Point Basin Land Trust as the beneficiary of your life insurance policy. These gifts are exempt from probate and would go directly to the organization when you pass away. You could also transfer ownership of a fully-paid policy and receive a tax receipt for its cash surrender value
Another convenient way to make a major donation is through a gift of securities. You could eliminate capital gains while protecting wild spaces with a gift of publicly-traded securities like stocks, bonds, mutual funds or segregated funds.
Finally, you could also donate RRSPs or RRIFs. By naming Long Point Basin Land Trust as the beneficiary of your RRSP or RRIF, the remaining balance of these investments will go to the trust when you pass away. This can also help offset the taxes your estate would otherwise owe on these assets.