Donating to charity in your Will: the why and the how

Born and raised in Victoria, Wendy Stewart is a fourth generation Victorian who continues to give back to her hometown through the Victoria Foundation. By including a gift in her Will, Wendy is ensuring her legacy of generosity will live on. This video shares her family’s rich history and explores the causes she is most passionate about.

The Victoria Foundation is a partner in the national Will Power initiative. Did you know that, as part of your Will, you can set aside money for charity? You may have heard this called planned or legacy giving. And you’ll probably hear a lot more about it in the coming years: a Will Power study found a significant increase (5% to 10%) in the number of Canadians donating to charity in their Wills.

In real numbers, that’s 1.2 million more Canadians giving in their Wills, creating roughly $37 billion in future donations.

Think about how much good $37 billion could do…how many acres of forest could be saved, how many diseases eradicated, how many people lifted out of poverty. Think about what a big dent we could make across the many causes that Victoria Foundation supports. Donating in your Will lets you make a big difference without using the money you need now. Even 1% in your Will could make quite the impact. Try the Will Power legacy calculator to see what 1% of your Will could do.

If you’d like to learn more, contact our donor services team at donorservices@victoriafoundation.bc.ca or call us at 250-381-5532.