How your Will can shape your community’s prosperity forever

Victoria Foundation has partnered with Will Power to help Greater Victorians continue their impact for generations to come. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When we think about leaving a legacy after passing on, we often consider our work, our family, and the lives we have touched along our journey through life. 

The Victoria Foundation’s Sara Neely knows this all too well. As Senior Director, Philanthropic Services, she’s spent her career helping people design and implement legacies that continue to touch lives even after they’re gone. 

Through this, she’s learned that legacy giving through a Will or an estate is growing as one of the most popular ways to contribute financially to the charities and causes that people care about the most. By leaving a legacy gift, a person ensures their continued support beyond their lifetime. 

“We all want to look after ourselves, our family, and our community,” said Sara. “By making a gift in a Will, we can do all three in a way that doesn’t negatively impact one over the other. And by doing so we create a ripple effect in the community by looking after those who follow us.” 

A sense of satisfaction with a tangible impact

Sara has seen some remarkable outcomes over her career helping people to bring their charitable giving wishes to fruition. 

Early in her work with the Victoria Foundation, a donor came to Sara wanting to establish a fund that would forever go to where it was most needed in Greater Victoria, leaning on the Foundation’s expertise to decide what organizations their funds should help. To this day, that fund continues to contribute significantly to the Foundation’s Community Grants program, which in 2024 alone provided over $6 million in funding to more than 250 organizations on south Vancouver Island working towards solutions in food security, environmental protection, housing, and so much more. 

Another donor was a devoted champion and supporter of the BC & Alberta Guide Dogs and wanted to ensure the organization would continue to receive her support beyond her lifetime. With the Foundation’s help, she designed a bequest that continues to provide funding to the Guide Dogs. The organization was so grateful for this gesture it named one of the guide dogs in memory of the donor.  

Sara keeps a photo of that dog on her desk, as a reminder of the importance of helping people carry out their charitable giving wishes, and of the tangible, real-world impact donors have through their generosity. She considers it a privilege to be able to help them achieve their legacy-giving goals. 

“I see the sense of satisfaction people have in figuring out what they want to do,” said Sara. “Having a plan in place gives people a sense of comfort. And then they can get on with enjoying their life.” 

Working with people to establish their legacies will be especially important over the next decade and beyond, believes Sara, as an enormous amount of wealth will be transferred from one generation to the next. It’s estimated there will be a transfer of generational wealth amounting to around $1 trillion over the next 10 years. This will include transfers of wealth within families, but it will also include those who wish to leave behind funds to support their community. 

“If every Canadian left 1% of their estate to support causes important to them, the impact across the country would be significant,” said Sara.  

Using your Will Power to leave a lasting legacy 

This is why the Victoria Foundation partners with the national Will Power campaign, to help Canadians discover the potential of legacy giving to support the causes and charities they hold most dear. Since it began in 2021, the campaign has already reached millions of Canadians, inspiring them to give and providing them with the tools to do so. 

Here on the South Island, Sara and her team are here to help anyone interested in learning more about how they can create a legacy through their Will. The first step is often a conversation about giving goals, including what charities you might wish to support or what causes are closest to your heart. This can even include introductions and visits to different organizations to learn more about where your donations can go and how they can help.  

From there, the discussion is likely to turn to options for including legacy giving in your estate and for how the Victoria Foundation can help facilitate that giving. A lawyer, notary, or financial advisor involved in your estate planning can be included in the process while an agreement is drafted. Sara stresses it’s important to understand any agreement can be modified during the donor’s lifetime, to change the amount, the purpose, or any other aspect to carry out the donor’s wishes. 

 

There’s great flexibility in giving 

Some people add to funds they’ve already established, while others may start a new fund. Some people know exactly where they want their support to go, while others want to learn more, or rely on the Victoria Foundation’s expertise to decide where their donation can have the greatest impact in the community.  

“The hard part for people is often narrowing down what their charitable interests might be,” said Sara. “The advantage of working with a community foundation is if they’re not sure and just say ‘I’d really like to support the environment,’ for example, we’ll do that for them. We’ll make that happen. Their passion for the causes they care about the most will be honoured.”  

Whatever the donor wants to achieve, Sara and her team are here to help ensure their wishes are carried out. 

To connect with the Philanthropic Services team and learn more about how you can include charitable giving as part of your legacy, email donorservices@victoriafoundation.bc.ca or call the Victoria Foundation at 250-381-5532.