HAMILTON, Ontario, Sept. 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- More than 80 charities, financial advisors and legal services from across Hamilton, Oakville and Niagara are joining forces to show Canadians the power they have to create positive change through a gift in their Will to charity. The Will Power™ regional launch is a pilot, and the first step in what will become a national public education effort aimed at empowering Canadians to raise as much as $40 billion in the coming decade through charitable gifts in their Wills.
The Will Power™ initiative is being spearheaded by the CAGP Foundation. The Canadian Association of Gift Planners (CAGP) is a professional association that brings together charitable fundraisers and advisors in Canada to create a better world through strategic charitable giving.
“Five per cent of Canadians leave a gift to charity in their Wills,” said Ruth MacKenzie, CEO of CAGP and Executive Director of the CAGP Foundation. “We intend to grow this number by making it clear to Canadians that leaving a charitable gift in your Will is not an ‘either-or’ proposition. You can make a big difference to the causes you care about, while still taking care of those you love most.”
The Will Power™ campaign is launching at a challenging time for Canada’s charitable sector, as revenue streams struggle to keep up with the increased demand for social services provided by charities and non-profits. Imagine Canada, the national umbrella organization that strengthens and supports charities and non-profits in Canada, estimates that by 2026 Canada’s charities will need an additional $25 billion in funding to meet increasing demand.
“Will Power™ represents a new way of thinking about giving, and an exciting new solution to the funding shortfall faced by charities,” said Laurie Fox, Will Power™ Campaign Director. “A great number of Canadians already give to charity, and this is a new way for them to help in a significant way. We want people to realize that a Will can be more than just a legal means to distribute your personal assets, but also a powerful tool for social change.”
Research conducted by the CAGP Foundation last year shows that while up to 86 per cent of Canadians are aware they can leave a charitable gift in a Will, more than 60 per cent immediately reject doing so because they believe it will take away from their support of loved ones.
“The reality is that your estate may be taxed significantly,” said Darren Pries-Klassen, CAGP Foundation Board Member, and CEO of Abundance Canada. “Choosing to support charities that you respect can reduce, and in some cases, even eliminate the taxes to be paid.”
The goal of the Will Power™ campaign is to inspire Canadians to raise the current 5 per cent national participation rate in charitable giving through Wills, to 8.5 per cent by 2030.
“A modest increase of 3.5 per cent in participation would translate into donors bequeathing as much as $40 billion to charities in the coming decade,” said Pries-Klassen. “Imagine the impact we could all make.”
The Will Power™ campaign will see Canada join more than 20 countries around the world with existing campaigns aimed at inspiring their public to leave gifts in Wills to charity.
The Will Power™ campaign’s website, WillPower.ca, is designed to make it easier for Canadians to understand how they can leave a gift in their Will to charity, and to take action. The site features a legacy calculator to visualize how you can leave a bequest to charity and still support loved ones. It also features a list of charity partners to browse, as well as a way for potential donors to connect with advisors and take that first step to making a gift.
Following its regional pilot through September in the Hamilton-Oakville-Niagara Region, Will Power™ is slated to roll-out across Canada starting in September 2021.
About CAGP and the CAGP Foundation
Will Power™ is a campaign of the CAGP Foundation in partnership with the Canadian Association of Gift Planners (CAGP). The CAGP Foundation aims to financially support the development and promotion of excellence in charitable gift planning in Canada; CAGP is a national professional association that brings together charitable fundraisers and advisors advancing strategic charitable giving in their communities. Both organizations believe that we can build a better world by putting the power of philanthropy in the hands of many more Canadians, through gifts in Wills and other types of strategic giving. Find out more at www.cagpfoundation.org / www.cagp-acpdp.org
Media contact:
Kathleen Munro
Pilot PMR
kathleen.munro@pilotpmr.com
902-789-3165