Skip to Content

Frequently Asked Questions

 

Lupins smaller.jpg
Nora Layard

Please send us your questions so we can add them to our list.

Q.  What is gift planning?

Q, What is the Give Green Canada Project?

Q. This sounds like a great project. Who do I contact to discuss sponsorship and partnership opportunities?

Q. Who should use this website?

Q. How do I get in touch with the Project Director?

Q. How do I participate in the online distance learning course Jump Start Your Gift Planning Today?

Q. Is there a cost for Jump Start Your Gift Planning Today?

Q. How many of the staff and/or volunteers in my organization can access the course?

Q. Is there a time limit to complete the course?

Q. How can my environmental/conservation group join your database of environmental organizations so donors can find us?

Q. We are already in the database: how do we update our information in the directory?

Q. How can I find a professional advisor to help with planned gifts?

Couple on beach.jpg
Nora Layard

Q. Why should donors involve a professional advisor in planning their gifts?

Q. How did Give Green Canada start?

Q. Is it possible to still get a copy of Green Legacies, A Donor's Guide for BC

Q. Will there be a national edition of the Donor's Guide?

Q. What is Give Green Canada's relationship to Stewardship Canada and the Stewardship Centre of BC?

Q. Is Give Green Canada related to the Leave a Legacy campaign?

Q. How can my organization accept donations online?

Q. Can we book a speaker on Gift Planning?

 

Q.  What is gift planning?
Gifts from assets rather than income are commonly known as planned gifts. These include bequests and gifts of life insurance, assets (including land and covenants), annuities, securities, etc. Please go to Gift Options for a complete listing.

Q.  What is the Give Green Canada Project?

maple leaves on ground smaller.jpg
Debbie Kelsall

The Give Green Project is all about increasing green giving through gift planning to environmental organizations across Canada. It started nine years ago as the Green Legacies Project in British Columbia, and is now a national project coordinated by a steering committee, as a Tides Canada Initiatives project. Please see the More About Us page.

Q. This sounds like a great initiative. Who do I contact to discuss sponsorship or other partnership opportunities with Give Green Canada?
Please contact the Project Director, Natasha van Bentum, CFRE, at (250) 477-3474  Pacific Time or by email:  vanbentum@gmail.com

Q.  Who should use this website?
Donors, environmental groups and professional advisors are encouraged to use this website to find resources so they can create meaningful gifts for nature.

Q. How do I get in touch with the Project Director?
Please contact the Project Director, Natasha van Bentum, at (250) 477-3474 Pacific Time or email:  vanbentum@gmail.com. 

Q. How do I participate in the online distance learning course  Jump Start Your Gift Planning Today?

JG.Stone City.jpg
Jonathan Grant

You can sign up for the course and work your way through each unit. Or, you can jump to the unit that meets your particular needs.

Q. Is there cost for the Jump Start Your Gift Planning Today?
No. Thanks to the generosity of our funders, the program is provided at no cost to participants.

Q. How many of the staff and/or volunteers in my organization can access the Course?
There is no limit to the number of people using the Course.

Q. Is there a time limit to complete the Course?
No, each unit is designed to stand-alone. You can pick the unit of most interest to your organization, or complete the whole program at your own pace. It is a self-directed program. However we encourage you to take the full course if possible. Your organization will see the benefits of this modest investment of time for long-term financial stability.

Q. How can my environmental/conservation group join your database of environmental organizations so donors can find us?

Sunset lake.JPG
Gary Tipper

We welcome new groups that have the environment as a priority focus! There is no charge for web listings. You need to provide your contact information, legal name, and charitable and society registration numbers. Click here to register.

Q. We are already in the database: how do we update our information in the directory?
Environmental groups have online access to their files to provide updated information. Please click here to update your information.

Q. How can I find a professional advisor to help with planned gifts?
Please search on the Canadian Association of Gift Planners' membership list at the Leave a Legacy website for advisors (lawyers, financial advisors, estate planners, notary publics, etc.) who can help you.

Q. Why should donors involve a professional advisor in planning their gifts?
The information contained in Give Green Canada is intended as an introductory general overview and does not constitute legal or tax advice. The accuracy of the information cannot be guaranteed. Applicable federal and provincial laws, Canada Revenue Agency interpretive bulletins, administrative practices and the like change from time to time. Potential donors are strongly advised to consult with their personal legal and tax advisors before making charitable gifts.

Q. How did Give Green Canada start?

People walking on lane.JPG
Debbie Kelsall

The seeds of the Give Green Canada were sown in 1999 at a meeting of conservation groups in BC. Discussion centered on how to reach out to professional advisors to donors. No one group could do it alone, so a collaborative approach evolved to produce Green Legacies, A Donor’s Guide for BC. Over 90 groups in BC signed on to the original Green Legacies Project.

By 2006 it was clear there was national interest in growing green philanthropy and the capacity to ask for and process planned gifts. A national steering committee was formed and by 2009 the Give Green Canada website, and the eLearning and related programs had taken shape.

Q. Is it possible to still get a copy of Green Legacies, A Donor’s Guide for BC?
The Guide is available online in the Resources Section, and by contacting the Habitat Conservation Trust Fund. Please note that changes to the Income Tax Act since the publication of the Guide in 2002 have resulted in increased tax advantages for ecological and split receipt gifts.

Q. Will there be a national edition of the Donors’ Guide?
This is currently under discussion.

Q. What is Give Green Canada’s relationship to Stewardship Canada and the Stewardship Centre of BC?
Give Green Canada accesses the Stewardship Canada database of organizations so that donors can find groups that meet their criteria for donations. Green Legacies is one of the Stewardship Centre of BC's 19 Stewardship Series publications for stewardship practitioners, landowners and local government officials and planners. The Stewardship Series is available online.  

Q. Is Give Green Canada related to the "Leave a Legacy” campaign?

JG.Toad River.jpg
Jonathan Grant

Give Green Canada is separate from Leave a Legacy (LAL),  LAL is part of  Canadian Association of Gift Planners (CAGP). However, mutual interest exists, and collaboration on future capacity building and outreach activities may be planned. The Leave a Legacy Campaign encourages people to leave a gift through their will to a charity of their choice and works with professional advisors to help people with their philanthropic goals. Social service agencies, educational institutions, health organizations, religious groups, and environmental organizations are members of Leave a Legacy.

Q. How can my organization accept donations online?
CanadaHelps.org facilitates the acceptance of online donations. Registration is free.

Q. Can we book a speaker on Gift Planning?
We will work with you to provide a speaker for your event. Costs will depend on topics, location and timing.


 

On Your Way to Gift Planning