Charitable Planning for your Clients
What is Charitable Planning?
With 84% of Canadians contributing to charity on an annual basis, charitable giving is becoming an increasingly important part of your client’s overall financial plan. Adding charitable planning to your practice can help you create innovative, comprehensive financial plans that take care of your client’s financial priorities, minimize taxes and reflect their values.
Philanthropy is a very personal decision. As a professional advisor, you can help your clients realize their charitable objectives by listening for charitable giving opportunities, explaining options, and suggesting solutions. Significant giving opportunities often arise when clients are making major business, personal, and financial decisions. The Community Foundation can work with you to recommend the best charitable plan for your clients.
Why Talk About Philanthropy with your Clients?
- Integrating charitable giving into tax and estate planning helps clients reduce taxes and protect their wealth
- Clients feel advisors who incorporate philanthropy in planning have a more holistic approach, are more strategic and credible, and bring added value to their professional expertise
- Advisors who ask about giving priorities and goals are seen as having deeper connection with clients, especially when creating and maintaining a relationship with a surviving spouse
- As ‘fundraising’ becomes more common in all charities and clients feel more pressure to give, advisors are seen as neutral partners and create a safe space for clients to discuss and consider gifts strategically
Is Giving Through a Community Foundation right for your clients?
- Do they care deeply about their community?
- Do they give to more than one charitable cause?
- Are they interested in creating a personal or family legacy?
- Do they want to make a difference but aren’t sure where or how to start?
- Are they considering the creation of a private foundation?
- Would they like to stay involved in the use of their gift?
- Are they interested in teaching their children about giving?
- Do they want to receive maximum tax benefit?
- Do they place a priority on sound financial management of their contributions?
- Do they need a charitable giving plan that reflects life changes?
- Do they desire their gift to be private and anonymous?
When is the right time to talk about philanthropy with your clients?
These common milestones are ideal opportunities to introduce the possibility of incorporating philanthropy into your planning practice.
- At year-end tax planning
- When preserving an estate
- During the sale or disposition of highly appreciated securities
- Leading up to the sale of a business
- Where there are substantial RRIF assets
- When selling real estate, such as a cottage or secondary property
Jennifer DeBues |
Executive Director