Planned Giving

Planned Giving Brochure (6MB PDF)

Planned Giving Guide - How To Donate (1MB PDF)

When we say we protect in perpetuity, we mean it! HAT has an Endowment Fund with the Victoria Foundation for our land acquisitions, covenants, and on-going operating costs. HAT also has an Acquisition Fund:money in this fund is targeted to land acquisitions. You can also donate to specific campaigns or projects.

Leave HAT a bequest in your will

It has been calculated that if 5% of us donated 5% of our estates to charity, there would be no need to fundraise.

Many people feel that they are not able to give as much support as they would like to during their lifetime. By including HAT in your will, you can support our work and help to create a conservation legacy for this region. Remember that no bequest is too little. You may also simply offer the residue of your estate to HAT, that is, any funds that remain after all bills have been settled and inheritances have been allocated. This allows all obligations to be met with the remainder going to support HAT's work. HAT encourages donors to consult with their financial planner and/or attorney for appropriate wording and to discuss their decision with their family.

Donate Securities, Life Insurance, or RRSP's

If you own publicly traded securities or mutual funds that have increased in value, you may want to consider donating the securities directly to HAT. Such a gift can minimize the capital gains taxes that you have to pay on those securities. Should you decide to make a gift of securities to HAT, please contact us and we will provide all the necessary information to make a smooth transfer.

A life insurance policy can offer a simple way to support HAT, especially if your family no longer needs life insurance for financial security after your death. You could choose to make HAT the beneficiary of a new policy. Your payments for the new policy will be eligible for tax credit. Another option is to make HAT the owner of an existing policy, allowing you an immediate tax benefit.

Planned giving through Charitable Annuities or a Life Estate

You can provide lasting conservation through planned giving, which enables you to support HAT's work while providing yourself with financial benefits.

If you have land you would like to protect by donating it, but need to receive income during your lifetime, you might use a charitable gift annuity. In a charitable gift annuity, you agree to transfer certain property to a land trust, and the land trust agrees to make regular annuity payments to one or two beneficiaries you specify for life. Your gift of land usually qualifies for a charitable income tax deduction at the time of the gift, based on the value of the land less the expected value of the annuity payments.

Alternatively, if you have land you would like to donate, but want to continue living there, you may want to consider a life estate. A life estate grants you the lifetime right to live on your donated property but you receive tax benefits immediately, and the land trust is assured of future income to fund conservation projects.

HAT's Endowment Fund

HAT maintains a permanent fund with The Victoria Foundation, from which we can only withdraw annual dividends. This fund is used for on-going costs associated with conservation covenants and administrative and office overhead. It is also our emergency fund in case of legal action on one of HAT's covenants.

Donors can request that their donation to HAT be placed in the Endowment Fund. All sustaining (life) membership payments are placed in this fund. A donation can also be made directly through The Victoria Foundation (250-381-5532) by specifying that the funds be directed to HAT's Endowment Fund.

HAT has adopted the Ethical Fundraising & Financial Accountability Code developed by the Canadian Centre for Philanthropy in consultation with charity leaders throughout Canada. The Code can be viewed at Ethical Fundraising & Financial Accountability Code.

Please contact our Community and Development Coordinator Peter Papagiannis for more information - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.