Leave a Gift in Your Will
A gift in your will is a meaningful way to carry your values forward. By including YWCA British Columbia in your estate plans, you help ensure that women, youth and children continue to have access to safe housing, child care, employment supports and community programs for generations to come.
Choosing the right planned gift means balancing your personal, family and charitable priorities within your overall estate and financial plans. There are many ways to support YWCA BC’s critical mission through planned giving.
We recommend speaking with your financial or legal advisor to explore charitable giving during your lifetime and as part of your will or estate plan.
A bequest is the most common planned gift. Your legal advisor can include bequest language in your last will and testament or living trust that directs a specific asset, total dollar amount, or percentage of your residual estate to be given to YWCA British Columbia*. Your bequest may also include instructions for the specific use of your gift or assignment to a specific YWCA program.
Other ways to give are detailed below. To learn more about estate strategies that help support YWCA British Columbia* through a planned gift, email legacy@ywcabc.org. We’ll be happy to provide more detailed information that you can discuss with your own advisors.
You can leave a specific dollar amount or a percentage of the residue of your estate. The residue of your estate is the value of what assets are left over after specific gifts, funeral costs and other debts have been paid. See sample bequest language.
In making a bequest or other estate plan designation to YWCA British Columbia*, you will want to include the following information in your documents:
*Please identify the YWCA by its legal name:
YWCA British Columbia
Our address: 535 Hornby Street, Vancouver, BC, V6C 2E8
Charitable Registration:
108227943 RR0001
There are additional tax benefits to you for donating your publicly traded stocks, mutual funds or bonds to YWCA BC. Your gift is deemed not to attract capital gains, and therefore you receive the total value of your gift as a donation tax credit that can be used to offset other income. Your gift of securities can be made now or as a part of your will and estate plan. See sample bequest language.
Endowments create ongoing support for single mothers and their children. Your gift is invested long-term, and the annual interest from your gift is distributed according to your instructions.
The YWCA maintains a Board-Designated Legacy Endowment fund for donors who do not designate their endowment gifts or who want to contribute less than $25,000. This Legacy Fund gives the Board the flexibility to direct resources to programs and activities with the most significant positive impact.
Gifts of life insurance can be made in several ways, each attracting different benefits to donors. Often, life insurance is used to provide financial protection for your family, but it can also be gifted to the YWCA with substantial tax savings.
Gifts of a tax-free savings account (TFSA), a registered retirement savings plan (RRSP) or a registered retirement income fund (RRIF) allow you to name the YWCA as a beneficiary on your registered account(s) directly with your plan issuer or in your will. During your lifetime, you use your account(s), and the remaining funds will pass to the YWCA as the beneficiary. Naming the YWCA as the beneficiary of your TFSAs, RRSPs and RRIFs allows your gift to pass outside of your estate and you avoid paying probate fees on these funds.
Getting started is easier than you think. Below are suggested bequest wordings you can share with your legal advisor. No matter the approach you choose, rest assured that your gift will be used as intended to make a lasting difference.
“I give the sum of $_______ (or description of property or assets) to YWCA British Columbia (the “YWCA”), charitable registration number 108 227 943 RR0001, of 535 Hornby Street, Vancouver for its charitable purposes.”
Share of Residue:
“I give to YWCA British Columbia (the “YWCA”), charitable registration number 108 227 943 RR0001, of 535 Hornby Street, Vancouver ____percent of the residue of my Estate for its charitable purposes.”
“I give the sum of $_______ (or description of property or assets) to YWCA British Columbia (the “YWCA”), charitable registration number 108 227 943 RR0001, of 535 Hornby Street, Vancouver for (insert intended purpose).
If unforeseen circumstances make the specified use of my gift no longer practical or desirable, the YWCA is hereby authorized to make any changes to the use that it considers desirable; any such changes to be in keeping as far as possible with the spirit and general intent of my gift.”
I give the sum of $ [amount] (the “Donation Amount”) to YWCA British Columbia (the “YWCA”), charitable registration number 108 227 943 RR0001, of 535 Hornby Street, Vancouver, for its charitable purposes as follows:
(a) select from publicly traded securities that I own, if any, at the date of my death, securities (the “Gift Shares”) that collectively have a total fair market value as of the date of my death of not more than Donation Amount and transfer the Gift Shares to the YWCA;
(b) if the value of the Gift Shares is less than the Donation Amount, pay the YWCA an amount equal to the difference between the Donation Amount and the value of the Gift Shares.
We understand that bequests are deeply personal, and we want you to feel confident in your estate plans. The simplest way to include a gift in your will is to get professional guidance. We encourage you to visit a lawyer or notary before finalizing your will.
Join the Legacy Circle
The Legacy Circle is a special community of supporters who have included YWCA British Columbia* in their will or estate plan, or who have created a charitable gift that supports YWCA BC for generations to come.
Legacy Circle members receive:
- Our biannual newsletter and annual report by mail
- Invitations to exclusive events
- Recognition on our Donor Wall at the YWCA Program Centre
By letting us know you’ve made a gift—whether in your will, as a beneficiary designation, or through a charitable gift annuity—you automatically become a Legacy Circle member.
YWCA BC is proudly accredited by Imagine Canada Standards.
Accredited nonprofits have completed a rigorous independent peer review of their operating and governance practices.
