Your bequest, whether large or small, will support the vital on-going work of St. John Ambulance as well as important new initiatives.

 

We recommend that donors who are considering a planned gift should review their situation with their lawyer, accountant, financial planner or other professional advisor. Pat Kearney, Order Secretary and Registrar, would be pleased to answer any questions you may have about arranging a planned gift for St. John Ambulance.

 

Outright Gifts
Outright gifts such as a cash donation, stocks, bonds, mutual funds and guaranteed investment certificates (G.I.Cs) can be donated for immediate or future use by the charity. Outright gifts are easy to complete, requiring a simple endorsement or transfer to St. John Ambulance.

Deferred Gifts
Deferred gifts are arranged now, but are not realized by St. John Ambulance until some time in the future. Some examples of deferred gifts are:

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Bequests—Many people use their will to leave a lump sum or percentage of their estate to one or more charities of their choice. Whether you are writing a new will or changing an old one, it is easy to include St. John Ambulance as one of the charities you wish to provide for. There are two common methods of making provision for a charitable bequest in your will. They are specific bequests and residual bequests.

A specific bequest gives a definite amount of money to the named beneficiary.

A residual bequest gives the remaining amount or a percentage of the residue of an estate after all specific bequests have been honoured.

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Gifts of life insurance—Many of us have policies that are no longer needed for their original purpose such as family protection, education or retirement security. The beneficiary under these policies can often be amended to a charitable institution to help those in need.

St. John Ambulance can also be made the owner and direct beneficiary of a new life insurance policy. This enables the donor to make a substantial gift for modest annual outlay. There may also be tax benefits from this form of donation, thereby reducing the net costs of the gift.

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Charitable gift annuities—With a charitable gift annuity, the money you give to St. John Ambulance can do “double duty” by providing both a gift to St. John Ambulance and an income to you for the rest of your life. There are special tax provisions for this gift and annuity combination, with the result that both the gift and the income can be larger than you might expect.

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Gifts through charitable remainder trusts—If you are considering setting up a trust, you may wish to name St. John Ambulance as a beneficiary at the time the trust is to be distributed. There are several tax advantages including a donation receipt at the time the gift is made equal to the present value of the remainder interest.

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Gifts of property—Any property that can be valued may be a potential gift in support of the work of St. John Ambulance. Such gifts may include personal property such as jewellery or antique furniture, capital property such as stocks or bonds, real property such as a house or cottage, or cultural property such as a painting for a sculpture. It is even possible to make the gift today while retaining the right to use and enjoy the property for the rest of your life. There can be substantial income tax benefits.