For decades, we’ve partnered with donors, agencies, and local leaders to create safer, stronger, and healthier communities for all. But as times change so do the needs of our region.
Legacy gifts allow us to act with intention and creativity by investing in community-led solutions and innovative ideas that strengthen our ability to respond to complex challenges, like poverty, social isolation, and mental health. They’re also critical in times of crisis response—whether that’s a local flood, tornado, or global pandemic.
Why leave a legacy gift to your community?
With legacy giving, we can help you achieve your philanthropic goals—now and well into the future.
Here are four key benefits of choosing United Way East Ontario:
- Your donation will build a brighter future for everyone.
There’s no greater legacy than helping the next generation fulfil their dreams.
Every time you make a donation to United Way, your generosity puts kids on the path to success, makes mental health services more accessible, keeps seniors connected, strengthens our essential frontline partners—and so much more.
- Your gift ensures stability and sustainability.
We make strategic and innovative investments where they are needed most and will have the greatest impact in our communities.
Planned gifts enable us to act quickly to help the most vulnerable, especially in times of community-wide crises. In normal times, they ensure stability and provide much-needed support that thousands of local people rely on.
- You know your donation isin good hands.
We’re serious about managing donor contributions wisely, and we believe you should feel confident when you give to charity.
Every dollar you give stays 100% local, within our region—Prescott-Russell, Ottawa, Lanark County, and Renfrew County.
Your will can evolve as life does. The flexibility of a custom planned gift means it’s easy to make changes and feel secure knowing that your gift will remain stable and accessible for years to come.
- You can earn financial benefits and tax incentives too!
Your estate will gain a tax credit for the full current market value of the planned gift. Plus, making a legacy gift means you’re investing in the future, so your decision doesn’t deplete your current finances.
Leave a Legacy Month
May is nationally recognized as Leave a Legacy Month—a national initiative which encourages people to leave a gift through their will or another planned giving vehicle to a charity or cause that is meaningful to them.
Through United Way’s Tomorrow Fund Program, you can change lives by supporting local programs that will have the greatest measurable impact in our communities, sharing in our belief that, for our region to be great, it must be great for everyone.
In whichever month you’re reading this, consider planning a gift that lives forever.
How to leave a gift to the Tomorrow Fund Program
There are many ways to build your legacy with us.
A bequest is the most common type of planned gift. This can be a sum of money, a piece of property, or a percentage of your estate that is designated to United Way East Ontario in your will. Other types of planned gifts also include RRSPs/RRIFs, life insurance, securities/stocks, charitable remainder trusts, and gifts-in-kind.
You can also give the gift of life insurance, which provides a unique opportunity to make a positive impact in the future while receiving tax benefits today. It allows you to make a long-term investment while preserving the value of your estate for your loved ones. Choosing to give the gift of life insurance means the proceeds of the policy are paid directly to United Way and remain in our region.
When you choose to include United Way in your legacy, you place deep trust in our work and in the strength of our community. We don’t take that trust for granted. Your generosity ensures that, long into the future, we can respond with care, creativity, and impact—creating lasting change for generations to come.
