As National Philanthropy Day approaches on November 15, Community Foundations of Canada is launching an online toolkit to encourage financial, investment and legal advisors to “ask the giving question” in their discussions with clients over the coming year.

“We know that 21% of Canadians account for 82% of the donations to charity in this country,” says Monica Patten, president and CEO of Community Foundations of Canada. “We also know individuals are three times more likely to include charity in their will when the issue is raised by a lawyer, accountant or an investment or financial advisor. We developed this toolkit to share our experience with advisors, in the hopes that it can lead to more giving.”

“Many advisors are eager to start discussing philanthropy with their clients, but it can feel like a daunting exercise when you’re not an expert, says Mathieu Paradis, a Certified Financial Planner, at Ottawa-based Wealth Strategies, Investment and Financial Planning. “This new toolkit provides an easy way for advisors to access the information they need to get started.”

Professional Advisors eResource

The online toolkit, called Professional Advisors eResource, offers advisors a wide range of basic and more technical information about charitable giving including:

• adding giving to your practice;
• talking about charitable giving;
• detailed information on six common gift options;
• handouts that advisors can personalize and share with clients; and
• donor stories that illustrate how giving can be used to help clients meet their financial and personal goals.

The toolkit can be found at http://www.cfc-fcc.ca/pa-eresource/.

IE