Our legacy starts with you.
Our legacy starts with you.
Invest in the future of your community
Let United Way East Ontario help you achieve your philanthropic goals—now and well into the future. Through United Way’s Tomorrow Fund™, 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 has to be great for everyone.
When you include a gift to United Way East Ontario in your will, you lift up some of the most vulnerable people where you live as part of your legacy. Your planned gift—no matter the size—is one of the most selfless acts for the future of your community.
United Way’s Tomorrow Fund™ is fueled by our planned giving program, as these generous gifts enable us to plan for a brighter future. When donors choose to include a gift to United Way in their will, they leave a lasting impact, uplifting the most vulnerable in their communities as part of their legacy.
Is planned giving right for you?
You have more power to make an impact than you realize. By giving a small portion of your estate to charity (even 5 per cent goes a long way), you make a significant difference for your community, and can still support those you love.
For instance, let’s consider an estate of $800,000. Leaving 5 per cent of your estate to charity would mean $40,000 towards changing local lives for the better. In an example like this, you can feel assured that this planned gift is making a difference and at the same time the majority of your estate continues to go to your loved ones.
If you’ve previously contributed to a cause that’s close to your heart, you have a desire to help those around you and leave the world a better place. A planned gift is a perfect way to continue that legacy.
When you include the Tomorrow Fund™ in your will, you can feel confident that your gift will remain stable and accessible for years to come, and will provide much needed support that thousands of local people rely on.
Prepare to leave your legacy
Donors like you invest in:
Every child and youth deserves the chance to have a great life, no matter where they grow up.
We believe that everyone deserves a place to call home, a job, and a sense of belonging to their community.
We ensure that all members of our community get the help they need, when they need it.
The Tomorrow Fund™ in action
Thanks to donors who choose to leave a gift to United Way in their will, our team is able to make strategic investments to address issues facing our communities.
These investments include research, crisis response, and supporting innovative approaches to impact.
Powering important conversations with youth
In spring 2023, Ottawa youth and adults from youth-serving groups identified a need to have open, collaborative, and solutions-focused conversations about mental health, addictions, and substance use health.
A planning group was formed, and over three months, youth and adults worked together to create an event with the purpose of coming up with innovative ideas that improve the wellbeing of local youth.
📷 Hot Shoe Productions
With support from the Tomorrow Fund ™…
project step, Ottawa Youth Engagement Committee, Ottawa Child and Youth Initiative, Ottawa Public Health, Youth Net, and Youth Ottawa co-hosted a three-hour conversation with 26 youth and adults that touched on:
- Common terms like mental health, addictions, substance use health, gambling, and problematic technology use, and what these mean from youth with lived experiences.
- What wellness might look like for a youth, their family, and their community.
- Types of help that already exist and other tools and resources that could be created.
- Tangible action items to prioritize and put in motion right away.
This Tomorrow Fund ™ investment not only made this conversation possible, but also ensured youth were compensated for their participation.
Paving a path for lasting impact
Peter Schmolka became a Planned Giving donor because he knows United Way will get to the root of local issues and support long-term solutions.
Peter has been a United Way donor for more 40 years, loyally giving through his workplace campaign during his time as a translator and language advisor with the Government of Canada, and now as a GCWCC retiree.
“I believe in what United Way is doing and that it fills vital needs in our communities in eastern Ontario. From the knowledge I gained during my time in the social services sector early in my career, I know that they [United Way East Ontario] play an important—even indispensable, role in our communities. Now and for future generations.”
How to leave a gift to the Tomorrow Fund™ in your will
If you don’t have a will …
Consider that having a will in place is the simplest way to distribute your estate the way you choose. It also makes it easy to give a gift in support of United Way East Ontario. Consult a lawyer or financial planning professional to create your will.
If you already have a will …
Don’t set it and forget it! Be sure to review your will every couple of years to ensure that it stays relevant. A new marriage, divorce, birth, or death of a family member should all result in a review to make sure your will is still protecting the people you love.
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.
Here are a few examples of language to consider using when creating or revising your will. If you have special wishes regarding how you would like to personalize and design your bequest or other planned gift, please contact us—we would be happy to help.
Give a percentage or residue of your estate to United Way East Ontario
“I give to United Way East Ontario, currently located at 363 Coventry Road, Ottawa, Ontario, K1C2C5, [_________ %] of the rest, residue, or remainder of my estate to be used for its general charitable purposes in accordance with this organization’s applicable practices and policies.”
Give a specific asset or collection of assets such as cash, stocks/securities, or other designated property to United Way East Ontario
“I give [$ ______________] or [a specific asset] to United Way East Ontario, currently located at 363 Coventry Road, Ottawa, Ontario, K1K2C5, to be used for its general charitable purposes and held and administered in accordance with this organization’s applicable practices and policies.”
You have identified a specific area of interest that to which you wish your gift be, for example, to support youth homelessness in Ottawa
“I give, devise and bequeath [______________%] or [ $ ____________] or [a specific asset] to United Way East Ontario currently located at 363 Coventry Road, Ottawa, Ontario, K1K2C5 to be used to support [_____________________________] and held and administered in accordance with this organization’s applicable practices and policies.”
Once you have a sense of the type of gift you wish to make, we advise that you consult a lawyer or financial planning professional to complete your will.
Gifts of life insurance
The gift of life insurance 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 East Ontario and remain in our region.
How to transfer ownership to United Way East Ontario:
- Give an already paid-up policy and receive a donation receipt for the cash value of the policy.
- Give an existing policy on which premiums are still being paid and receive a receipt for the cash value of the policy and subsequent premium payments.
How to make United Way a benefactor:
- Name “United Way East Ontario” as the beneficiary of your policy and a donation receipt will be issued to your estate, which can be claimed in your final tax return.
Acknowledging your gift
We would like to honour your generous philanthropy by recognizing you in our annual Honour Roll, and by inviting you and your family to donor events and community activities. We will also respect your wish to give anonymously should you choose to do so.
Jessica Deut
Manager, Donor Relations
United Way East Ontario
For more information on how to leave a gift to United Way East Ontario in your will, please contact me today.
Jessica Deut
Manager, Donor Relations
United Way East Ontario
