The Community Foundations of Canada has put together an excellent resource for Professional Advisors. This resource was developed after extensive consultation with the Professional Advisors industry and is meant to provide accurate and useful tools to better serve the client’s needs.
Professional Advisors & the Community Foundation
Working Together for Clients & Community
Professional advisors find themselves at the centre of two dramatic forces in our country today: the enormous increase in personal wealth and the renewed concern for community.
The number of Canadian households with discretionary assets of $500,000 or more is on the rise. In 2004, high-net worth individuals held more than $910 billion in assets. By 2012 that number is expected to approach $2 trillion.
At the same time, people from all economic backgrounds are giving back to their communities in record numbers. Before the economic downturn in 2008-09, Canadian community foundations experienced four years of record-setting giving. In addition, new ways of giving from social media opportunities to giving circles are making charitable giving easier than ever before.
These trends are affecting professional advisor practices in two significant ways.
First, advisors are incorporating charitable giving as an integral component in their financial and estate planning activities — including the question “do you have charitable giving interests?” is standard planning practice for many advisors today. Charitable giving advice adds value to an advisor’s services and is welcomed by clients who expect an integrated approach to their wealth management.
Second, advisors are incorporating community foundations as trusted resources in delivering charitable giving knowledge and products to their clients.
Think of the Community Foundation as your personal Planned Giving Centre
Our motivation is simple:
We are a local foundation created to help individuals and groups make an ongoing difference in their community. Our business is community philanthropy.
Everyone wins when we work together.
Advisors forge deeper client relationships. Clients benefit from tax advantages and our communities are better supported – all through effective charitable giving.
