Course: Give Green Canada

Unit 1 - Introduction ("Home Page")

Welcome. Please note we are currently updating the Toolkit and you may find some broken links.

Welcome to the G2 TOOLKIT

Are you exhausted by the roller-coaster of dependency on grants and government funding? Natasha van Bentum, CFRE of Give Green Canada ("G2") can help you. Here is what one of Canada's top philanthropic advisors and gift planners has to say about the Toolkit:

"This Toolkit is the best publicly-accessible source of information on ecological gifts and planned gifts in Canada. It is a terrific resource for environmental charities to become educated about gift planning. The content is clear and well presented, and the course has excellent links to quality external resources." Malcolm Burrows, Head, Philanthropic Advisory Services, Scotia Private Client Group

For full access to the Toolkit contents (no charge, all contents are free), please Log In, see top of page.

This isn't a course with homework, essays and assignments, but a helpful resource at your fingertips. You can explore just one unit, or all of the units. (See Menu at left-hand column.)

"I highly recommend G2's Toolkit. Whether you are a complete beginner, or simply tweaking an existing planned giving campaign, it is packed full of resources to help you." Moira Chaudhry, former Major & Corporate Giving Steward (Planned Giving), Sierra Club of British Columbia

In addition, Give Green Canada (G2) also offers one-on-one mentorships with G2's project director Natasha van Bentum, a long-time legacy and monthly giving fundraiser with national and international experience. Please get in touch by email for more details vanbentum@gmail.com.

Follow Natasha on Twitter for helpful tips

"Natasha has been a huge help to me as we've been working to get our legacy giving program going. We were able to get more web content, create a brochure, make my committee members feel more comfortable with it, and get pointers on a donor recognition event we're doing. I'd highly recommend a mentorship with Natasha." Jen Baker, Head of the Lake Land Trust

If you are using guest access please complete the Log-in process (go to top right corner) to access all the resources.

Here are some key links to help you navigate the Toolkit:
How to Navigate the Toolkit Page
Toolkit - List of Contents Page
Quick Poll: Did you think you had to be an Expert? Choice
Quick Poll: Tell us which Internet Browser you use Choice
News discussion forum
Check out our Roller Coaster ad File
We would like to thank Royal Roads University for hosting the Give Green Canada Toolkit. Royal Roads is a member of a global initiative called Open Educational Resources (OER) made possible through a Creative Commons.

Unit 2: Getting Started

Getting Started / Finding a Champion or Advocate

"The focus on bequests may seem like a stale idea, but it could never be more relevant than it is today. The wave is coming."

It's like planting an apple orchard. You have to invest in the seedlings and nurture the trees until they bear any fruit." Frank Minton, gift planning extraordinarie and mentor to most senior Canadian gift planners. Frank is also author of the definitive gift planning book Planned Giving for Canadians.

In this unit you will learn if your organization is ready to begin, discover gift planning vocabulary, find out how to obtain internal support (an advocate) and find a simple step-by-step chart outlining the various steps you need to take. There are also tips on getting an advocate or champion from within your organization to help you.

"The G2 Toolkit is one of the best distance-learning resources. Units are structured so I can start at the beginning and learn in an orderly progression, or I can jump to any single unit when I need specific information. In every section there are template documents that I can use with only minor changes." Betsy Rose, Garry Oak Ecosystems Recovery Team
New national legacy campaign - Will Power URL
Common misunderstandings and excuses Page
Why Focus on Legacies Today? Page
Results of our international legacy survey - helpful tips File 1.5MB PDF document
Legacy Giving is Growing, new research courtesy FLA Group File 104.2KB PDF document
Poll: How Familiar are you with Gift Planning? Choice
Ideally, here are some ingredients you need to begin, but you don't need all of these to start a simple legacy program Page
Ten Tips To Help You Get Started Page
Here is a Helpful Glossary of Gift Planning
Chart of types of charitable gifts, courtesy CFC File 67.1KB PDF document
Niagara Community Foundation paper on creating a program. From 2006 so the Gifts of Securities section is out of date but otherwise a helpful primer. File 348.3KB PDF document
How to find an advocate or champion for your program
Tips on acquiring an advocate and internal support Page
Pointers on getting Board approval Page
Chart of "Progressive Steps" in Gift Planning File 9.1KB PDF document

Unit 3: Tracking Progress

In this unit you will learn about the importance of tracking your progress by adopting simple steps to measure activity. There are simple habits to adopt that are vital to the success of your program in its early stages.

If you already have a program, there are tips on more sophisticated ways of monitoring progress.
"It was only after I looked back at the first few sections of the Toolkit that I realized how much I'd learned. And the information is valuable, it has been tested and the best practices presented".
The All Important Message - Learn how to keep track of your progress Page
For advanced practitioners, "Metrics of Gift Planning", courtesy Kathryn Miree File 150.8KB PDF document
A senior gift planner lays out the framework for a comprehensive program File
Top 10 planned giving myths, courtesy Richard Barrett & Reine Shiffman File 309.1KB PDF document

Unit 4: Advisors and Getting Systems in Place

Working with professional advisors & getting basic systems in place to accept major gifts

In this unit, you will discover the benefits of working with professional advisors. Also we have a handy link that will help you quickly find advisors in your community or region. Who are professional advisors? You'll find out in this section.

You'll also have a chance to view things from the perspective of an advisor, and find out how helpful they can be in the success of culitvating your supporters both existing and potential.

Gift Acceptance Policies: you'll also find material about gift acceptance policies and why having such policies in place helps you. We also have a basic Gift Acceptance Policy template that you can download and adapt for your organization.
Why having a Gift Acceptance policy helps you Page
Sample basic Gift Acceptance policy document Page
In-depth presentation by Theresa Man URL
Quick Poll - do you have any policies in place at your organization? Choice
Working with Professional Advisors
Backgrounder on professional advisors Page
Role of the Professional Advisor, courtesy Community Foundations of Canada File 148.1KB PDF document
For the advisors' viewpoint, explore "Tools for Advisors" courtesy CFC URL
Take the quick Poll: Spot who is NOT a professional advisor Choice
Intermediate level: Explore Mark Blumberg's paper on importance of Advisors
Mark Blumberg article on Importance of Advisors File 37.2KB PDF document
Set up your Readiness Binder
Overview of a "Readiness Binder" checklist Page

Unit 8: Ecological Gifts Program

Unit 8: Ecological Gifts Program, Environment and Climate Change Canada

This unit provides an overview of what you need to know about the Ecological Gifts program, part of the Canadian Wildlife Service of Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). Here is the link to the official site. Please begin by visiting the Powerpoint presentation for an overview of the program. You'll also find below links to a variety of topics such as Appraisals and Split Receipting.
Powerpoint Presentation about Ecogifts File 1.6MB PDF document
Ecological Gifts Program HANDBOOK File 4.6MB PDF document
A helpful guide to Environment and Climate Change Canada's "Ecological Gifts Program".
Introduction to Ecogifts Page
Click here for a list of the current eligible charities URL
Guidelines on Split Receipting from Environment Canada File 403.2KB PDF document
Guidelines for Appraisals File 102.7KB PDF document
Quick Poll - here's a 15-second poll Choice

Unit 9: Land

In this unit there are several resources on gifts of land and links to technical material about covenants, servitudes, etc.

This section of the Toolkit is presently under construction with new material being uploaded this Fall. We invite land trusts across the country to contribute examples of your newsletters or brochures that are good examples of Outreach to donors and volunteers. Send by email to vanbentum@gmail.com.