Give Green Canada
Unit outline
-
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:
-
-
-
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
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
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". -
150.8 KB PDF document
-
-
-
-
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.
-
148.1 KB PDF document
-
-
-
-
Discover Give Green Canada's
winning formula:
O = FM2
(Outreach = Fundraising + Marketing) TM
In this Unit you will find tips on topics such as: reaching out to donors, marketing tips, trend and opportunities in the Outreach field, using social media, etc. There's also a copy of the Donor's Bill of Rights, a sample confidentiality policy.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
This is the heart of our Toolkit. If you have no time to explore everything on offer, just take a few minutes to look at the resources in this section.
You'll discover the ingredients to get started, find a step-by-step chart on processing gifts, see downloadable templates you can adapt for your situation, and find tips and resources from around the world on such topics as estate administration, legacy societies and recent bequest research.
Please note you do not need to have to have all the ideal pieces in place in order to start a simple legacy program. For instance, we are working with several organizations right now through our Mentorship Program who have successfully implemented a basic program with a minimum of resources. See the list of resources, tips and templates below to see how you can jumpstart your legacy work today:
-
503.9 KB PDF document
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
This Unit explores gifts of life insurance, the second-most popular type of planned gift after bequests. See why it is such a practical way for your organization to receive major gifts through life insurance.
Download easy to follow step-by-step charts. Plus there is a template for a basic Gift Acceptance Policy.
-
-
-
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.
-
-
A helpful guide to Environment and Climate Change Canada's "Ecological Gifts Program".
-
-
-
-
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.
-
-
-
Gifts of Securities
In this Unit you will discover why even in today's economic climate gifts of appreciated securities are an excellent way to enable your donors to make a major gift to your organization with favourable tax outcomes for the donor.
You'll also find a downloadable step-by-step chart on how to handle gifts of securities, and learn about flow through shares.
-
-
-
This unit covers other types of planned gifts such as annuities, tangible assets, large outright gifts of cash, and others.
-
-
-
If you would like to share any examples of best practice in the field of Endowment fundraising, get in touch by email:vanbentum@gmail.com.
-
-
-
-
817.5 KB PDF document
-
-
-