Give where you live
Please give locally this holiday season
The holiday season is one to which we all look forward.
It is a season of family, comfort, giving and receiving. We often think of ‘stuff’ and ‘things,’ but we also think of ‘people.’
We get excited to see family and friends from afar. We call relatives who can’t be close and we miss those who are no longer here.
Giving to people we love is a sign of our respect and admiration, but this season, I ask you to consider giving to those you may not know. Give to the mother who is undergoing chemotherapy. Give to the child who was born 1.6 pounds in the NICU. Give to the elderly gentleman whose family is all gone, who spends every Wednesday in renal dialysis. Give to your hospital and this gift will help your entire community. Not all gifts appear under a tree or in a stocking. Some gifts come from the heart, they help save lives, and they simply require you to give back – at home.
At the Cape Breton Regional Hospital, our mission is to strengthen the health of Cape Bretoners. When you strengthen healthcare, you strengthen your community.
This holiday season, consider your gifts. Think about giving back to your entire community. We encourage you to pick your favourite charity, one that speaks to you, and make a gift. There are six ways you can do just that:
1. Monthly Gifts Giving a gift every month is an incredible way to show your commitment to strengthening healthcare at home. You can make a significant contribution, spread out over a long time. Every little bit counts and it truly feels good.
2. Gifts of Stock or Publicly Traded Securities
For donors who have a stock portfolio this can be a smart way to invest in charity. These gifts can create a significant tax savings as the government has eliminated capital gains tax when stock is gifted. The donor receives a tax receipt for the full value of the stock/securities that are gifted. This does not only apply to donors with large portfolios. It may be just as smart for an individual with a small portfolio (stock that may have been transferred generationally or through a will) to donate the shares rather than to sell for the cash value and pay tax on the capital gains.
3. Gift of life insurance There are two great ways to gift a life insurance policy. Both can be very advantageous to a donor. The first is to take out a new life insurance policy and name the charity as the beneficiary. You’ll receive a tax receipt for the annual premium payments. The charity receives the donation upon the donors passing. One of our board members has purchased one of these policies and it will pay out $100,000.00 upon her passing. The second option is to gift a current policy to a charity. Depending on the scenario, the policy may be gifted irrevocably, or the charity may simply be named as the beneficiary.
4. Estate / legacy gifts After you pass, your legacy will live on forever. Leaving a gift in your will or estate costs you nothing while you are here and can greatly improve your community after you’re gone. Many amazing community members have made significant impact in Cape Breton through legacy gifts.
When donors are considering giving through stock, life insurance or their estate, it is always wise to consult with your accountant, financial planner and/or lawyer to assist with your donation strategies.
5. In-kind donations
Our community is full of talent. Businesses, organizations and individuals in Cape Breton have valuable items and services that can help our foundation save money and increase our fundraising. If you can offer products or services, you should ensure that we can use the item to offset our budget, or that it can be used to generate revenue. Donors are eligible for a tax receipt as long as they can provide written documentation of the value.
6. Time
Last, but certainly not least, is the gift of time. Our foundation absolutely could not operate without the support of amazing volunteers. Time is an incredibly valuable commodity, and to gift it to charity is one of the most valuable gifts anyone could make.
So, what does your gift to the Cape Breton Regional Hospital Foundation mean this holiday season? It means helping families stay together in the most trying times. It means that patients can feel comfort in knowing that others care.
Your donation might also mean that a cancer patient going through treatment gets assistance with the cost of drugs not covered by their insurance plans, helps replace employment income if they are unable to work, or may help with travel costs or accommodations to and from the hospital.
If you are looking for a gift idea over the holidays, a gift to the Cape Breton Regional Hospital Foundation is a perfect way to give back. One hundred per cent of your gift helps strengthen healthcare for Cape Bretoners. So, this year, give back, because you care.