Give beyond your lifetime and let your legacy live on, forever.
Did you know you can make a donation today that grows and gives forever?
Starting a legacy fund at the Community Foundation allows you to honour a life well-lived by supporting charitable causes for future generations, while also taking care of your family. Keep your memory alive in the community through your actions today and impact tomorrow.
About the Community Foundation.
We operate as the South Saskatchewan Community Foundation for the region (Davidson and south to the border). We recently started using the Saskatchewan Community Foundation legal operating name for provincial partnerships. This is also used to serve municipalities who are not already served by existing Community Foundations in the province.
Who are you?
The South Saskatchewan Community Foundation is one of over 200 community foundations across Canada (www.communityfoundations.ca). For over 55 years, we have been committed to building, protecting, and honoring legacies with funds that create community impact, forever.
We serve as a vital connector between generous donors and impactful charities within Saskatchewan. Our mission is to guide philanthropy, strengthen local charities, and nurture a more resilient and equitable community for all. Since our establishment as a registered charity in 1969, we have remained dedicated to making long-term investments through legacy (endowed) funds that spark enduring positive change in our community. In 55 years, our Community Foundation has granted out over $70 million to support our community.
What is legacy giving? Why should I care about it?
Legacy giving is an investment in the future of our community. All donations to a legacy (endowed) fund are protected by the Community Foundation and responsibly invested as part of our pooled investment portfolio. With the investment income each year, the fund continues to grow and a portion of investment earnings are sustainably granted out to the causes and charities of your choice, forever.
We ensure your donation will grow, so that it can give back to the community each year, for generations to come. Legacy giving is important because it is a way for you to create something of value for your community that gives back forever. In essence, it is a symbol of your impact on the community, a way to be remembered forever as a community change-maker.
What kinds of charities do you support?
Our mission is to help guide and facilitate charitable giving and your Fund can support the charities and causes that you are most passionate about. Grants from your Fund can be made to any Canadian registered charity for impacts local and beyond. Our team will meet with you to identify your goals for community impact and the charities that you wish to support.
To help narrow your search, we often use our Vital Signs Report to guide conversations and help highlight our community’s current challenges. Based on extensive research, the report identifies the five most pressing needs within our community with additional data and stories to help you learn more. We encourage you to explore the report at www.growingfuturesreport.ca.
Why is your Community Foundation beneficial? Why should I donate through you when I can just directly donate to the charities I support?
Our Community Foundation serves an important role in the local charitable sector because legacy funds are self-sufficient and sustainable. Your donations are invested and protected forever, rather than a one-time only donation. The stable and predictable funding provided by legacy funds is transformative for charitable organizations to expand programs and create long-term, meaningful impacts.
We are honoured to hold funds created over 50 years ago by people that have since passed and their beautiful gifts continue to provide for the community today. One-time donations eventually run out, but legacy funds last forever and sustainably impact the charities you care about.
We believe we are as necessary for the community as a retirement fund is to you. We use time and the markets to earn investment returns for the benefit of our community. Catalyzed through the generosity of donors, the investment earnings are dollars that would not have existed in our community otherwise.
We also understand that some causes may need urgent support, so donors can create flow-through or spend-down funds through the Community Foundation. These funds are more flexible – like a ‘charitable savings account’ – so you can grant to charities at any time or over a defined timeframe.
What are your admin fees?
Every organization incurs administrative expenses, such as office space rental and staff wages. Legacy giving allows the Community Foundation to be a completely self-sufficient organization. Admin fees ranging from 0.5% to 2% (depending on the type of fund and fund balance) fund our entire operation. We are a lean and fully self-sustaining organization that is built to last forever.
Over the past fifteen years, our investments have earned over 8% on average. This means that, historically, the investment returns have more than covered the administrative fees while allowing for annual granting (usually between 3.5% to 5%) and continued growth of the fund over time. Like a tree growing with time, the beauty of a legacy fund is that the impact also grows over the years.
To see the exact breakdown of these expenses, you can visit our website’s publication’s section and view our Audited Financial Statements here: www.sscf.ca/reports/.
Who owns/runs you?
As a charity registered with the Canada Revenue Agency for 55 years, we are truly owned by the community. There is no single person, organization, nor entity that owns us, but rather a board of community-minded individuals who governs the organization. If we were to ever cease operations (which should never happen) or merge with another organization, our assets would transfer to another Community Foundation and continue to benefit charitable causes. To see our team and board, visit www.sscf.ca/staff/ or www.sscf.ca/board/.
How can I know you are not just a scam organization?
Transparency is key. We believe that to build a trusting relationship with our community, openness is essential. We practice this on our website where under the ‘Publications’ section, you can see yearly summaries of our grant distributions, investment reports, financial statements, and annual reports. In 2023 alone, we granted out almost $6 million to 230 charities, and they are all listed on our website.
We are governed by a board of directors composed of community members who hold us accountable to our bylaws and the Saskatchewan Non-Profit Corporations Act that we operate under. We are also a member of the Community Foundations of Canada, whose own bylaws and regulations are an added layer of responsibility we adhere by to remain accountable.
We hold ourselves to the highest standard for transparency and accountability because we understand that trust is earned, not given.
Why spend all this money on advertising when you could just give it to charity?
Companies and organizations in our community use advertising to bring attention to their work so they can grow and generate more value. For the Community Foundation, we create value for our community. In the last five years alone, we have granted over $45 million dollars to support hundreds of causes. We are excited to imagine our incredible potential in the future as we continue to grow together.
When we advertise, every dollar spent is spent on an opportunity to inspire someone new to give back to our community. The more people who are aware of legacy giving and start Funds at the Community Foundation, the more impact we can create.
Specifically, this campaign was paid for by a wonderful anonymous donor who wants to see the Community Foundation grow. We did not use a cent of the administrative fees for this campaign.
What is the point of awareness campaigns like this, how much impact can one sign on my lawn really have?
Due to this campaign, tens of thousands of people across the city woke up one morning and noticed over 200 lawn signs, dozens of banners, and a handful of billboards on the busiest streets in Regina, Lumsden, and White City. Over 2,300 people who had seen these signs visited our website where they learned about legacy giving and the potential value they can create for the next generation.
Of those 2,300 people, a number of folks went one step further and met with us to discuss legacy funds and what impact they want to have on our community. All this happened because over 200 people took a chance, saw something meaningful in our talk at the doorstep, and selflessly supported something bigger than themselves.
The point of this campaign was to touch as many hearts as possible. We hope to light a spark in the minds of our community and invoke the realization that we can all create our own legacies, where the work we accomplished in our lifetimes is felt for generations to come. If the thought about your own legacy has now crossed your mind, then this awareness campaign has been successful!
The Community Foundation has existed for over 56 years. We build, protect, and honour legacies for generations to come.
- We have protected every donation made to a Legacy Fund, for our entire history.
- Our model allows us to be fully sustainable.
- We do not rely on donations, grants, sponsorships, or government.
- We are sustainable because of the donors and families who have trusted us with Legacy Funds. We rely on investment earnings to support our small but mighty team.
- We are one of the largest non-government funders of the charitable sector and are built to last for generations to come.
- We would love to chat with how we can build, protect, and honour your legacy, forever. We can help you support the community and charities you love.
- (We also offer spend-down funds and flow-through funds options. This is for people who want granting efficiencies. It is also for those who want their funds to have an expiry date.)
BUILD
Starting your own personal legacy fund is easy.
- Any person, family, or business can start a fund at the Community Foundation with as little as $100.
- You and your family can create your own private or public foundation fund. You can donate during your lifetime or through an estate gift.
- We are a registered charity, meaning you receive various tax benefits. Specific tax benefits depend on the assets you transfer.
- We make it an easy process to create a lasting legacy for your family or business.
PROTECT
Our main purpose is to protect your donations, forever. Thus helping you support the communities and charities you love.
- Your wishes are outlined in a legal deed of gift.
- In 56 years, we have protected every dollar donated. This means we use administration fees for our operational costs. All administration fees come from investment earnings, not the dollar donated.
- Your donations are pooled with other legacy funds. Our assets are now over $125 million, allowing us to offer great returns on your donations.
- Through the investment earnings, investment management fees are usually 0.5%. Our charitable operations amount between 1.0% to 1.5% depending on the size of your fund. And the charities you love receive about 3.5% to 5.0% per year.
- Our average earnings are close to 8% historically. Our five year average earnings is over 10%. The left over earnings go back to your fund and allow it to continue to grow each year.
HONOUR
Our goal is to honour you or your families legacy forever. To celebrate lives well lived.
- Your impact on the communities and charities you love will live on for generations to come.
- A one-time gift is wonderful, but you can also leave a planned gift. For example, giving through an estate can be an everlasting way to leave your legacy. The communities and charities you love will then receive grants from your legacy fund, forever. This gives them sustainable and predictable funding.
- You can have peace of mind that your impact will be felt long after you have left this life.
Did you know?
- Around 17% of Saskatchewan tax filers donate to charity, but only between 5% and 8% leave charitable gifts in their Will.¹
- 31% of Canadians are interested in leaving a gift of charity in their Will. ²
- According to CAGP, 26% of Canadians over 55 plan to leave a charitable gift in their Will, while 72% of Canadians under the age of 55 plan to leave a charitable gift in their Will.³
- The average person writes their first Will between 45-55 and a large percentage never rewrite it.⁴
Your legacy, forever.
- Through legacy giving, your donation is planted as a seed that grows and gives back to the causes you care about each year.
- Proactive estate planning can make a difference. You can take care of loved ones while minimizing your estate tax burden through generous giving to charitable causes.
- Talk to your family about the importance of giving back to create a strong and vibrant community. Future generations will thank you!
- Monetary donations, life insurance policies, real estate, RRSPs/RRIFs, and stocks are some examples of ways you can give.
1. Will power. CAGP. (n.d.). https://www.cagp-acpdp.org/en/will-power#:~:text=Leaving%20a%20charitable%20gift%20in,Canadians%20leaving%20a%20charitable%20bequest
2. Grosz, S., & Monck, G. (2024, April). Gift Planning Fundamentals . CAGP Gift Planning Fundamentals. Ottawa, Ontario; Virtual.
4. Planned giving ebook. iWave. (2023, November 22). https://www.iwave.com/resources/ebooks/planned-giving-ebook/
Your legacy, forever.
- Through legacy giving, your donation is planted as a seed that grows and gives back each year to the causes you care about, forever.
- Through proactive estate planning, you can take care of your loved ones, while minimizing your estate tax burden by giving generously to charitable causes in your community.
- Talk to your family about the importance of giving back and creating a stronger, more vibrant community for future generations.
- Monetary donations, life insurance policies, real estate, RRSPs/RRIFs, and stocks are some examples of ways you can give.
After you're gone, your legacy will continue to grow and give forever. You can leave a lasting story for your family to cherish.
- Through a Will, you can add to your fund to amplify your giving, even after you're gone.
- Leaving a deferred gift is doesn't affect day-to-day finances. This makes it an accessible option for all.
- Legacy Funds are a sustainable way to fund the charitable sector. Yours will continue to grow and give, long after you're gone.
View stories of how others are leaving their legacies.
Legacy Stories
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Building, protecting, and honouring your legacy, forever.
In this inspiring TEDx talk, our very own Adam Hicks shares the secret to leaving a lasting legacy. One that will continue to give back to the causes and communities you care about most, for years to come. Adam takes us on a journey of how these legacies can transcend time. He highlights how a Community Foundation can continue your giving for future generations.
Planning for health, wealth, and beyond.
This free downloadable booklet is a pathway to help your loved ones after you pass away. Think of it as your ultimate gesture of affection, a lasting ‘I love you’ that gives your family direction. This booklet allows you to cherish the present by preparing for the future. Use this booklet as a master index of your personal and financial records.
We appreciate your curiosity as it teaches us to better communicate our important work and impacts in the community. We answered hundreds of questions during this campaign and have documented the most frequently-asked questions at the top of this page.