A planned or legacy gift is a powerful gift that can be used to memorialize a loved one or stand as a permanent testament to your own personal love and appreciation for the environment and the beautiful natural areas that make the Kawarthas so unique.
When you plan a gift to the Kawartha Land Trust you are helping to protect the land you love and ensuring long-term conservation of land in the Kawarthas.
Your planned gift can honour a loved one, recognize your family or stand as a living monument to your own personal passion for the environment and love of the Kawarthas’ natural heritage.
Charitable bequests are gifts made through your will. You can choose to leave KLT a pre-determined sum of money or a percentage of your estate.
When you remember Kawartha Land Trust (KLT) with a gift in your will, you make a lasting contribution to our work. Your legacy gift will drive the most urgent priorities for the land you love.
Learn about donor Christie Bentham’s impactful gift.
KLT receives a percentage of the remainder or residue of your estate after other specific legacies have been fulfilled. This gift will be used where it’s needed most. A lot of people prefer to give a residual gift as it keeps in line with inflation and does not lose value over time.
KLT receives a specific dollar amount or a specified gift in kind (property, collections, books, jewellery, and so on). Gifts in kind will be sold and KLT will use the proceeds where they are needed the most.
Now it’s easier than ever to create your legacy of care and concern for KLT. You can do it with the One-Minute Bequest.
It takes only a few minutes of your time. It costs you nothing to make this gift that will support KLT for years to come. And it does not require assistance from lawyers or advisors (although we encourage you to consult with experts before making any donation). The only thing you need is a Registered Retirement Savings Plan, a Registered Retirement Income Fund or life insurance.
It’s that easy. In just three steps, you can make a gift to KLT that costs you nothing now, powers the most urgent priorities facing KLT, and continues its impact for generations to come.
Giving through life insurance is a low cost way to give. You can give a new policy, an existing policy or simply name the KLT as the beneficiary.
A gift of life insurance lets you support Kawartha Land Trust in a significant and meaningful way. By paying modest life-insurance premiums today and naming KLT as a beneficiary, you can make an impactful gift that will demonstrate your commitment to KLT’s work.
One way to leave this gift is to assign KLT as the sole, or one of many beneficiaries, of your own policy or the life insurance policy from an employer. Your estate will receive a tax receipt equal to the direct benefit to KLT. In this way, you create your legacy and benefit your heirs through a significant tax reduction.
A second option is to purchase a new policy, name KLT as owner, and receive tax receipts for any premiums paid after the date of transfer.
A memorial or tribute gift to the work of KLT is a meaningful way to express your love, admiration, and gratitude for someone special.
Your gift will honour your loved one, create a lasting tribute to them, and connect both of you through your shared concern for KLT’s work.
When you make a gift in your will to KLT, you can do it in memory of or in honour of someone who is important to you. It will stand as your legacy and your loved one’s legacy for generations to come.
Download Kawartha Land Trust’s legacy giving guide (PDF) to learn more about planned giving to protect nature. If you are considering a planned gift to KLT, you’re encouraged to consult with your lawyer and other estate planners and financial advisors before making a gift of this kind.
Christie Bentham was a valued KLT friend and volunteer. She had a vision of protection for special places on her beloved Stony Lake and wanted to ensure the abundant species found there would thrive into the future beyond her lifetime.
Christie passed away after years of working tirelessly on many causes. She left her mark both on the landscape and on those who knew her.
Christie & William Bentham.
“We like to think of Stony Lake as a constant in our lives, yet the natural environment changes continually. Many of the oak trees have gone, victims of the gypsy moth, forest tent caterpillars and lack of moisture in the thin layer of soil.
On the positive side, descendants of the white pine which were heavily logged in the last century have flourished. Invasive species such as Eurasian watermilfoil, purple loosestrife and zebra mussels have appeared, while the indigenous Canada geese, ospreys and cormorants are much more numerous.”
Christie chose to make a substantial contribution to achieve her vision, both through the sale of her beloved boat, Spree, and in her Will, representing one of the largest financial gifts to Kawartha Land Trust to date.
Christie’s gifts build upon the momentum of many other families and individuals who have chosen to help protect important sites in the Kawarthas, through gifts of land, gifts of conservation agreements, gifts of financial support and gifts of time.
We are grateful for Christie’s gift and confidence in KLT to protect the land you love.
Pictured: ‘The Spree’ | Photo by Paul Orenstein
Making a planned gift to Kawartha Land Trust is a simple and powerful way to leave a legacy for the future of the Kawarthas.
