Ways to give

If you prefer to make a donation by phone using a credit card and speak directly with a representative, please call us at 604.822.8900 or toll-free in North America at 1.877.717.GIVE.

Many companies encourage their employees to contribute to charities by offering a matching gift program. This means the company will donate funds equal to your contribution to the same fund, effectively doubling the gift. Check with your employer to see if they offer a charitable gift matching program.

A gift of securities is one of the most cost-effective ways to support research and learning at UBC Sauder, immediately or through a gift in your will. You receive a charitable tax receipt for your donation of securities AND realize additional tax saving as a result of the complete elimination of capital gains. This is because when any publicly listed securities, including shares, bonds, warrants, stocks, mutual funds and segregated fund units are donated to UBC, the tax on the capital gains is eliminated. For more information or if you’re interested in making a gift of securities please contact Rupeela Gill,  Manager, Operations, Donor Engagement and Community Giving at rupeela.gill@sauder.ubc.ca.

By planning your gift today, you can help future generations of students and researchers meet the needs of tomorrow. If you are considering a planned gift in support of research and learning at UBC Sauder and/or would like additional information about the planned giving option below please contact the UBC Gift & Estate Planning Team and they will be pleased to help you plan a meaningful gift to the area in UBC Sauder that means the most to you.

Consider including a bequest to UBC Sauder in your will. It can be a simple and straight forward way of supporting something you care about. You can designate to leave a specific dollar amount or property such as real estate or securities to UBC Sauder or you can make a residual bequest, donating all or a portion of your estate after all debts, taxes, expenses and other bequests (gifts to loved ones) have been paid.

A gift that pays you an income

You can make a significant gift in support of research and learning at UBC while maintaining or even increasing your income from assets such as cash, securities or other investments.

With a charitable gift annuity, a portion of your contribution is used to purchase an annuity guaranteeing you a fixed monthly income for life while the remainder goes directly to your chosen purpose at UBC Sauder as a gift with immediate tax benefits.

The fixed monthly payments you receive are a combination of income earned by the investments and the capital of the original investment. Only the income portion is taxable. A gift annuity can be for one or two people, so your spouse or another loved one can also receive payments for life.

Benefits of a Charitable Gift Annuity include:

• You receive guaranteed, regular payments that are largely tax free, for life
• You enjoy a substantially higher cash flow than could be offered by fully taxable investments such as T-Bills, bonds, GICs, etc
• You reduce taxes and increase after-tax income

A flexible gift-planning instrument that combines annuities with life insurance. It can allow you to make a substantial future gift upon your passing and while receiving a guaranteed monthly income for life.

How it works:

1. With existing funds, you purchase an annuity that guarantees fixed monthly payments to you for your lifetime. The guaranteed monthly payments are a combination of income earned by the investments and the capital of the original investment.  Only the income portion is taxable. The combination of an annuity with a life insurance contract provides a substantially higher cash flow than fully taxable investments such as T-Bills, bonds, GICs, etc
2. A portion of the fixed monthly annuity payment is used to fund premiums for an insurance policy owned by UBC that will ultimately benefit UBC Sauder as you direct. An annual tax receipt is issued to you for the insurance premiums paid from the annuity proceeds
3. Upon your passing, UBC receives the face value of the life insurance policy, which it uses according to your wishes

By creating a charitable remainder trust, you set money or other assets into a trust for UBC Sauder’s ultimate benefit. You could act as trustee personally or assign that responsibility to someone else. All income generated from the trust goes to you, or persons you choose, for a predetermined time or until the end of your life, at which time the residual goes to UBC Sauder to support the purpose you choose.

You immediately receive a tax receipt for the value of your gift, calculated based on your age and life expectancy. As the residual amount passes to the university outside of your estate, it is not subject to probate fees, ensuring more of your estate goes where you intend.

Gifts of real property, such as a residence, art collection or vacation home, can be managed in a similar fashion to a Charitable Remainder Trusts (see above). You or a specified heir retain the use and enjoyment of the property until passing. Then, again, the property passes outside your estate, without attracting probate fees.

Giving retirement assets is one of the easiest, most tax-effective ways to support research and learning at UBC Sauder. Upon passing, the total value of your registered retirement accounts must be reported as fully taxable income, unless the funds can be rolled over to a surviving spouse or dependent child.

While retirement assets can be a costly gift to distribute, they make ideal donations to charitable organizations such as UBC. By naming The University of British Columbia as a direct beneficiary of your RRSP or RRIF, you will avoid paying probate fees on those assets. This means more of your estate goes to something important to you. A donation to UBC can also offset taxes owed on other retirement assets. You may designate UBC as a 100% beneficiary or a partial beneficiary.

Just as with RRSPs and RRIFs, it is possible to name the university as a beneficiary of your Tax Free Savings Account (TFSA).

If you prefer to make withdrawals from your RRSP and RRIF plans and donate during your lifetime, we can also help. Given that any withdrawal is considered taxable income, the UBC donation receipt will help offset taxes owing. This is particularly beneficial to those who have accumulated more in their RRSPs or RRIFs than they need and are concerned about their tax exposure.

American retirement assets
We also can accept gifts from the United States. Please contact the UBC Gift & Estate Planning Team for details about naming the university as the beneficiary of American retirement plans through The American Foundation for The University of British Columbia.

Making a donation is a wonderful way of paying tribute to a family member or friend, teacher or colleague. Your gift honours their influence and legacy in your life while supporting current and future students and researchers at UBC.

There are two ways to make an in honour or memorial gift.

1. Indicate on the online donation form that you are making an in honour or in memoriam gift or include a note with your cheque. Indicate the name of the person you would like to pay tribute to. If you would like someone to be notified of your donation, please include their name and contact information
2. Make a donation to a named fund. Special tribute funds are often established to honour or remember someone special. By making a donation to the named fund, you are paying tribute to that person, as well as supporting a UBC project that is meaningful to her/him.  Search for an in honour fund or search UBC’s memorial site

Special tribute funds at UBC can be established in honour of a person, special event or anniversary, or in memory of someone special who has passed.

You may set up a tribute fund to support a faculty or a specific program of your choice, create a named award to be presented annually, or establish an endowed student award that can be awarded to students in perpetuity.

If you are remembering someone who has passed, you also have the option of a custom memorial page on UBC’s memorial site - an online tribute to the deceased that celebrates their life and connections to UBC, invites people to make a donation in their name, and provides an opportunity for friends and family to add their own memories and photographs.

UBC has established three international charitable foundations for donors living in the United States, the United Kingdom and Hong Kong (see below for details on each). These foundations help non-residents of Canada support UBC while maximizing their tax benefits. Gifts made to our foundations will flow directly to UBC to be used as you direct. No administration fees of any kind are deducted from your charitable gift.

Each of the foundations is equipped to handle wired gifts of cash and securities, gifts received through public and private foundations, and corporate matching gifts, as well as gifts of property, charitable annuities, and legacy gifts such as bequests, insurance, or charitable trusts. For more information about giving through UBC’s international foundations, please contact UBC Gift & Estate Planning Team.

Foundations

Under the University Foundations Act, the University of British Columbia Foundation was established in 1987 as an Agent of the Crown to encourage financial support for UBC and its programs, facilities and activities, and to receive funds and property for the benefit of UBC.

Charitable foundations in the United States of America, the United Kingdom and Hong Kong have been established to support donors who want to give to UBC from these areas.

A gift-in-kind is a non-cash donation and includes items such as real estate, personal effects and artwork. UBC welcomes the opportunity to discuss potential gifts in kind and to help you understand the benefits and costs, which may include appraisals, taxes and legal advice related to the transfer. Once the gift is appraised, a donation receipt will be issued for the fair market value of the gift. If you’re considering making a gift in kind please contact For more information, please contact Rupeela Gill, Manager, Operations, Donor Engagement and Community Giving at rupeela.gill@sauder.ubc.ca.