What's Your Legacy? Planned Giving in Canada

Thinking about how we will use our retirement years is closely intertwined with thinking about our legacy. What memories will we leave behind? What lasting things will stay after us? How will the ways that we've lived out our faith impact the world impact others? 

Embracing planned giving is more than a financial decision; it is a spiritual act that intertwines personal faith with the collective future of the Church. It fosters a robust and resilient foundation for our future. It plants seeds that enable the CRCNA to minister for generations to come.

What Is Planned Giving?

Planned giving is integrating the CRCNA as a part of your financial legacy. Did you know that you can include the CRCNA in your estate plan?

"We walk our legacy every day," says Greta Luimes, current Chair of the Board of Directors of the CRCNA Canada, who was a independent financial advisor before retiring. "People will remember us for our walk with the Lord as disciples of Jesus. But we have tangible things that we can do to enhance our legacy."

"One thing that we can do is plan what is going to happen to everything that the Lord has blessed us with."

"It takes time and thoughtful, careful planning to steward what the Lord has blessed us with. We need to understand what we can do with all of the things that we have," Luimes says.

"When planning what is going to happen with your estate, you can include giving in that plan." This includes having a will done and including the CRCNA in your will.

Why Give to the CRCNA?

Planned giving to the denomination is a unique opportunity to support multiple ministries at once. Legacy giving funds support a wide variety of denominational agencies, such as Resonate, ReFrame, and Thrive. These CRCNA ministry agencies support the ministry of individual churches, including yours. Supporting the denomination with your gift has a valuable and wide-ranging impact. Legacy giving ensures that the CRCNA will continue to minister in Canada and internationally for years to come.

What's Included in Planned Giving?

So many things are included in planned giving! Planned giving can include a variety of assets, including cash, appreciated securities, retirement plan assets, life insurance, real estate, and more. 

How Much Can I Give? 

You can give any amount of support! However, different types of giving may make more sense depending on the size of your donation. If you'd like more information, head to the Canada legacy giving website for more information. 

How Can I Develop a Giving Strategy?

In order to maximize the impact of your gift, it's wise to develop a giving strategy. The Canada legacy giving website has many useful tips. It breaks down possible gifts by type of asset, the amount of the gift, and the age of the giver. If you're curious about how to give wisely and well, or if you've already planned to include the CRCNA in your will, you can reach out to the contact link of the webpage. 

If you're interested about planned giving to the CRCNA in the USA, please visit the Heritage Fund page.

Thank you for continuing to minister for generations to come!