Planning Your Legacy

You love the irreplaceable landscapes that make up the Islands Trust Area, so why not make it your legacy to help protect it?

A legacy is an expression of your passion and those things that you value. Creating a legacy isn’t just for the wealthy. Supporting the causes we believe in by remembering to include a gift in our will is one way we can all make a difference.

two small black and orange swallows on a wire with a blurry background

There are many ways your gift can support the work that we do. Below are some options to help get you started in your thinking. We also have made this information available as a two-page summary guide.

Sun shining through bright green cedar tree boughs

 

The land you’ve cared for all your life could be your legacy in the future. Your gift of real estate to the Islands Trust Conservancy would permanently protect endangered island ecosystems. Read more

Sunbeam shining through spiders web dripping with dew and moss covered branches

 

All gifts of bequests are appreciated, whether they are large or small. Consider leaving a gift in your Will to Islands Trust Conservancy. Read more

Bright orange and yellow sun setting over Vesuvias Bay on Salt Spring Island with a dark silouhetted sail boat in the foreground.

 

If you have investments that have increased in value over the years, those gains will trigger capital gains taxes for your estate. Your best tax advantage for a gift of stock is a direct donation. Read more

You can make a future gift of a registered retirement savings plan (RRSP), income fund (RRIF), or tax free saving account (TFSA) and support conservation in the Islands Trust Area.

A gift of your RRSPs, RRIFs and/or TFSAs is one of the easiest deferred gifts you can make. Read more

Life insurance can be an effective way to help Islands Trust Conservancy achieve long-term conservation goals.

In addition to tax savings, donating a life insurance policy includes the freedom to choose what type of policy and how much premium you pay. Read more

Make a cash donation to a campaign or the Opportunity Fund. 100% of our donations goes towards conservation on islands in the Salish Sea.

Donors to the Islands Trust Conservancy’s Opportunity Fund have helped protect more than 530 hectares of land on 9 islands to date! Check out our current campaign options here

Legacy Stories

Time, Treasure, Talent

Louise Bell embodied giving time, talent and treasure. She served as an Islands Trust Conservancy board member for 10 years, helping to shape the future of land conservation in the islands.

This dedication inspired others. When she retired from her role as a Denman Island trustee, trustees throughout the Islands Trust Area honoured her 15-year career as a local politician with a donation to a cause close to her heart—the Islands Trust Conservancy’s Opportunity Fund to support land acquisition campaigns throughout the Islands Trust Area.

A woman with short grey hair in a red sweater and jeans walking a rocky beach with orange tree leaves in the background

Tribute donations were also made in lieu of gifts when she celebrated her birthday with friends.

Louise personally made annual donations to Islands Trust Conservancy from 1999 until her passing in 2021. She chose to give where she lived because she knew and trusted Islands trust Conservancy, and saw the impact every donation made on her beloved islands of the Salish Sea.

Donations and “In Memory” donations can be made to Islands Trust Conservancy here.

“My Heart Sings”

Lois Kennedy’s passion was her community, Gambier Island. First, she gave time and talent: she served as president of the Gambier Island Community Association. Then, because she believed strongly in island conservation, she was a founding Director of the Gambier Island Conservancy.

She joined other volunteers to assess and map the island’s watersheds and streams and led several initiatives to restore damaged island ecosystems and to protect natural areas.

A woman in green pants and a black tank top sitting on a bench with a mossy rock background

As her last contribution to her community and to the island she loved, Lois left a gift of securities valued at $100,000 to the Islands Trust Conservancy in her will. Her legacy gift was directed to conservation on Gambier Island.

In writing about the Islands Trust Conservancy’s Brigade Bay Nature Reserve on Gambier Island she says, “No one will ever hurt this wetland again. My heart sings.”

Although Lois Kennedy passed away in 2010, this champion of conservation’s legacy lives on.

Together our hearts sing.

Learn about why donations of securities are one of the most strategic charitable gifts.

With a gift in your Will to Islands Trust Conservancy, you can help protect the most vulnerable habitats and the wildlife that live there. Forever. For everyone.