Types of Gifts You Can Give
Gifts for Today
Gifts for Tomorrow
Cash Gifts
A gift of cash is the most common way of making a gift and the simplest way to show your support for the students and programs at RDC. One of the advantages of a cash gift is that it allows the College to make immediate use of the gift. Gifts of cash can be made by cheque, money order, VISA, MasterCard, or American Express. To make a gift online now, click here.
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Employee Matching Gifts
Many employers offer a corporate gift-matching program that enables you to multiply the effects of your philanthropy. These programs allow you, as an employee, to direct your corporation's matching dollars to the benefit of RDC. Your company's personnel or human resources department can let you know if they have a corporate gift-matching program. For more information, email us at foundation@rdc.ab.ca or phone (403) 342-3175. To make a gift online now, click here.
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Payroll Deductions for RDC Faculty and Staff
Payroll deductions are typically made monthly and are arranged through the Human Resource Department at RDC for all faculty and staff.
How to contribute by payroll deduction:
- On the back of your Internal Pledge card (available at the Foundation Office), indicate that you wish to contribute through payroll deductions. We will forward your request to Human Resources and you will be sent confirmation.
- Visit the Foundation Office (Room 817) and we will assist you in completing the required form.
- If you choose to make arrangements by phone, contact Chris Morrison at 342-3235 or email.
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Gifts-in-Kind
Donations of products or services can be very useful to the College to enhance a program or a special event. We are able to utilize a large array of gifts from diesel engines to microscopes to advertising. We would encourage you to contact our office if you have something that you think may assist in making RDC become the best comprehensive college in Canada.
Both during your lifetime and through your will, you can also donate property to a charity. A gift of property is called a gift-in-kind. Other examples include equipment, software, artwork, shares and real estate, as well as life insurance or a residual interest in real property.
A gift-in-kind is normally valued at its fair market value. Tax receipts for your donated property or equipment work in the same way as they do for a gift of cash. For more information, email us at foundation@rdc.ab.ca or phone (403) 342-3175.
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Gifts of Cultural Property
Gifts of ‘cultural property’ to certain public authorities or institutions also produce tax benefits. The property in question must be certified by the government as being of cultural significance to Canada. The donation will be equal to the property’s fair market value for purposes of the credit but no taxable capital gain will result. Any capital loss that may arise may be deductible in some circumstances. For more information, email us at foundation@rdc.ab.ca or phone (403) 342-3175.
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Gifts of Appreciated Securities
Publicly listed securities that have grown in value since they were first purchased offer special benefits for charitable giving. Donors who contribute any appreciated stocks and bonds of companies listed on prescribed stock exchanges will be able to significantly reduce the amount of capital gains tax otherwise payable on the securities, as only 25% of the gain will have to be brought into income. The same securities sold publicly would trigger a capital gains tax in Canada calculated on 50% of the realized gain.
When you make a gift of appreciated securities you receive an official tax receipt for the fair market value of the gift, based on the value of the securities on the date of transfer to The RDC Foundation. For more information, email us at foundation@rdc.ab.ca or phone (403) 342-3175.
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Honorary or Memorial Gifts
Honorary gifts recognize special individuals, anniversaries or events. Memorial gifts recognize lifetime accomplishments of individuals who have passed away by providing a special and lasting tribute to those loved and respected while providing valuable support for students. Honorary or memorial gifts can be unrestricted or designated for use in a particular program or area. All gifts are recognized with a card sent to the individual being recognized/remembered and/or his or her family. For more information, email us at foundation@rdc.ab.ca or phone (403) 342-3175.
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Special Occasion Giving
A donation honoring a birthday or anniversary is a unique way to give. If you wish, special acknowledgement cards can be sent to honorees from the Foundation, letting them know of your generosity and thoughtfulness.
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Event Sponsorship
RDC hosts a number of events each year. The RDC Advancement Division has three large fundraisers: Annual Golf Classic, International Wine Auction and Dinner, and Affairs of the Arts. Each event has a variety of different sponsorship levels. The science fair, performing arts presentations, and sporting events are also available for sponsorship. Through the Golf Classic, Wine Auction, and Affairs of the Arts, RDC raises money for awards and scholarships, as well as the performing and visual arts programs.
The Performing Arts program showcases many productions throughout the year in our impressive Arts Centre. From one-act plays to full Broadway-style productions, our students have amazing talents and many have gone on to noteworthy careers. Our College sports teams are provincial and national champions. Their games are exciting to watch and economical to attend. We encourage you to partake in any of our events. For more information, email us at foundation@rdc.ab.ca or phone (403) 342-3175.
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Gifts for Tomorrow – Planned Gifts
“A unique opportunity to declare what you stand for, which causes you want to continue after you are gone,and what brings purpose, passion and meaning to your life.”
A planned gift is a charitable gift that you plan for now, but is not received by the Foundation until a later date. Making a planned gift can be a way of making a very personal statement about the values you have embraced throughout your lifetime. There are many different types of planned charitable gifts: bequests, life insurance, charitable remainder trusts and charitable gift annuities.
The RDC Foundation is honoured to receive the trust of individuals who choose to establish a planned gift to benefit the College and its students. Making a planned gift can also provide significant tax benefits for your and your loved ones.
Professional advisors can assist you in making the best decision for your estate and financial plans. We would also be pleased to discuss with you the many opportunities to make a lasting difference through a planned gift to The RDC Foundation. Your privacy and right to give anonymously will be respected. For more information, please contact (403) 342-3175 or email foundation@rdc.ab.ca.
Gift planning can take on many forms, but in almost all cases they are gifts that outlast a lifetime. The following are four examples of how one can make a Planned Gift.
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Bequests By Will - The Ultimate Gift
A bequest is often referred to as “The Ultimate Gift” because it is a gift of cash or property that an individual makes in their Will. It is one of the most common methods that individuals choose to make. A planned gift to RDC and is the crucial centrepiece for all estate planning.
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Publicly Traded Securities
Would you like to make a meaningful gift to RDC, but are hesitant to do so because much of your wealth is invested in a highly appreciated stock portfolio? Are you aware that the 1997 Federal Budget has made the gifting of Publicly Traded Securities very appealing? Did you know that for this type of gift, the taxable portion of any capital gain is reduced from 75% to 37.5%? In other words, a donor making a gift of Publicly Traded Securities would receive a tax receipt for the full value of the stock, but the taxable capital gain would be reduced by 50%, thus allowing more of the resulting tax credit to be used to offset other income.
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Life Insurance
Would you like to make a large gift to RDC but are unable to give up large amounts of cash due to business and/or family situations? Would you make a substantial gift to the College if it could be done without diminishing your estate? Does your financial portfolio include a Life Insurance policy purchased under financial circumstances that are no longer relevant? If you can answer “yes” to any of those questions, then perhaps Life Insurance is the gift planning vehicle for you.
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RRSP, RRIF, Pension or Annuity Proceeds
Many individuals have, as part of their retirement plan, taxdeferred instruments such as RRSPs, RRIFs, Pensions or Annuities. When preparing a retirement and estate plan, the current tax regulations present some special opportunities with respect to charitable giving and taxation. Those regulations state that “in the year of death, donations of up to 100% of taxable income are deductible on the final tax return, with any unused portion allowed to be carried back to the previous year.”
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Charitable Remainder Trust
When an individual establishes a trust that is funded with securities, real estate, or cash, making an irrevocable gift of the remainder interest to a charity, they are creating a Charitable Remainder Trust. Advantages derived from this type of gift include things such as personal tax benefits, a lifetime income, and no probate fees on the asset placed into the trust.
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Residual Interest - the Best of Both Worlds
Making a gift of Residual Interest is often described as being “The Best of Both Worlds.” This type of gift occurs when an individual irrevocably gifts a piece of property to a charity, (usually real estate or art work) but retains the right to use that asset for the rest of the donor’s life, or for a specified period of time. Donors can, for example, convert a valuable art collection into current tax credits, but continue to enjoy their treasures for as long as they live.
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Charitable Gift Annuity
A Charitable Gift Annuity plan combines the donor’s gift to RDC with an annuity. The College purchases the annuity, through a licensed insurance company, on behalf of the donor. Guaranteed annuity payments continue throughout the donor’s lifetime, unaffected by changes in the economy or interest rates. If the donor wishes, the annuity can be written to cover the donor and spouse through both lifetimes.
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Interest Free Loans
An individual able to give up the income from a capital asset (such as a matured GIC) for a set period of time, but not wanting to lose that asset, might consider making a gift of an Interest Free Loan to RDC. The revenue generated by this type of gift can be used to support a variety of projects and programs at RDC.
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Stripped Bond Coupons
It is amazing what the magic of compound interest can still do, even with today’s lower interest rates. By purchasing and giving a Stripped Bond Coupon to RDC today, you can create a future gift two, three or even five times larger than what you initially invested. This type of gift is becoming more and more common and has a number of advantages over certain other types of planned gifts.
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Preferred Shares in Private Corporations
A significant amount of the wealth in this country is invested in privately held corporations. Many individuals have chosen to support charities such as RDC by making gifts of Preferred Shares in their Private Corporation. There are a number of very exciting tax benefits resulting from this type of gift, and future monetization (redemption) of the shares can be arranged in a variety of ways that are beneficial to the donor, the donor’s family, the donor’s company and the College.
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Revenue Canada Registered Charity Number 89051 5570 RR0001