How to help

There are many ways to help us conserve the Okanagan's natural beauty

Gifts of land, cash, or cheque may be made and processed immediately, or can be arranged for the Central Okanagan Land Trust to receive your gift at a future date. By selecting the right type of gift, you can maximize your tax advantage and the estate planning benefits of your donation. All eligible gifts as per Canada Revenue Agency guidelines are tax receipted.

Many gifts are simple to make; for some gifts however, we recommend that you seek advice from your professional legal and/or accounting advisor. We invite you to meet with a COLT Board member who will be pleased to discuss how we can meet your wishes

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Ways to Give

There are many ways to give, and together, we can protect the Okanagan's natural beauty.

Donate Online

Donate online via CanadaHelps.com and an electronic tax receipt will be issued on our behalf.
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Cash or Cheque

If you would prefer to donate by cash or cheque, please make it payable to the Central Okanagan Land Trust and mail it to:

Central Okanagan Land Trust
#306 – 1726 Dolphine Avenue
Kelowna, B. C. V1Y 9R9

Give Monthly

Monthly donations offer a flexible, effective way to support us, with one annual tax receipt. They can be canceled at any time.
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Stocks & Securities

With a donation of securities or mutual funds, capital gains tax does not apply allowing you to give more by not paying tax on capital gains.

Retirement Funds

You may give all or part of your Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) or Registered Retirement Income Fund (RRIF) to charity upon death. This may be done by direct designation outside your estate or through the estate via your will. A tax receipt is issued.

Bequests

A charitable bequest is a gift to a charity made in your will and is an effective way to support your lifetime interest in land conservation.

Life Insurance

The gift of a new or existing life insurance policy can provide a significant and affordable lifetime contribution to the conservation work of the Central Okanagan Land Trust (as owner and beneficiary). As the donor, you receive a charitable tax receipt for the cash surrender value (if any) and further receipts on payment of subsequent premiums to be paid. Proceeds of a life insurance gift are immediately payable in cash upon death.

Annuities

A charitable gift annuity is an arrangement in which a donor pays a lump sum to a charity in return for a fixed annual payment – the annuity. As the donor, you will earn a charitable donation tax credit if the amount of the lump sum gift is greater than the market price of the annuity. A portion of the fixed annual payments may be taxable.

Charitable Remainder Trust

A Charitable Remainder Trust is a planned gift in which assets are transferred into an irrevocable trust and you appoint a trustee to manage the assets. Under the terms of such a trust, the Central Okanagan Land Trust would receive the remaining assets. You receive an immediate tax credit with a donation receipt issued on the set-up of the trust. The donation receipt represents the current value of the Central Okanagan Land Trust’s interest in the trust to be received at a future time.

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Donate Land

There are various options for how you want to donate land to COLT for conservation. You can retain title, transfer title with no interest retained, transfer to a Life Estate, or transfer title at death.

Contact us to learn more about the various ways COLT can protect the natural features you currently own.

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Endowment Funds

The Central Okanagan Land Trust must be certain that for any donation of an interest in land that ongoing costs are manageable. Endowment funds registered with the Central Okanagan Foundation help provide some assurance of future income. There may be circumstances where an endowment fund related to a particular gift will be a requirement. While none of the existing endowments arose in such circumstances, such endowment is expected together with a proposed donation of land.

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The endowment funds currently held by Central Okanagan Foundation in support of COLT as listed below arose as bequests and gifts.

Named funds – Total of interest in 10+ funds $500,000+

J. W. & M. E. Scott Family Fund

J. W. Bootle Family Fund

Charles Pettman Memorial Fund

Bernice Mabee Memorial Fund

Harvey & Ruth Whitson Fund.

Dick & Jean Hall Fund

Hobson Family Fund

Cynthia Hunter (Ellis) Fund

John and Monica Shantz Fund

Munson Pond Endowment Fund

Open Fund. – total $60,200

The Open Fund, in the name of Central Okanagan Land Trust, was established to encourage gifts of any amount and particularly of commemorative gifts. The primary gift to the Open Fund came as a bequest from Jim and Joan Burbridge, who were renowned naturalists in the Central Okanagan region.

Contact us to learn more about donations

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Frequently asked questions

Here, we answer some common questions about what a land trust is, how we operate, and how we partner with donors. A land trust is a nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving land for its natural, recreational, and cultural value. We achieve this through land acquisition, conservation covenants, and stewardship programs. Our work ensures that these valuable spaces are preserved for future generations.