Stradivarius Legacy Circle

How Your Gift Makes a Difference

Let music be your legacy. Legacy gifts help build the VSO’s endowment fund held at the Vancouver Symphony Foundation. This fund—invested and stewarded to return a stable annual income for the organisation—provides invaluable support for the musicians and musical endeavours of the VSO and VSO School of Music each year.

Gifts received into the endowment fund each year may also qualify for matching funds from the federal government’s endowment incentive program.

Your legacy gift will:

  • Help the VSO and VSO School of Music attract and retain the highest quality musicians, music teachers, and leadership to our community
  • Provide long-term stable funds to the VSO and VSO School of Music, making possible advanced planning and new initiatives
  • Support inspiring music education and community engagement programs, ensuring accessibility to music performance and music education for all

Ways to Leave Your Legacy

1. Leave a gift to the Vancouver Symphony Foundation in your will

Writing a Will doesn’t have to be complicated or overwhelming; and this document helps your loved ones ensure that your wishes are followed.

We have partnered with Willfora, a free Canadian resource to help make the process of creating or updating a Will easier than ever. Willfora allows you to create a legal Will online in 20 minutes or less, at no cost to you.

This confidential, secure Will-writing platform makes it simple to create or update your Will from home and it gives you the option of financially supporting causes that are important to you. That way, you can take care of those you love while also potentially creating a legacy gift that ensures symphonic music will be accessible to all for generations to come.

Click here to create your Will today

Sample bequest language to include in a will

2. Donate life insurance to the Vancouver Symphony Foundation

Naming beneficiaries of life insurance can be a very effective way to give legacy gifts. Life insurance policies are not subject to taxes or probate costs and can make a substantial impact through relatively small monthly or annual payments. Also, premium payments made to a life insurance policy with a charity as named beneficiary are treated by the CRA as charitable donations, and so are eligible for a charitable tax receipt.

Three Ways to donate a life insurance policy:

  1. Take out a new policy in the name of “Vancouver Symphony Foundation”
  2. Name “Vancouver Symphony Foundation” as the beneficiary of an existing policy
  3. Transfer ownership of an existing policy to “Vancouver Symphony Foundation”

3. Donate an investment fund

By naming Vancouver Symphony Foundation as the beneficiary of your RRSP, RRIF, or Pension, your gift will help offset the tax that your estate would otherwise pay on these assets. Be sure to discuss this option with your financial advisor or lawyer to determine if it is the right solution for you and your beneficiaries.

If you would like to inform us of a planned gift or have questions, please contact:
Paris Simons
Senior Officer, Planned Giving
(604) 684 9100 ext. 265
paris@vancouversymphony.ca

Vancouver Symphony Foundation
500-833 Seymour Street
Vancouver, BC  V6B 0G4
Charitable Registration Number 85410 7554 RR0001