Gifts in Wills
A legacy gift is a powerful, meaningful way to have an impact on the outcomes of displaced people in the future.
Photo: © UNHCR/Will Swanson
People forced to flee their homes have made extraordinary efforts to survive. For as long as people are displaced UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, will continue to answer the call to support millions of displaced people—today, tomorrow and for years to come.
Including UNHCR in your Will is a meaningful way to help shape the futures of displaced people and families. Recognizing the growing numbers of people forced to flee worldwide, your legacy gift can ensure your compassion continues beyond your own lifetime.
Leaving a gift in Will has no impact on your current assets, cash flow or your lifestyle today. It’s also one of the most efficient ways to give as it can reduce, or even eliminate, the tax burden on your beneficiaries, since your estate will receive a tax receipt for your gift.
Learn more about the impact of a Gift in Will
Why You Should Leave a Charitable Gift In Your Will
Have Your Cake and Eat It Too: The Tax Benefits of Charitable Gifts in Wills
5 Common Myths that Get in the Way of Your Will Power
Important Information for your Will
Legal Name: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Legal Address: 2 St. Clair Avenue East, Unit 702, Toronto, Ontario, M4T 2T5
Charitable Registration Number: UN Refugee Agency is a qualified donee, as defined by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). Although we do not have a charitable registration number, UNHCR can issue tax receipts for donations received.
Sample Wording for Your Will
You can choose to leave United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees a specific sum of money, a percentage of your estate, or the residue of your estate.
Specific Amount: “I give to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees the sum of $____ to be used for its general purposes.”
Percentage of Estate: “I give to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees _______percent of the value of my estate to be used for its general purposes.”
Residual Gift: “I give to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees _________percent of the rest, residue and remainder of my estate for its general purposes.”
Contact Us
For more information on how your gift can make a significant difference for the future of displaced people around the world, please contact Kudzai Riva, Director of Planned Giving, at rivak@unhcr.org or call us at 416-926-7974.
When disaster relief is needed, UNHCR sends emergency aid and our staff members to anywhere in the world. A gift in your Will to UNHCR means your generosity can provide vital services and supplies to those who need it urgently, wherever an emergency strikes.
Your compassion will live on in helping UNHCR to support refugees, asylum seekers and forcibly displaced communities.
Our promise for the future
People forced to flee their homes have made extraordinary efforts to survive. You can enable people to thrive, not just survive. You can continue to help the forcibly displaced and the stateless regain hope, rebuild their lives and find solutions for their futures.
Far into the future
When disaster relief is needed, UNHCR sends emergency aid and our staff members to anywhere in the world. A gift in your Will to UNHCR means your generosity can provide vital services and supplies to those who need it urgently, wherever an emergency strikes.
Your compassion will live on in helping UNHCR to support refugees, asylum seekers and forcibly displaced communities.
The impact of your legacy.
The decision to make a legacy gift is a deeply meaningful and highly personal one – take it from Torontonian Ann Atkinson, who is leaving a planned gift.
Ann Atkinson remembers sitting in a darkened movie theatre at just five years old, intently watching the grainy, black-and-white newsreels of refugees fleeing Poland and Czechoslovakia in the aftermath of the Second World War.
The benefits to you
– Simple: A legacy gift in your Will is easy to arrange. Simply instruct your lawyer to include a charitable donation to UNHCR Canada.
– Convenient: A gift in your Will is a straightforward means of making a significant impact. It has no impact on your current assets, cash flow or your lifestyle today.
– Flexible: Your gift can be for a specific amount, a percentage of your estate, or the residue of your estate (a gift after your debts have been paid and other gifts made).
– Tax relief: A legacy gift in your Will is a highly effective way to reduce taxes for your estate.
– Tax planning: UNHCR Canada issues a charitable tax receipt for the full value of your gift. This receipt will be used to reduce any tax payable on your final tax return. If your gift exceeds 100% of your net income, the excess may be carried back to the previous tax year or forward as part of a Graduated Rate Estate plan.
– Memorialize: Your gift can symbolize a lasting memorial for you, your family or anyone you may wish to honour.
– Peace of mind: You can make changes to your Will at any time.
Your Will is a very personal document and you are under no obligation to let us know if you have included a gift to us. However, should you choose to inform us, we would be honoured to be hear about your legacy and thank you for being there for those who will need you in the future. Your information will be kept completely confidential.
Please contact Kudzai Riva, Director of Planned Giving, at rivak@unhcr.org or call us at 416-926-7974.
UNHCR Canada encourages all donors to consider consulting a professional advisor on estate planning and tax savings strategies when considering leaving a gift in Will to UNHCR Canada.