Life insurances, RRSP/RRIFs 

By making Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) the owner or beneficiary of your life insurance policy you can make a sizable future gift that will assist our operations in the field through small annual payments in your lifetime. There are several easy ways to do this:

1. Transfer an existing life insurance policy to MSF and receive a charitable gift receipt for the premiums you pay (please use our legal name: Doctors Without Borders Canada / Médecins Sans Frontières Canada).
2. Apply for a new life insurance policy, designate MSF as the owner (please use our legal name: Doctors Without Borders Canada / Médecins Sans Frontières Canada), and receive a tax receipt for the premiums you pay.
3. Make MSF the beneficiary of a life insurance policy (please use our legal name: Doctors Without Borders Canada / Médecins Sans Frontières Canada). This option gives you no immediate tax benefits since MSF does not own the policy, but following death, your estate will receive a charitable tax receipt for the full amount. This can provide your heirs with additional tax benefits.

Please speak with your financial advisor about which gift of life insurance is best for you and your family.

It’s a simple, powerful, and tax-smart way to have an impact. When you give publicly-traded stocks, mutual funds or bonds to Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Canada, you make a meaningful investment in saving lives. All it requires from you is a few minutes by filling out the intention form below.

When you make an in-kind donation of securities to Doctors Without Borders, your taxable gains will be 100% eliminated and you’ll receive a charitable tax receipt for the full value of the gift.

We recommend that you seek professional advice from your financial advisor to determine the method of giving that will be the most tax effective for you.

To donate, fill out the intention form or contact securities@toronto.msf.org

RRSPs/RRIFs become fully taxable as income in the year of death. These taxes could significantly reduce the amount left to heirs. Leaving retirement plan assets to a charity such as Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) can shield your loved ones from taxes on these assets, and give you the option of leaving your heirs other assets that are not as heavily taxed.

MSF can be named as beneficiary on registered retirement plan documents (please use our legal name: Doctors Without Borders Canada / Médecins Sans Frontières Canada). A tax receipt for the value of the gift will be issued to your estate and applied toward the final income tax return. Your estate may claim gifts in the year of death equal to 100 per cent of your net income in that year and the preceding year.

You have full use of the retirement saving investment while you are alive, and the gift can be revoked at any time if your financial situation changes.

Charitable gift annuities are gifts that provide you with guaranteed income. In exchange for your gift, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) will purchase a lifetime annuity for you from a reputable life insurance company, which will provide you with fixed income for life. After purchasing the annuity, the remaining portion will be used as an immediate contribution to assist our medical humanitarian relief work.

What you need to know
Charitable gift annuities are ideal for donors over age 70 who may require guaranteed income for their living costs. Age can be an advantage when choosing to invest in annuities: the older you are, the higher your annual income will be. A charitable gift annuity is an irrevocable gift that allows you to make a significant donation while still receiving safe, pre-determined income payments. Charitable annuity income enjoys special tax treatment, resulting in higher after-tax income. In some cases, the income is paid out entirely tax-free. Should death occur within the first five years of purchase, the payments will go to MSF, furthering your support of medical humanitarian aid.

An annuity’s rate of return is often higher than that of other investment options such as Guaranteed Investment Certificates (GIC) or Canada Savings Bonds. You can purchase a charitable gift annuity with a minimum of $10,000 from a GIC and receive guaranteed income payments that are considerably greater than the interest received from the GIC.

You can make an individual contribution, or invest in a joint life annuity that guarantees lifetime income for you and your Spouse.

For more information and to contact our team, please click here.