Plan on giving with planned giving

A lot of us have good intentions. We want to give to a charity and there are even certain times of the year when we do.

Quite often I'm asked: How can I help Shepherds of Good Hope? One of the easiest ways is to start a planned giving strategy. Thanks to technology, it's easier than ever to set up a monthly donation that helps us do our work. You can become a monthly donor by calling our donor relations department at 613-789-8210, Ext. 225 or you can go online and sign up to be a monthly donor.

But I don't want to leave you with the idea that this is just a pitch for your money. I want to talk about how planned giving is a great way to help us do our work. Let me give you an analogy. Your boss says he's going to pay you a certain salary. But you don't know when you're going to get it. You just know that by the end of the year, it will add up to a certain amount. He might give you the money every two weeks, which is what most of us are use to. He might give it all to you at the end of the year around Christmas, which is when a lot of organizations see an increase in the number of donations they receive. You probably prefer getting a predictable amount every two weeks.

I can't stress enough we appreciate any gift you can give. But if we can count on a regular gift from you that you have planned, it allows us to know with more certainty how much money we have every month to help the most-in-need men and women in Ottawa.

Planned giving has benefits for you, too. You know with certainty how much money you can give monthly. You know that every month you are making a difference in someone's life. You picked the amount to fit in with your budget. Planned giving isn't just for people who can give large gifts. I know one donor who gives us $20 every paycheque. That adds up to more than $500 a year! She tells me it's a lot easier to find $20 a paycheque than it is to find $500 once a year.

If you can give more, that's great. But you can see how much a little donation on a regular basis can add up to.

If you would like more information on all the services we provide, please come for a tour. Send us an email. Connect with us on Facebook. You can reach me at 613-789-8210, Ext. 247 or at asilverman@shepherdsofgoodhope.com. We would love the opportunity to show you the impact your planned giving has for the men and women who comes through our doors every day.