Some people think of charitable giving as a transaction: a cheque gets written, a receipt gets filed, a meaningful cause gets some needed support and the moment passes.
I do not see it that way.

At its best, charitable giving can become part of how a family thinks about values, responsibility, and legacy. It can say something about what mattered to you while you were alive, and it can continue to say something long after you are gone.

That is one of the reasons I find charitable giving so meaningful. It is a way to carry your values forward and extend the impact of your wealth beyond your own lifetime.

One story that has stayed with me

One recent example involved a client in his seventies. His wife had passed away. He was moving into long-term care and trying to simplify his estate. Financially, he was in a stronger position than many people realize is possible later in life. His pension income covered his needs. He was not depending on his investments. But every year his RRIF kept generating extra taxable income that he did not even need to spend. At the same time, he was already making charitable gifts to causes that mattered to him.

So I asked a different question.

If this money is not needed for lifestyle, and if charitable giving is already part of who he is, why not use that capital more intentionally?

The strategy we discussed was to liquidate the RRIF and move the proceeds into a donor advised fund. That triggered taxable income, yes, but it also created a very large charitable tax credit in the same year. In practical terms, it helped offset the tax burden that would otherwise come with that RRIF. More importantly, it allowed him to create something enduring. Instead of waiting for the remaining money to become part of a taxable estate later, he was able to direct it toward a charitable legacy while he was still here to shape it.

That story stayed with me because it captures something important. He was not simply making another donation. He was deciding what part of his story would continue.

Legacy looks different for different families

In this case, there were no children who would inherit and carry that plan forward. His sister could continue making decisions after his death, and the giving could still be carried on in his name. That matters. For some people, the legacy is about supporting family financially. For others, especially where there are no direct heirs, the legacy may be about supporting the causes and communities that mattered most to them.

In other families, the story looks different.

Sometimes charitable giving becomes a way to invite children into thoughtful decision-making. A donor advised fund can create that opportunity because the giving does not have to end with the original donor. A child can help recommend where grants go. A family can talk about what causes matter. Over time, that process can become part of the family culture. It becomes less about a single gift and more about teaching the next generation how to think about generosity with purpose.

Not just assets, values too

I think there is something powerful in that. 

We often talk about legacy in terms of assets. Who gets what. How much tax is paid. How the estate is divided. Those are important questions. But there is another side to legacy, and it is about values. What did this family care about? What did they want to support? How did they want to give back to the world?

This has shaped the way I think about giving in my own family

This is something I have thought about in my own family as well. I have set up a donor advised fund myself, and one of the things that matters to me most is knowing it will likely continue beyond my lifetime. At that point, my son will have the ability to decide which charities receive support, or whether he wants to wind the fund up and make one larger gift. In that sense, charitable giving becomes something bigger than a donation. It becomes a way to pass down values, involve the next generation, and create a pool of money that can keep doing good for years to come.

That idea feels especially meaningful to me because it makes giving part of the family story. It opens the door for conversations about what matters, who we want to help, and how we want our money to keep showing up in the world. Over time, that kind of planning can grow into something intergenerational, with children and even grandchildren having a role in carrying it forward.

A lasting expression of what mattered most

That is why I encourage people not to think too narrowly about charitable giving.

Yes, there are tax-efficient ways to do it. Yes, structure matters. But the deeper question is whether you want your giving to be something temporary or something lasting.

For some people, a one-time donation is exactly right. For others, especially those thinking about estate planning, family values, or the kind of mark they want to leave, there may be a bigger opportunity. A charitable strategy can continue beyond your lifetime. It can involve your children. It can support causes that change over time. And it can become one of the clearest expressions of what mattered most to you.

That is not just a donation.

That is legacy.

_{This is a general source of information only. It is not intended to provide personalized tax, legal or investment advice, and is not intended as a solicitation to purchase securities. Chris Thiessen is solely responsible for its content. Seek advice on your specific circumstances from an IG Advisor.}