Thank you Doug Johnston



How I Got Involved

My involvement with the Nanaimo Foundation began last spring when I was invited to a presentation by my long time friend and Nanaimo Foundation Board of Director, Tom Harris.

Although I was somewhat aware of the activities of the Nanaimo Foundation, I honestly did not fully appreciate how efficient this organization was. They operate out of donated office space and their administrative costs are extremely low.

I was also very impressed with their flexibility for the donors where they are provided many different alternatives on how their donations are spent.

There are numerous different endowment funds for a diverse number of purposes including the Nanaimo Museum, The Port Theatre and Legacy Funds from the BC Summer Games.

I noticed that all of these various groups are Nanaimo-based and the funds stay in the community.

What I really found exciting was the possibility of establishing my own personal family endowment with a donation of $10,000.

After listening to a presentation by Development Officer, Laurie Bienert, I was convinced and I am pleased to donate $10,000 to the Nanaimo Foundation to establish the Johnston Family Fund.

Laurie requested that I prepare a memo that hopefully, will help explain the tax benefits of donating stocks held outside of your RRSP’s and RRIF’s directly to a registered charity:

Tax Benefits of Donating Stocks