Why Donate to the Islands Trust Fund?
Whether the gift is cash, securities, land or a covenant, our donors give because they care about the future of these beautiful and fragile islands and the rich variety of plants and animals living here. There are other land trusts active in the Islands Trust region and we are committed to assisting all those working to protect the special places of this area. We hope our unique approach will appeal to you.
Our Affiliation with Local Government
Some donors choose the Islands Trust Fund because it has a special status as a land trust within the Islands Trust (a local government). This means that the organization is stable, has long term core funding and is managed in a professional manner. Our experienced staff can deal with complex donations and land protection measures.
With 100% of our overhead costs being covered by local taxpayers, your donations go directly to our active projects. Your donations of cash or securities make possible land purchases and stewardship education programs that are beyond the scope of our core funding.
Our unique status also gives us access to tools such as Section 99 subdivisions for land donation that may not be available to not-for-profit land trusts.
Our Scientific Approach to the Region
Other donors like our scientific approach to protecting the region. We have mapped all the ecosystems of the region and analyzed them to determine the habitats most at risk. In response, we developed a Regional Conservation Plan so that our work focuses on the most important and threatened ecosystems in the region.
Donors can be assured that we have policies in place to ensure that land we own or covenant is protected forever. Most of our conservation covenants are jointly held with a partner agency and we aim to have our nature reserves covenanted by our partners.
Our Incentive Programs
Tax incentive programs make donating a mutually rewarding experience. Our Natural Area Protection Tax Exemption Program provides 65% property tax discounts. There is also Environment Canada’s Ecological Gifts Program, providing income tax benefits and 100% exemption from capital gains. In 2006, donations of publicly traded securities also became 100% exempt from capital gains tax.
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