Wealth that changes lives – honouring your values and leaving a positive impact
Explore charitable giving as an intentional, tax-efficient, and legacy-building component of your overall financial strategy.
Common triggers
When is a charitable giving conversation worth exploring?
Consider planning opportunities if you…
- Currently donate cash
- Give consistently to the same charities
- Are considering charitable gifts in your will
- Do not have children
- Are pre‑gifting assets to family
- Are considering options for term insurance
- Own whole life or universal life policy
- Own a business
- Have a holding company
- Own private preferred shares
- Own highly appreciated investments
- Hold physical gold
- Have a large RRIF account
- Planning to, or have recently sold a recreational or revenue property
- Have completed an estate freeze
Meet Russ, our philanthropy expert
After 30 years of investment advisory for clients, Russ MacKay has transitioned his role to lead our Philanthropy services. This core focus will help ensure you receive the personalized service you would expect when it comes to your planned giving.
There are so many ways to give back – from volunteering, supporting a special group or program, or providing a monetary donation towards a larger charitable cause. Sometimes, it can be hard to know which route to take.
Through an interactive discovery session, we explore five key questions designed to define your philanthropic goals and pathways. We then develop a Planned Giving Strategy that goes beyond annual donations – taking a holistic, long-term approach to enhance impact, improve tax efficiency, and shape your legacy.
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Russ MacKay
MFA-P™, CIM®
“We all define our legacy differently. I see my new role in helping make a significant impact in the charitable world.”
My career in wealth management began in the early 90’s, gaining experience with Burns Fry and eventually Nesbitt Burns. But the real excitement came in 1999 when I was part of the team which founded McLean & Partners, a Calgary-based boutique investment firm. Over the years, we’ve flourished by adopting a client-centric approach rooted in independent research. This time-tested formula has been carried forward at 801 Wealth under National Bank Financial Wealth Management.
After over 30 years of advising clients on the investment side, I have shifted gears to lead a new service for our clients with a focus on philanthropy. By combining my designation – Master Financial Advisor in Philanthropy (MFA-P) with my own family planned giving, I now enjoy a renewed career in educating and counselling others so they can formulate a meaningful and impactful giving strategy of their own.
Beyond the Office
I enjoy being active in life, where traveling, skiing, cycling, and golf keep me moving, and my watercolours fuel my creative side. My wife Karen and I love spending time together sharing our many common interests, with our two adult children being the most important ones.
Ways we help
Charitable giving accounts
We support a full spectrum of charitable giving strategies—from direct donations and digital giving accounts to donor-advised funds and both private and public foundations.
For clients who wish to give directly, we provide support in navigating the donation process, helping ensure each contribution reflects your values and supports the impact you hope to achieve.
While many organizations require substantial minimum donations to begin exploring charitable strategies, our Digital Giving Wallet offers a more accessible approach. Clients may contribute any amount into their own personal digital charitable wallet, receive a tax receipt, and allocate funds over time to any of more than 86,000 registered Canadian charities—all through a secure online platform.
A DAF allows you to establish a charitable giving structure similar to a private foundation—often within a matter of weeks. You may contribute assets at any time, receive immediate tax benefits, and recommend grants to the charities you support when it is most meaningful to do so. In the meantime, our team will oversee the investment of DAF assets, with a focus on growth and income to sustain your charitable account over time.
For some families, a private foundation offers the most meaningful path to achieving their philanthropic and legacy objectives. We work alongside you and your advisors and manage the foundation’s investments to support its long-term success.
With more than $2.7 billion in assets under management, we bring institutional expertise to the investment management of public foundation portfolios. Whether entrusted with the full pool of assets or appointed for a specific mandate, we deliver disciplined, institutionally aligned investment solutions.
Ready to create a clear, intentional philanthropic strategy?
We’ll guide you on how to make a meaningful impact through a customized, clear philanthropic plan.
Create your impact planContact Us
Get started with philanthropy
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