Malcolm Burrows

Total 159 Posts

 Website

Malcolm is a philanthropic advisor with over 30 years of experience. He is head, philanthropic advisory services at Scotia Wealth Management and founder of Aqueduct Foundation. Views are his own. malcolm.burrows@scotiawealth.com

Donor Advised Funds are not Trusts

• • 2 Comments

A common misconception about donor advised funds is that they are trusts, charitable purpose trusts.  At times, lawyers, especially those with expertise in trusts and estates, struggle with this distinction, as do donors.  In 2023, this issue came to the forefront when Canadian charities briefly thought they might need to report on certain funds under trust reporting rules.  Although donor advised funds have trust-like features, most are not trusts. This….

Donor Advised Funds are not Trusts Continue Reading »

Estate Donations, Estate Planning, Philanthropy/Charitable Giving, Trusts

The new charity funding crisis

• • 0 Comments

Charities do not exclusively depend on donations, despite popular perceptions to the contrary. In Canada, government funding and earned revenue contribute more to registered charities than donations.  Both these types of low-key funding are under pressure, enough so that we will soon witness some large charities shrink or even collapse. Now, it’s true that a high percentage of charities get most of their income from donations, but these organizations are….

The new charity funding crisis Continue Reading »

Estate Donations, Philanthropy/Charitable Giving

The Two-Charity Structure

• • 0 Comments

In its Income Tax Act, Canada has two basic types of registered charity: charitable organizations and foundations.  These charity types are often paired to work together in a complementary fashion – ying and yang – to achieve shared purposes. This article is a short primer on the prevalence of this structure and how it can be used for charitable planning. Doing and Funding Charitable organizations are the most common charity….

The Two-Charity Structure Continue Reading »

Estate Donations, Philanthropy/Charitable Giving, Uncategorized

Caravaggio and Complex Charitable Purposes

• • 0 Comments

The story of the Confraternità del Pio Monte Della Misericordia and Caravaggio’s painting is a fascinating example of how art and charity can intertwine to convey a powerful mission. In 1602, seven idealistic noblemen founded the Confraternità del Pio Monte Della Misericordia in Naples, Italy.  Their mission was ambitious, and no doubt the product of multiple feverish strategic planning sessions. Rather than focus on one charitable purpose – for example, feeding….

Caravaggio and Complex Charitable Purposes Continue Reading »

Philanthropy/Charitable Giving

Donor Recognition in the Commons

• • 0 Comments

Here’s a charity trade secret.  One of the best products in a fundraiser’s toolkit is “donor recognition”, in particular naming a piece of real estate.  Recognition is effective in inspiring donors, and for some, but not all, an important part of charitable giving.  However, donor recognition sometimes produces a backlash from the public. Yes, donor recognition is gracious and pragmatic, but public space is branded by private citizens and money…..

Donor Recognition in the Commons Continue Reading »

Philanthropy/Charitable Giving, Uncategorized
Scroll to Top