A Tale of Two Cities

Supporting Your Community is helping one couple consolidate their giving and contribute to both their home town and adopted home all through one easy-to-manage charitable fund.

Originally from London, Ontario, the couple moved to Montreal several decades ago where the husband managed a manufacturing company. Over the years they maintained strong ties to their home community, travelling back and forth between two residences, staying connected to friends and family in both provinces, and supporting charitable interests in each community.

As the years pass, managing their giving is becoming more of a challenge -- keeping track of who has received a donation, which organizations have issued donation receipts and the like. After discussing their needs with their wealth advisor at BMO Harris Private Banking, the couple was referred to the Fondation du Grand Montréal/The Foundation of Greater Montreal.

“Supporting Your Community was the perfect way to organize their giving,” says Kathleen Weil, the foundation’s President and CEO. “The national reach of community foundations also makes it easy for donors to target their giving to any number of Canadian communities.

The couple’s $25,000 SYC endowment fund will support the ongoing requests they receive and take care of all of the administrative details for them. Weil says the couple plan to add to their fund in the future so they can continue to support organizations in both cities.