Gifts of Publicly Listed Securities: a Flexible and Tax-Effective Option

Bold type that reads "A Tax-Smart Way to Maximize Your Impact"

If you want your generosity to go further, donating publicly listed securities (such as stocks, bonds, or mutual funds) is a powerful way to support the causes you care about. More and more Canadians are discovering that giving this way not only increases their impact, but also offers significant tax advantages and a simple, streamlined process through Abundance Canada.

Why Give Securities Instead of Cash?

When you donate securities in‑kind (meaning you transfer them directly rather than selling them first), you receive a charitable tax receipt for their fair market value and you avoid paying capital gains tax altogether.

For example, donating a security with a large unrealized gain eliminates the taxable capital gain, an advantage that isn’t available if you sell the security and donate the cash. In many cases, donors save thousands in taxes simply by giving smarter.

A Simple, Supportive Process

Abundance Canada makes the entire process of donating securities easy for individuals and their advisors. Instead of selling your investments yourself, you simply transfer them to Abundance Canada as a gift in-kind. Once received, the securities are sold and the proceeds are deposited into a Gifting Fund™, where you can recommend disbursements to charities right away or over time, even anonymously, if you prefer.

Your donation receipt is based on the fair market value at the moment your gift arrives in our custodian’s account, ensuring transparency and consistency.

New Partnership: Strengthening Stewardship With Cardinal Capital Management

To further support donors who give publicly listed securities, Abundance Canada is pleased to announce a new partnership with Cardinal Capital Management Inc., an experienced, employee‑owned investment management firm with more than 30 years of demonstrated results and $5.2 billion in assets under management. Their disciplined, transparent approach and expertise bring added confidence and clarity to our securities gifting process.

Key Process Updates That Benefit You

As part of this transition, several updates now make giving securities even easier and more aligned with sector best practices:

  • An updated Gift-in-Kind Donation Form for all gifts of publicly listed securities is available at: abundance.ca/resources/forms. We kindly ask you to discard any copies you have of the old form. All new gifts of publicly listed securities must use the new form.
  • Donation receipts reflect the fair market value in Canadian dollars of the gift at the time it is deposited into our account. Full details can be found in our Gift Acceptance Policy.   
    • While Cardinal Capital Management partners with us to process gifts of securities and provides handling instructions, NBIN serves as our custodian, receiving the securities, executing settlement, pricing and ensuring compliance.
  • Custodial change resulting in reduced processing fees. 

These updates are designed with one goal in mind: making your generosity easier, more efficient, and more impactful.

Maximize Your Impact, Starting Now

Whether you’re curious about tax‑efficient giving, planning a larger strategic gift, or looking for a simple way to increase your charitable impact, donating publicly listed securities in-kind is a smart and generous choice.

Our Generosity and Impact Advisors are here to support you, guiding you through the process and helping you shape a Generosity Plan® that reflects your values and goals.

Your generosity changes everything®. With these improvements and with Cardinal Capital Management as a partner, we’re honoured to help you make the greatest impact possible.

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