University fund-raising isn't just the mail-and-phone process of getting $100 a year from an alumnus, or shmoozing with corporate leaders who might fork over half a million. Not any more. Meet the future of fund-raising: planned giving. "Planned giving is the process which incorporates charitable giving into one's overall estate plan," says Linda Kieswetter, UW's acting director of development. "Gift planning allows the donor to meet philanthropic objectives while maximizing tax and other benefits." Sometimes that means making a gift to UW, after getting legal and accounting advice with a special eye to the tax laws. Sometimes it means including UW in one's will. And sometimes it can mean a gift channelled through the University of Waterloo Foundation, created less than a year ago to take advantage of a provision in the income tax act. Among those who will be supporters of UW through their estates is the former chair of the board of governors and chancellor emeritus, Page Wadsworth. Already a UW donor, he has said he will make "a further contribution to UW" through a bequest in his will. "As someone who has been connected with UW virtually since its inception, I have been well aware of its current and long-range financial needs - which will certainly increase in the years ahead." To him education is of critical importance. "We live in one world now. Our country depends on education, on training, on our youth," he says. "I believe we have the responsibility to see that the opportunity to learn is available to our young people." Nancy Mattes, who became a gift planning officer for UW in April, says there are many ways to support UW while reducing current or estate taxes, she points out. The university accepts donations of life insurance policies, charitable remainder trusts, charitable annuities, gifts of cash, property, books and equipment. "A great way to reduce estate taxes is by bequesting a portion of your estate to the University of Waterloo Foundation. Of course, we always encourage our donors to consider the needs of their family members first, and then we hope they will remember Waterloo in their wills as well," she adds. The foundation's purpose is "to receive and distribute funds and other property in support of education and research" at UW and the church colleges. The foundation's board of directors make sure the wishes of the donors are satisfied, but it doesn't make decisions about the use of the money. Giving to the foundation, a crown agency, is different from giving to charitable organizations. Revenue Canada gives a tax credit for charitable donations to a maximum of 20 per cent of your net income, says Carmel Bunte, chair of UW's foundation, a local chartered accountant who's a 1981 math graduate of UW. But a gift to the foundation is a "gift to the Crown" and gets different treatment: donors can claim up to 100 per cent of their net income. That means that individuals "can shelter a larger portion of their income with a gift to the foundation," Bunte explains. The arrangement is of special use to somebody giving a once-in-a-lifetime gift of property, for example. Started last December, up to October 4 the foundation had received $638,396 - the bulk of it being a $500,000 gift from Gordon H. Cowperthwaite in support of UW's school of accountancy. Other gifts included $25,000 designated for St. Jerome's College and another $25,000 with its exact use still being negotiated, Bunte says. "The foundation is a good tool to encourage more people to give planned gifts," says Mattes. Since tax credits can be claimed on a greater portion of charitable gifts "some donors may enjoy a tax-free year," she adds. But planned giving doesn't necessarily mean huge sums of money that come only from the wealthy. One person currently working in UW's plant operations department has made a bequest to UW in his will. "We are thrilled with the future gift," Mattes says, "and hope that many other UW staff will do the same." There are several reasons why the planned giving program was implemented this year, Kieswetter says. Over the years, the nature of philanthropy has changed. Back in the 1980s, the Watfund campaign received about 80 per cent of its money from corporate giving. But companies are going out of the cash donation business: cur rently, Campaign Waterloo is getting only about 28 per cent of its money from corporations. It's the age of the individual donor. And for UW, once a "young" university, many faculty, staff and alumni are reaching an age where they have started thinking about estate planning. Some have already made bequests, have do nated life insurance policies or are considering some of the new vehicles such as a charitable remainder trust. Currently there are between 5,000 and 6,000 alumni who are over the age of 50. Many of them are influential in Canadian business and society. Since UW started its development program in 1980, the goal has been to raise money for current academic and research needs. That need still exists, but there is also a need to plan for the future. UW is a fairly new university by academic standards and hasn't had time to build up large endowment funds like some older universities in Canada and the United States. These endowment funds can provide stability, especially when government funding is decreasing and likely to so again. The planned giving program could provide that stability by securing financial support for the University of Waterloo Endowment Fund. "This is one way we can ensure UW will have the money it needs to remain a top-notch uni versity," Mattes says. Seminars: UW's development and alumni affairs office is running a series of seminars on estate planning. The first will take place on November 3 at 7:30 p.m. in Davis Centre room 1301. Speakers include Keith Gummow of The Financial Facilities Group; Nancy Hoffman, senior advisor, Trust & Investment Services, Royal Trust; Wilf Jenkins, partner in the law firm of White Jenkins, Duncan & Ostner; and Karen Wilkinson, tax manager for Deloitte & Touche. The series of seminars will cover such topics as joint tenancy, living wills, planned giving, how to keep your cottage in the family, and probate fees. For further information on the seminar contact Mattes, ext. 5413. The next seminar is scheduled for March.