Lauren follows her values with legacy gift
UVic double grad Lauren Stamhuis, a parent who is under age 40, believes giving doesn’t have to be complex—and can start now, no matter your age or life stage.
Lauren Stamhuis works in fundraising at the University of Victoria, a career path she found by following her heart. Since 2018, she has supported various faculties and initiatives. During her work experience with Planned Giving, she helped steward donors to leave a planned gift in their wills. This made her consider the multitude of ways that people can donate.
“The role really opened my mind to see all these ways I can make a more significant contribution, even though I don't necessarily have the liquidity to do it right now," says Lauren, BA ’09, MA ’11.
In a recent review of her will, Lauren added a bequest: a $3,000 cash gift to the campus food bank's operating fund. At age 39, she felt the update solidified her values and what she believes in. "I have my will, I have my advance care plan,” she says, "because we just don't know what the future holds."
Choosing to support students
For Lauren, the food bank was an easy choice. She thought of her grandfather, once a student with a family on a budget, probably without much community support. “My grandfather was from a very poor family,” she says. After he returned home from the Second World War, he attended the University of British Columbia while raising two children and earned a diploma in fire engineering. “That education allowed him to send my mom and my aunt to school. It changed their lives," she says.
“Education is a real equalizer for people coming from all backgrounds,” says Lauren. She believes everyone should have a right to access education. “That’s where people really rely on the community to step up.” She knows many UVic students using the food bank today are supporting families. “Demand more than tripled during COVID,” she says, "and it has not slowed down."
Family tradition of giving
Lauren’s grandfather also left gifts in his will to causes he cared about. "None of the family questioned it. We thought it was great," says Lauren. "I grew up with this conversation around philanthropy in my family, and it’s just something we do.” Lauren is mom to a six-year-old daughter and a nine-year-old German Shepherd, and carries on that philanthropic tradition in her own family.
Lauren knows the value of donors because she received support when she was a UVic student earning two degrees in the Humanities, both award-funded. Those scholarships alleviated financial strain so she could learn and thrive.
She is not waiting for the future to give, though. She donates monthly to the Indigenous Student Support Fund, an emergency fund for students. She also makes one-off gifts to the food bank on Giving Tuesday, during the annual Stocktober Fundraiser and Food Drive and on other days of significance. “I love the student videos and unique stories of impact that come with giving. It’s a fun, communal experience, even if you are doing it online.”
"The big misconception, I think, is people think legacy giving is only for the elderly or the rich. Neither of those things is true."
Many ways to give
Planned gifts can take many forms, including gifts in a will, life insurance, pension proceeds and registered retirement income funds. “For people in mid-life, a bequest can make sense precisely because money is tight,” she says. “When you're in your late 30s, 40s, maybe you're raising kids, maybe you're trying to pay a mortgage or rent. You don't have disposable income. I can't plunk three grand into a fund tomorrow, but I can plan to, down the road." A planned gift can also bring tax benefits to an estate, even in middle-income brackets.
Making a will is easier than it used to be, too. "There are amazing online platforms now to do your will," she says. "There are even free platforms."
Make a Will Week British Columbia is happening Oct. 4 to 10 this year.
"Giving doesn't have to be complex," says Lauren. "Leaving a gift in your will is a step toward building a legacy, no matter what your age or stage of life.”