Planned Giving
Create a Lasting Legacy for Assiniboine Park Zoo
For more than a century, Assiniboine Park has been a place where people gather, celebrate, learn, and connect with nature. By leaving a legacy gift, you help ensure that these beloved community spaces remain vibrant, welcoming, and thriving for generations to come.
A planned gift is one of the most meaningful ways you can make a long-term difference. It reflects your values, honours what matters most to you, and helps protect the Park, the Zoo, and The Leaf well into the future.
Why Your Legacy Matters
Legacy gifts provide the foundation for many of the Park’s long-term priorities — from caring for the animals at the Zoo, to nurturing gardens and natural spaces, to supporting conservation education and vital capital projects. These gifts:
- Preserve gardens, trees, and green spaces for all to enjoy
- Provide exceptional animal care and enriched habitats
- Support conservation efforts and education programs that inspire future generations
- Fund major improvements and future planning across the Park and Zoo
- Create accessible experiences for generations
Your gift today helps shape tomorrow’s Assiniboine Park — a place where nature, culture, and community continue to flourish.
This story shows how a single legacy commitment can create meaningful and enduring impact:
At Assiniboine Park Conservancy (APC), we’re sometimes humbled by gifts that arrive unexpectedly, often from lifelong Winnipeggers who have moved away but never lost their connection to their hometown.
Eileen Erickson was one such Manitoban, who was born in Winnipeg in 1926. Eileen became a nurse with Winnipeg General Hospital and later the Manitoba Cancer Treatment and Research Foundation. She met her future husband, US-born Bruce Erickson, while he was a student at the University of Manitoba. Later in life, Eileen and Bruce moved to Superior, Wisconsin, where they spent the remainder of their days.
In 2015, we were deeply touched to learn that Mrs. Erickson had honoured her Winnipeg roots through a generous estate gift to the Assiniboine Park Zoo, inspired by her lifelong love of animals.
Her gift made a remarkable difference. APC directed the funds toward creating a new habitat for the Zoo’s wolves and purchasing a mobile ultrasound machine for the Zoo Hospital – tools that continue to enhance animal care today.
Gifts like Mrs. Erickson’s remind us of the enduring affection so many people feel for this city and this Park, and of the profound, lasting impact that one person’s generosity can have on future generations.
Contact Us
If you would like to learn more, discuss your plans, or notify us of a legacy gift, please contact:
Madison Wilford
Fund Development Officer
Email: mwilford@assiniboinepark.ca
Phone: (204) 927-6027
Creating a legacy gift is a powerful act of generosity — one that ensures Assiniboine Park and Zoo remain cherished places of beauty, wonder, and connection for generations to come. Thank you for considering this meaningful way to make a difference.
How to Leave a Legacy
There are many simple and tax-effective ways to make a planned gift. Each one allows you to support the Park in a way that aligns with your personal, financial, and philanthropic goals.
Please discuss your will and wishes with your lawyer, financial planner, and family. This ensures that the document is legally binding, accurately reflects your wishes, and maximizes tax benefits to your estate.
Gifts in a Will / Bequests
The most common type of planned gift. You can leave a:
- Residual bequest (percentage of your estate)
- Specific amount
- Gift of property or securities
A bequest is flexible and can be updated at any time.
Retirement Funds (RRSP/RRIF) Beneficiary Designation
Naming Assiniboine Park Conservancy as a beneficiary of your retirement fund is easy to set up and can reduce taxes on your estate.
Life Insurance Policies (making APC beneficiary or transferring ownership)
You can make APC the beneficiary of a new or existing life insurance policy, or transfer ownership of a policy to create an immediate tax benefit.
Endowment Gifts
Create a legacy that lives forever by establishing or contributing to an endowment that supports the Park in perpetuity.
All endowments are held at The Winnipeg Foundation. Please contact our team by email - MWilford@assiniboinepark.ca, or visit The Winnipeg Foundation’s Endowment Fund page to learn more.
Gifts of Securities
Donating publicly traded securities is tax-efficient and may eliminate capital gains tax.
Charitable Trusts and Other Options
More complex instruments may offer additional financial or tax advantages. We encourage you to speak with your financial advisor to explore what works best for you.
Sample Will Wording
To include a gift to Assiniboine Park Conservancy in your will, please use our legal name and charitable registration number.
Legal Name: Assiniboine Park Conservancy, Inc.
Charitable Registration Number: 80866 4015 RR0001
Address: 55 Pavilion Cres., Winnipeg, MB, R3P 2N6
Park Visionaries: Our Legacy Society
The Park Visionaries are a special community of supporters who have included Assiniboine Park Conservancy in their future plans. By notifying us of your gift, you become part of a group of donors who share a deep commitment to protecting and enhancing the Park and Zoo for future generations.
As a Park Visionary, you will receive:
- Recognition (unless you prefer anonymity)
- Invitations to special events and behind-the-scenes opportunities
- Impact updates on the difference legacy gifts make
- Important updates about the Park and Zoo
- The meaningful connection of belonging to a community of forward-thinking donors
If you have already included APC in your will or estate plans, we warmly invite you to let us know.
PLANNED GIFT CONFIRMATION FORM
The Story of One Park Visionary
Sandra Spragg is enjoying a well-earned retirement after a military career that spanned more than 36 years. Throughout her service, she was stationed in Winnipeg three times, with her final posting here in 2012.
Winnipeg is now her forever home and, with more free time on her hands, Sandra is able to spend even more time at her favourite Winnipeg destination, Assiniboine Park Zoo.
Sandra’s love for the Zoo grew out of her experiences as a Park and Zoo volunteer. She started volunteering in March 2017 and years later, when planning for her retirement, she added a legacy gift to the Assiniboine Park Conservancy in her will.
“I love the Park and Zoo and appreciate what the Assiniboine Park Conservancy is doing here,” said Sandra. “There is no immediate financial burden with a planned gift and I feel good about investing in the future of the Park and Zoo. This is a very special place for me.”
Gifts such as these remind us of the unique, long-lasting love that Winnipeggers have for the Park and Zoo, and also how the impact of one person’s generosity can benefit future generations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to be wealthy to leave a legacy gift?
Not at all. Legacy giving is something that people from all walks of life choose to do. Most Park Visionaries are everyday community members — families, retirees, long-time visitors, and supporters who simply care deeply about Assiniboine Park and Zoo.
One of the reasons legacy giving is so accessible is that it doesn’t require any upfront cost or immediate financial commitment. Your gift is made through your estate, which means you can continue to use your assets during your lifetime while still planning a meaningful future contribution.
In fact, many people find that a legacy gift allows them to make a larger and more impactful gift than they could have comfortably given while alive. Even a small percentage of an estate can translate into a powerful legacy — one that protects animal care, preserves green spaces, and sustains the Park for generations.
Legacy giving isn’t about wealth — it’s about values and creating something lasting with what you have.
Can I change my will after naming APC?
Absolutely. You can update your will or beneficiary designations at any time.
If you wish to make a change in your current will, check with your lawyer or financial planner about preparing a codicil. A codicil is a notation that keeps your existing will intact and alters or adds items that you wish to change.
How will my gift be used?
Unrestricted legacy gifts allow APC to address its most urgent needs. Designated gifts will be used according to your wishes.
Can I designate my gift to a specific area?
Yes. You may direct your gift to Animal Care, Keep the Park Beautiful, Conservation programs, or another area meaningful to you. Please contact us to learn more about the different designation options that are available and considerations for gift designations.
When making a designated gift, if it should become impossible, inadvisable, or impractical to use this gift for the purpose stated in your will, the Gift Acceptance Committee of Assiniboine Park Conservancy Inc. may at its discretion use the gift for the highest priority needs of Assiniboine Park Conservancy Inc., keeping in mind the spirit and original intentions of your gift.
Will you keep my intentions confidential?
Yes. We respect your privacy fully and will only share your name with your permission.
Do I need to notify APC if I make a legacy gift?
You are not required to — but notifying us allows us to thank you, welcome you as a Park Visionary, and plan responsibly for the future.
If you would like to notify us of your gift, please fill out our Planned Gift Confirmation Form.
