Establish a Memorial Fund
Administering Donations | Creating a fitting tribute to your loved one
Distributing the funds | Thanking your
donors | Recognizing beneficiaries
of The Benjamin Foundation memorial funds |
About our life-affirming Jewish tradition
Death is always a shock, even when it is anticipated. You need to focus on getting through the funeral, through the shiva. The Benjamin Foundation can handle memorial donations until you are ready to assume the funds. This temporary arrangement allows time to grieve, to learn more about needs in the community and to select charities that honour the deceased most meaningfully.
We are often asked by families establishing a fund if they will be charged for administrative
services, since they know all charities have to cover the cost of their operation.
Families are not charged. The Benjamin family heavily subsidizes The Foundation,
contributing two thirds of the annual operating costs: between $100,000-150,000
a year. We do this because of our conviction that The Foundation provides an important
community service.
Because of our family’s support, The Benjamin Foundation only deducts 10 per
cent from donations to cover the balance of charity’s operation. Under Canadian
law, a charity can deduct up to 20 per cent from donations for that purpose.
YOUR LOVED ONE
We find that somewhere between four and six months after
their loss, families are ready to move their grieving process forward constructively
and decide how they want to use the donated monies to fittingly memorialize the
person who passed away. The Benjamin Foundation will contact you at this time to
see if we can provide any information to help your decision-making.
Our experience has shown that several months after their loss, a family will often
decide on a memorial donation different from the one they initially considered at
the time of the death. They are often more interested in creating a personalized
tribute.
Many hospitals, synagogues, and other charitable organizations bring their special
projects and initiatives to the Foundations attention. Even within a large organization,
memorial funds may be channeled to a very specific cause such as the purchase of
attractive, comfortable chairs for a shabby hospital waiting room that the deceased
had come to know only too well. Sometimes, families not only distribute memorial
funds to an organization, but also find a cause they want to actively support over
the long term.
While The Benjamin Foundation acknowledges all donations made to your late relative's memorial fund, we find many families wish to acknowledge gifts personally. For your convenience, we offer a range of acknowledgement cards that can be ordered through this web site. If you are interested, please click the button at the top of this screen.
To see the most recent list of charities which have received Benjamin Foundation memorial funds, click here.
Our wonderful, life-affirming Jewish tradition compels us to turn loss into constructive remembrance that can help heal the world. Every day at The Benjamin Foundation, we see how people are lifted out of their sorrow through the chance to give to a cause that speaks to the character and life of the one for whom they mourn. If you'd like to know more about Jewish mourning customs, please visit The Benjamin Institute, a website sponsored by The Benjamin Group to help further the community's knowledge. To visit now, click here.
