Donations

Donations

Arctic Tern family_Photo by Peter Candido

Nature Vancouver is a not-for-profit charitable society registered under the BC Societies Act. Donations to the Society are tax deductible. Donors may select any of the following funds to make their contributions. For more information about these funds, please contact Bob Dyer, Chair, Finance Committee at 604-922-9798, or Jeremy McCall, Treasurer at 604-876-7694.

To make a donation, please send a cheque or money order (payable to Vancouver Natural History Society) with your name and address to:

The Treasurer, Nature Vancouver, Post Office Box 3021, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. V6B 3X5

VNHS Endowment Fund

The VNHS Endowment Fund was established in 1998. The principal purpose of the Fund is to be a source of revenue for the Society which will supplement membership dues in the future and which will grow progressively over time. Income obtained from the Fund can therefore be used to finance the operations of the Society. It should be noted that only one half of the annual earnings of the Fund may be spent in any one year and that there are no conditions attached to the expenditure of these funds other than those which may be imposed by the Board of Directors.

The VNHS Endowment Fund gives those persons who wish to contribute to the future endeavours of the Society, an opportunity to make financial donations which will provide the Society with a secure financial base.

The Board of Directors appoints an advisory committee each year to ensure that monies in the VNHS Endowment Fund are invested in accordance with the bylaws of the Society. The advisory committee may include up to two persons having financial expertise who are not required to be members of the society and who have no financial interest in the investment of society funds. At the present time the functions of the advisory committee are performed by the VNHS Finance Committee.

VNHS Conservation Fund

In 2001, The Board of Directors, acting on a recommendation from the Finance Committee decided to establish VNHS Conservation Fund to hold funds raised or donated for a specific conservation project, as well as other funds received from time to time.

Financial Management

The Conservation Fund is recorded as a separate account in the Society’s financial statements. However, the funds in the account are not segregated from the general funds of the Society unless the Finance Committee recommends otherwise. If funds deposited in the Conservation Fund are originally designated for a specific purpose the Treasurer then keeps a record of this until that amount has either been applied to that purpose or the original purpose is no longer achievable. In the latter case the previously designated funds become part of the general funds in the Conservation Fund.

Sources of Funds

The Conservation Fund derives its funds from the following sources:

Donations and bequests from members of the VNHS or the public, designated specifically for conservation.
Any part of the surplus from Nature Tours or from other VNHS projects which is specifically designated for conservation.
Funds received from other non-profit societies which are allocated wholly or partly to conservation by the Board of Directors.

Use of Funds

Funds held in the Conservation Fund are applied as follows:

1. With respect to funds designated for a specific conservation purpose, to the purpose specified.

2. With respect to undesignated funds, to non-profit societies or other organizations which specialize in:

a) the purchase and management of ecologically significant habitat

b) the restoration of habitat

c) other initiatives intended to preserve ecologically sensitive land and habitat or endangered species of all types.

Decisions on the application of undesignated conservation funds

The Board of Directors decides on the use of those funds not designated for a specific purpose, based on recommendations made either by the Section or Committee which contributed the funds, or by the VNHS Conservation Section in other cases.

Restriction on the use of funds

Due to the time, effort, cost and expertise required for the management of ecologically sensitive lands, the VNHS does not purchase and hold land for its own account but works through other organizations having experience and expertise in land management.

VNHS Education Trust Fund

Background

This Fund used to be known as the Memorial Trust Fund. By Special Resolution at the Annual General Meeting on April 22nd 1999 it became the Education Trust Fund. The original donations to the Memorial Trust Fund were received in the names of Mrs L.M. Virtue, Margaret A. Briault, Margaret W. MacLean, Bill Smith, Bob Harris, Marion Lawrence and Verna H Newson. Most of these donations were accompanied by a request that they be used in the area of education. The re-naming of this Fund to the Education Trust Fund was therefore appropriate.

At the Annual General Meeting on April 24th 2003, a Special Resolution was passed to close the Awards Trust Fund and transfer the assets of that Fund into the Education Trust Fund. This increased the assets in the latter fund considerably, thereby providing a basis for increased income from which to make grants or scholarships.

Policy

The Education Trust Fund is administered by a committee of five members of the Society appointed by the Board of Directors and includes the Treasurer. The committee meets at least once a year. At the present the functions of the advisory committee are performed by the VNHS Finance Committee.

Management

Funds contributed to the Trust are invested in such interest bearing investments as approved by the Trustees. Education Trust Funds are treated as an endowment with only the accumulated annual interest being spent.

Application

The Education Trust Fund is used for grants made to individuals attending an institution of higher learning in British Columbia who are specializing in any of the disciplines which will advance the purposes of the Society. These grants may take the form of bursaries, scholarships, repayable loans, or awards as funds are available, and at the sole discretion of the Trustees. Grants may also be made to such organizations, individuals, programs or projects that, in the opinion of the Trustees, are making special contributions to further the purposes of the Society. In all cases, preference is given to members of the Society and their immediate families. The recipient of the award is decided by the Trustees of the Fund. Applications for grants are invited by advertising in the March issue of the Vancouver Naturalist.