Assisi Hospice is a Singapore charity and Institution of a Public Character (IPC) that provides palliative care. For over 50 years, it has offered medical, psycho-social, and spiritual care to patients facing terminal illnesses. Its team of specialists work tirelessly to help patients live out their last years with dignity.

Donations cover about 40% of the cost of caring for Assisi’s patients. However, the hospice says that income from fundraising tends to fall in times of economic instability or recession. In contrast, the demand for palliative care does not diminish.

During the two years of the Covid-19 pandemic, Assisi saw an increase in the number of patients and family members who needed support. With Singaporeans living longer, the need for palliative care will only keep rising.

For charities like Assisi, ensuring a sustainable source of funding during good years and bad years is critical. Legacy gifts can be a lifeline, offering charities a longer-term, more predictable income stream through thick and thin; legacy giving helps charities ensure that their services are not disrupted, and helps them plan ahead.

DONORS ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT PURPOSE

Legacy giving – leaving a planned future gift to a cause one is passionate about – is still relatively new in Singapore. At CFS, we foster a culture of legacy giving by raising awareness among potential donors and intermediaries such as financial and legal advisors. We also connect charities with donors who want to leave a legacy of care.

CFS facilitated a legacy gift to Assisi, from a donor-advised fund (DAF) which was established by the executor of an estate to fulfil the testator’s charitable wishes. The donor chose the hospice as a beneficiary in recognition of its excellent palliative care program.

This legacy gift has supported the training of nurses and healthcare students in palliative care.  It helped Assisi maintain its ongoing training despite the pandemic. Given the need for safe distancing, group training was modified to comprise individual and small group sessions. Week-long attachments had to be stretched out to months.

Assisi also benefited from the generosity of another bequest. The testator, a retired doctor, listed several charities he wanted to help in his will, of which Assisi was one. His daughters fulfilled his giving intentions by establishing a DAF at CFS in his memory, and disbursing a grant to Assisi from that DAF. The funding proved especially important when donations became more irregular during the pandemic. This memorial gift has enabled Assisi to extend palliative care to the needy. It also helped the hospice support caregivers; for every patient, an average of two caregivers were given psycho-emotional, financial, and spiritual support.

Assisi believes that anyone can start planning for their legacy at any age, which will provide their loved ones with the instructions on how to fulfil their wishes upon their passing. This will help to alleviate stress for the family by eliminating ambiguity and second guessing. While the hospice believes that these conversations can touch on taboo topics, it also hopes that through public education, more will see legacy giving as a fulfilling effort to support one’s values and desire to continue helping those in need, far into the future.

CFS hopes that people in Singapore will increasingly value the lasting impact a legacy gift can have. People of all ages, from all walks of life can live and leave a legacy to support the community. As a cause-neutral philanthropic advisor, CFS can guide you on your journey so that you can make a difference to the causes closest to your heart.

For more information on legacy giving, please go to this page.

For more information on Assisi Hospice, please visit Assisi Hospice website.