When looking at a charity, it's important to consider the whole picture rather than just the numbers, says Imagine Canada CEO Marcel Lauzière. In response to hasty, sometimes shallow attempts to rank charities by a few financial ratios taken out of context, Imagine Canada launched CharityFocus, a much richer, more insightful tool to aid donor decision-making, on February 15.
The site transforms Canada Revenue Agency's T3010 data into graphs and other vivid visuals. Every registered charity already has a profile on CharityFocus that reflects its latest T3010 filing. Now that the site is launched, each charity can upload additional material to display the stories behind the numbers: annual reports, program information, fundraising policies, videos and links to social media platforms.
Eight years after the Canadian Association of Gift Planners placed the Banyan Tree Foundation on its list of "buy low, sell high tax shelter donation arrangements" (Canadian Fundraiser, December 15, 2003), the longest-running Canada Revenue Agency-labelled "sham donation" arrangement in Canada launched what could be its final chapter.
Along with the foundation, Rochester Financial Limited, Promittere Capital Group Inc., Promittere Asset Management Inc. and Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP agreed to contribute $11,000,000, without admitting liability, to settle a class action brought by Banyan donors.
A new section was added to the Charities and Giving Web pages for organizations that are recognized as qualified donees. These organizations can issue donation receipts and receive gifts from registered charities.
"In mass-scale direct response fundraising, telling emotional stories wins hands down," says Australian expert Jonathon Grapsas. So put aside the notion that your ask must include a rational argument.
"We make an incredibly powerful economic impact, especially when you include the leveraged impact of donations and volunteer hours," says Ontario Trillium Foundation CEO Robin Cardozo. But charities don't get enough credit for that or for their innovation and willingness to collaborate.
When looking at a charity, it's important to consider the whole picture rather than just the numbers, says Imagine Canada CEO Marcel Lauzière. In response to hasty, sometimes shallow attempts to rank charities by a few financial ratios taken out of context, Imagine Canada launched CharityFocus, a much richer, more insightful tool to aid donor decision-making, on February 15.
"In mass-scale direct response fundraising, telling emotional stories wins hands down," says Australian expert Jonathon Grapsas. So put aside the notion that your ask must include a rational argument.
