News

The Canada Revenue Agency has recently been sending out a new form letter to some applicants for charitable registration which appear to have foreign activities requesting they provide greater detail in terms of the foreign activities.  Here is a copy of a sample letter from CRA.  The letter is worth reading and I would emphasize the importance of providing sufficient detail of the proposed foreign activity as well as a draft agreement for any structured arrangements.

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Here is a copy of the Blumbergs Canadian Charity Law List - May 2008 with articles on subjects such as the Burma Cyclone and Sanctions, Flow-Through Share donations schemes, risk management and volunteers, planned giving in a global world, the Banyan Tree Foundation etc

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A recent report entitled “The Commitment to Development Index for Africa: How Much do the Richest Countries Help the Poorest Continent? is well worth reading.  As we know Canada has a good reputation in terms of helping developing countries.  The numbers in this report show in fact that Canada is below average amongst the 21 wealthiest nations in helping reduce poverty in Africa.  If mediocrity is your goal - Canada is succeeding.  This report discusses not only foreign aid but also trade, investment, and migration policies, as well as other factors such as commitments to the environment, to security, and to technology.

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I am just back from the 2008 AGM of the Canadian Council for International Co-operation.  It was awe inspiring to see some of the wonderful work being done by Canadian charities in the international development realm.  Not only was this a celebration of CCIC’s 40th anniversary but it was also a celebration of a very important legislative victory in the realm of international development. 

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The Canadian Federal Budget, delivered in March 2007, provided an additional tax incentive to Canadian pharmaceutical companies to provide drugs to certain Canadian registered charities as long as the drugs will be used outside of Canada.

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Alliance Magazine has a summary of this UK article on Who Gives for Overseas Development? at http://www.alliancemagazine.org/online/html/aodec07d.html This article may be of interest to professional fundraisers who work on international development and humanitarian aid.  It may or may not be useful to understanding Canadian donors.  For the rest of us it appears that a large number of people give to overseas causes - but those who are better educated, women, and better off financially tend to give more.

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The CRA recently posted their top ten list of why applications for charitable status will not be successful.  It was placed in a Consultation document entitled “Charitable Work and Ethnocultural Groups - Information on registering as a charity “.  As an aside the last time I saw a study on the difference between applications for charitable status that were accepted by CRA and those that were rejected the most important factor correlating with acceptance was use of a lawyer.  Although one does not need to use a lawyer, the process is anything but straightforward.  If one is going to use a lawyer it is important to use a lawyer who is knowledgeable about charity law and especially important if you plan on conducting activities outside of Canada that the lawyer be familiar with CRA requirements for Canadian charities operating abroad.  Just one little example they cite for denying an application “The application does not include any copy of an agreement with representatives who are supposed to help the organization to carry out its activities outside Canada.”  CRA expects when one files an application that references foreign activities to be carried out under a structured arrangement (agency, joint venture, cooperative partnership, contractor) that in fact the agreement be attached.  This comes as a surprise to some including experienced practitioners.  Also they don’t mean some nice looking agreement - they mean an agreement that complies with ALL the requirements in RC4106.  Some may see this as harsh - however, if an organization takes shortcuts and does not have the resources and advisors to put in an appropriate application for charitable status it is not difficult to imagine that some of those same people may take shortcuts later when the charity is operating.

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This interesting book provides lots of insights into grantmaking in Africa.

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How much charitable giving actually supports the most needy?

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Although the law, governance and ethics are closely intertwined there is little written about ethics of Canadian charities operating abroad. Here are some links that may be of assistance to Canadian charities that operate outside of Canada to understand some of the ethical issues that they may have to deal with.

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I am going to read “Making a Difference in Africa: Advice from Experienced Grantmakers” by Rob Buchanan and Jayne Booker.  If I have time I will be looking at “Taking Philanthropy Seriously: Beyond Noble Intentions to Responsible Giving” edited by William Damon and Susan Verducci.

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Don’t Laugh - here is a press release for the launch of GlobalPhilanthropy.ca!

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I will be in Vancouver talking about “Planned Giving in a Global World” in April 2008 at the CAGP annual conference.

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Here are some handy resources and links for Canadian Charities conducting activities outside of Canada. 

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I have included some interesting quotes on philanthropy from Seymour Shulich, a prominent Toronto businessperson and philanthropist, who recently gave $20 million to the Technion in Israel, including “I learned from a prominent Torontonian that money is like fertilizer: If you pile it up, it stinks, and if you spread it around, you can grow some beautiful things.”

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Thank you Jon and Gabriela for setting up this website in two days.

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The Globe & Mail recently wrote about Canada Revenue Agency audits of Canadian charities involved in disaster relief including the tsunami. The large number of charities that were non-compliant amongst the CRA sample will not improve the public’s confidence in the international development sector.

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