(Last updated: February 12, 2019)
Every Canadian charity registered and in good standing with Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is by default listed on CanadaHelps. Bi-weekly, we import a list from CRA directly into our system of publically-available data of all Canadian Charities. If a new charity has received its charitable status, or if a charity has had its status revoked or suspended, we reconcile this with our database. We rely on the work of CRA as the overseeing body of charities in Canada to determine if a charity is eligible to receive donations, and on donors to give based on their own interests and research.
CanadaHelps only accepts donations for Registered Charities and CRA-designated Qualified Donees.
CanadaHelps does not accept donations for/on behalf of individuals in need, non-profits, or charities outside of Canada.
On occasion, we will remove charities at their request if they are not able to or do not accept donations from the public or have a separate foundation for fundraising.
Before being listed on www.canadahelps.org, all charities are first validated by CanadaHelps by confirming their active charitable status with CRA. CanadaHelps actively encourages charities to register for either of our free charity accounts: a Full Fundraising Account or a Profile Account. With either account, charities gain the ability to update and edit their profile page, and with additional verification, access donor information and receive donations more quickly through weekly Electronic Funds Transfers. Compare the free charity account types here.
Free Profile Account
When an authorized representative of a charity registers with CanadaHelps for a free Profile Account, they must agree to CanadaHelps’ CanadaHelps Client Services Agreement before they can access their charity Profile.
Next, the charity representative must submit additional documentation provided to the charity by CRA that confirms charitable status. This additional layer of due diligence helps us ensure that the person registering for the account represents the charity. If the charity chooses to set up Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) to receive donations, submitting a pre-printed cheque or bank statement with the charity’s legal name and address (as registered with CRA) can be used as the necessary additional documentation.
We give charities access to full* donor information once the additional documentation has been submitted and verified by our staff. Once the documentation has been received, CanadaHelps also re-confirms that the charity is in good standing with the CRA.
Full Fundraising Account
When an authorized representative of a charity registers with CanadaHelps for a free Full Fundraising Account, they must agree to CanadaHelps’ CanadaHelps Client Services Agreement before they can access their charity Profile.
Next, charities must provide banking information (a pre-printed cheque or bank statement with the charity’s legal name and address as registered with CRA) to set up EFT and validate their access to the account. We give charities access to full* donor information, as well as fundraising tools for charities, once the banking information has been submitted and verified as complete by our staff. Once this documentation has been received, CanadaHelps also re-confirms that the charity is in good standing with the CRA.
If a charity is listed on www.canadahelps.org but has not registered with CanadaHelps for a free account, or if the charity has registered for a free Profile account but has chosen not to set up EFT, we mail cheques for donations received to the mailing address for the charity on record with CRA.
CanadaHelps accepts donations on behalf of Qualified Donees that are not registered charities, as defined by the CRA, including: registered Canadian amateur athletic associations (RCAAAs), registered Canadian municipalities, registered universities outside Canada, the United Nations and its agencies, a registered municipal or public body performing a function of government in Canada, which includes qualifying Indigenous organizations, and others.
CanadaHelps does not list all Qualified Donees on its website by default, but these organizations can register for a Full Fundraising Account with CanadaHelps. To do so, an authorized representative of the Qualified Donee must complete the online registration process for Qualified Donees. Next, they must agree to the CanadaHelps Client Services Agreement before they can access their Profile, and must provide banking information (a pre-printed cheque or bank statement with the organization’s legal name and address) to set up EFT and validate their access to the account. We give Qualified Donees access to full* donor information, as well as CanadaHelps fundraising tools for charities, once the banking information has been submitted and verified by our staff. Once received, CanadaHelps will verify that the Qualified Donee is registered with CRA and that the banking information provided is complete.
* unless the donor has opted to keep some or all of their information anonymous.