About 80,000 charities are registered with the Canada Revenue Agency, so it may be hard to sort out which ones are legitimate. Many new charities tend to appear in times of crisis or natural disaster.
Here are some tips on making sure your donation is headed to the right place.
- Ask for written information. Legitimate charities will provide a brochure outlining their mission, how the donation will be distributed and/or proof that your contribution is tax deductible. If they are a registered charity, ask for their latest annual report so you can assess where the money is going.
- Ask for identification. If you are solicited over the phone or at the door, ask for the organization's name, address, phone number and material explaining what they do and where the money goes. Do not give right away. Once you have a phone number, give the organization a call and ask if they have a phone or door-to-door campaign happening.
- Call the charity. Ask how much of your gift will be used for those in need and how much will go toward other programs and administrative costs. A good charity should be directing at least 60 per cent or more of its money toward services.
- Be wary if someone thanks you for a donation you don't remember making. This method is used to corner people into giving. If you don't recall that pledge, check your records first before giving.
- Refuse high pressure tactics. Legitimate charities do not coerce people into giving.
- Get a receipt with the name of the charity on it.
- Don't send cash and never give your credit card number over the phone. For security purposes, send a cheque payable to the charity, not the person soliciting, which can be traced or cancelled if necessary.
- Similar sounding names. Be on the lookout for phoney charities using names that look like or sound like those of respected organizations.
- Be firm when you don't want to give. For the sake of the charity and for yourself, reply with a firm "no" rather than a "maybe" if you are solicited because that charity will contact you again. You will feel bothered and they will be wasting time.
- Do not donate if the person over the phone offers to send a courier or "runner." Legitimate charities will be just as happy to accept your donation after you have had the time to check them out.
- Tax Receipts. Be sure to ask for one if you need it as charities may set minimum limits for issuing one. They are not required by law to issue tax-deductible receipts for all donations and those that do must be registered with the Canada Revenue Agency. A registered charity must comply with laws governing its non-profit status, must make its yearly financial statement public and be subject to monitoring or auditing by tax authorities. Check the department's website for a list of registered charities or call the Charities Directorate toll free at 1-888-892-5667.
- The Better Business Bureau. You can call your local branch to check whether a charity has had any complaints filed against it.
- Charities bearing gifts. Some organizations include free address stickers, greeting cards, key rings or other "gifts" in their direct mail solicitations. You are not bound to make a contribution to keep the items and charities are not permitted to demand payment for any unordered merchandise.
- A privacy policy. Legitimate charities will spell out their privacy policy concerning the use of your name and other personal information. They should have an option for you to decline promotional material and for you to prevent them from sharing your name with other charities.
- Internet donations. Make sure the charity site uses secure technology for online donations. Before you enter any information such as your credit card number or personal data, verify that the page requesting that information is secure. The letters https:// rather than http:// should precede the page's URL or internet address. In addition, there may be an unbroken key or padlock symbol located in a corner of the web page. If in doubt, contact the charity by phone or e-mail before you provide the information online.
MENU
- Main page
- Adhesives
- Airline connections
- Airport security
- 10 tips for holiday globetrotters
- Alternative gifts
- Alternative winter getaways
- Alternative presentation ideas for holiday gifts
- Apartment hunting
- Inside ARGs
- Athletic shoes
- Auto arbitration
- Back-to-school shopping trends
- Barbecue tips for food
- Bargain flights
- Bottled water
- Carbon footprints
- Minimizing a trip's CO2 impact on the planet
- Cellphone breakout
- The pros and cons of unlocked handsets
- Cellphone chic
- Phones have become a fashion accessory
- Christmas tree safety
- Citronella
- Clear-out sales: How not to be taken
- Compulsive shopping
- Costly toys
- Counterfeit goods
- Cross-border shopping
- Cruise crime
- Cruise vacations
- Cultural diversity
- Dollar parity
- Donated Clothing (Part I)
- Donated Clothing (Part II)
- Dropping prices?
- Dryer safety
- Eco-garden
- Eco-friendly dying
- Environmentally friendly entertaining
- Father's Day
- Food: Canada's cuisine comes of age
- Funny fare
- Hunting down Canada's national food treasures
- Fireworks
- Foie gras frenzy divides Chicago
- Fur: sustainable resource or fashion faux pas?
- Giving to charities
- Going solo
- Travel tips for women backpacking it alone
- Green cleaning
- Green gadgetry
- Green packaging
- Hearing Aids
- Helium: A disappearing gas?
- Hidden fees
- Holiday feasts
- Holiday shipping
- Holiday planning
- Home alone
- Hot destinations
- Year of the Asian vacation?
- Hot destinations
- Warm getaways that are off the beaten path
- Inflatable pools
- Identity theft
- Kids toys
- Learning toys
- Legal fees
- Long-distance flying
- Making connections
- Tips for getting online when travelling
- Making connections
- Phones to go
- Mothers' Day
- Pet food safety
- Pet food, alternatives
- Phone deregulation
- Pickpockets
- Plastic: What's in it, and is it safe?
- Recalls and advisories
- Redeeming rebates
- Refunds: How to get your money back
- Repelling mosquitoes
- Santa's knee: 10 tips on preparing kids to see the man in red
- Scooter sales rev up
- School bus safety
- School shopping
- Second-hand sales
- Smoke detectors
- Student survival guide
- Sunscreen
- Sunglasses
- Tips: Is your waiter playing mind games?
- Toy stereotypes
- Travel: Strategies to stretch your cash in Europe
- Vermiculite
- Water safety for kids
- Winterizing your car
- Year in review: Consumer Life 2006
- Your computer
