My CanadianCharity channel on Twitter is growing rapidly. I have 117 people following me (and most are not even family) You can access it at It covers legal, ethical and practical issues with charities in Canada. A great way…
In 2009 I attended the Interaction Forum held in Washington, D.C. The Interaction Forum is the largest gathering of US and international NGOS involved with international development. I met some very interesting people and learned quite a lot. One of…
In Newsletter 33, CRA identified various registered charities that have had their registered charity status revoked for involvement in tax shelter gifting arrangements. In Newsletter 33 (), CRA advised as follows: “Tax shelter-related revocations In 2009, the following charities had…
The CRA noted in Newsletter 33 that they are accepting comments on their new Guidance CPS-028. Newsletter 33 () CRA provides in part: “On June 11, 2009, the new Guidance CPS-028, Fundraising by Registered Charities, was posted on the Charities…
The CRA has updated its publication “Donations to Prescribed Universities Outside Canada” The main change seems to be a more explicit requirement that the foreign university must provide information on “the number of Canadian students that have attended the…
CRA Income Tax Technical News No. 41 was released December 23, 2009 and discusses rulings (opinions) on proposed legislative amendments, the definition of “Tax Shelter” – Subsection 237.1(1) and donation of flow-through shares – subparagraph 38(a.1)(i), subsection 248(35) through (41)…
I am helping organize the CLIP conference Being Good at Doing Good: Safeguarding Yourself and Your Charity in a Complex World Feb. 22-23, 2010 in Toronto.. It promises to be a very exciting and affordable two day conference with many…
Here is a copy of a report on terrorist financing entitled Financial Action Task Force Report on Terrorist Financing
From the basic to the indepth there are numerous resources on the web that can help Canadian charities avoid money laundering and terrorism. BASIC Charities in the International Context by the Charities Directorate of CRA RCMP National Security Information…
Here is an interesting report from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on COMBATING THE ABUSE OF NON-PROFIT ORGANISATIONS International Best Practices from 2002. It highlights the importance of transparency in non-profit sectors and financial management in thwarting abuse of…
Here is a sample fraud policy from the UK Charity Finance Directors’ Group. While Canadian non-profits and charities do not need to have a fraud avoidance policy this example may be of use to some and certainly being aware of…
Here is an interesting booklet from the CSAE and RBC on Preventing_fraud_in_Not_for_Profit_Organizations.pdf
I will be co-chairing this morning session on February 16, 2010. I will also be delivering a presentation on “Top 15 Legal and Ethical Concerns for Charities in Ontario – Red, White and Yellow Flags” For further details see: http://www.softconference.com/oba/eventdetails.aspx?userID=76072362041538139120201080044&code=10CHA0216C…
Here are copies of the handouts for a number of recent presentations that I have delivered for the Charity Law Information Program (CLIP) *Charity Checklist: Managing Legal Compliance Risks; *Charity Compliance: A Primer for Boards; *Foreign Activities Guidance and Dealing…
Cultural property is one type of gift that a donor can make to a charity. Certain certified cultural property has certain additional benefits associated with its donation. In the CRA Guide Gifts and Income Tax 2009 CRA outlines some of…
Registered Charities Newsletter No. 33 was just released by the CRA today. It has some very useful information on receipting. Also CRA will be accepting submissions with respect to the fundraising guidance before April 2010. If you have ideas for…
On December 3, 2009 there was a Third Reading of the Good Government Bill (C-212) and it was carried and the bill passed. Royal Assent was given to the Good Government Act, 2009 on December 15, 2009 and therefore the…
Whether a staff person is an employee or independent contractor is an important distinction that can have huge ramifications for charities and their boards of directors. To understand CRA’s position you should review RC4110 Employee or Self-employed? at http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/E/pub/tg/rc4110/ Charities…
Whether a staff person is an employee or independent contractor is an important distinction that can have huge ramifications for charities and their boards of directors. To understand CRA’s position you should review RC4110 Employee or Self-employed? at http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/E/pub/tg/rc4110/ Charities…
UJA Federation of Greater Toronto Invites you to attend a CHARITY LAW SEMINAR for Jewish communal organizations ……………………………………………….. Thursday, January 14, 2010 Lipa Green Centre | 4600 Bathurst Street Tamari Family Hall (Free Parking) Registration: 8:30 a.m. Program: 9:00 a.m.…
The Standing Committee on Finance released its Pre-Budget Consultations 2009 and it is located at The Report, tabled in the House on Wednesday, December 9, 2009. Below are excerpts relating to charities. For the full text see below. V.…
I am so excited and it is not that I am going away on vacation today for a week. The new T3010B Registered Charity Information Return, which is filed by Canadian charities for fiscal year ends beginning January 1, 2009…
Here is a copy of my presentation CRA’s Fundraising Guidelines –Legal, Ethical and Practical Issues A presentation to the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) GTA Congress 2009 in Toronto Mark Blumberg is a lawyer at Blumberg Segal LLP in Toronto,…
CRA announced that “Enhancements have been made to the Alphabetical index of topics, including the addition of summary policies (CSPs).” You can find the Alphabetical Index of Topics at