The US organization Charity Navigator is in the process of revamping its rating system of charities to provide more information and weight to the issues of accountability and transparency. Although Charity Navigator does not rate Canadian charities, the issue of…
We have blogged on the Public Sector Compensation Restraint to Protect Public Services Act, 2010 which was announced in the Ontario budget. Well it appears that the Public Sector Compensation Restraint Board is now in place and has a website…
GuideStar Israel is being beta tested. It will provide a combination of government and NPO information on non-profits in Israel. It is only a beta test but it is an important step forward for donors and those interested in the…
Here is an updated version of my article Ten Reasons your Canadian Charity Should File its T3010 on Time. The number one reason that Canadian registered charities lose their charitable status is failure to file their T3010. Make sure your…
Here is an interesting note dealing with US charity regulation and how less charity regulation and oversight can result in greater misuse of charities by admittedly a small number of people. Here is the article entitled “WE GET WE GET…
Here is the T3010-1 Registered Charity Information Return which replaces the T3010B for charities with fiscal year ends on or after December 1, 2010. [ed. CRA has subsequently said the T3010-1 can be used for fiscal year ends after March…
Here is an interesting 20 page study on The Nonprofit Technology Gap – Myth or Reality? from Johns Hopkins University. Non-profits are certainly using technology [“The vast majority of all organizations (98 percent) reported using information technologies for program/service delivery;]…
I am co-chairing this Ontario Bar Association program for the Charity and Not-For-Profit Law section at the OBA’s Institute 2011. The OBA Institute is the largest continuing legal event in Ontario. Lawyers may find this program helpful if they are…
Imagine Canada has released a “Guide to Giving”. In addition to discussing “What should I look for before giving to a charity?” it also discusses “How can I find out how much a charity spends on fundraising? Is this regulated?”,…
Here is a letter from CRA discussing the question Is the African Development Bank a prescribed international organization under Income Tax Act Canada Here is the text version: LANGIND E DOCNUM 2010-0371291I7 AUTHOR Lewis, Shelley DESCKEY 26 RATEKEY 2 REFDATE…
The Canada Revenue Agency has issued a “Tax Alert” entitled “Warning: If you donate to a gifting tax shelter, expect to be audited.” I know that the Tax Alert came out December 23, 2010 but if you are considering investing…
Canadians are ostensibly a generous people. They give on average about 1 billion per year in donations to registered charities for internationally philanthropy that targets the poor around the world. On the other hand remittances from Canada to developing countries…
Here is a press release from the Department of Finance: “The Department of Finance today launched a public consultation on the international assistance payments it administers. The consultation is a requirement under the Official Development Assistance Accountability Act for all…
Here is a note from AFP on C-470.
Here is a UK Charity Commission report on the “International Tiger Moth Charitable Trust” which took “sick and terminally ill children in a Second World War Tiger Moth aeroplane”. It is interesting because it shows how having a board of…
On December 6 2010 the Standing Committee on Finance held hearings on C-470 and whether there should be salary caps on charities in Canada. Here is the minutes of meeting http://www.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=4856234&Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=41&Ses=1 “MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS Meeting No. 51 Monday, December 6,…
The CBC notes in an article entitled “Telemarketer hit with $500,000 CRTC fine” that “The federal telecommunications regulator has hit a Calgary-based telemarketing firm, Xentel DM, with a $500,000 penalty for misusing the charity exemption to the National Do Not…
Here is a copy of 2010 paper “The Nuts and Bolts of Gifts involving Cultural Property” by Florence I. Carey of Aikins, MacAulay & Thorvaldson LLP in Winnipeg. Additionally here is a copy of Florence Carey’s powerpoint slides for the…
[Amended] The Finance Committee has reviewed C-470. The Finance Committee has amended the private members bill and it will be sent for Third reading in the House. The $250,000 compensation cap has been removed which is important as it could…
A while ago, I got a call from Australia. An investment advisor was wondering about certain Canadian individuals involved with what he thought were some pretty risky charity gifting tax shelter schemes in Australia. Anyway, I just read an Aggressive…
Here is a recent CRA letter dealing with “If, as a consequence of a gift, a charity holds a beneficial interest in an alter ego trust, will the restriction in subsection 118.1(13) apply in respect of the gift?” LANGIND E…
The Canadian Press has written an article on the fraudulent misuse of charitable receipts. Worth reading. Here is the article. http://www.thestar.com/business/article/905822—probes-of-tax-scams-prompt-revamp-of-charitable-receipts
Here is an interesting workshop taught by Eric Plato on Financial Management. REGISTER TODAY—OCIC PRINCIPLES OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP—JANUARY 25-26, 2011 Do you have problems developing budgets for proposals? Do you find financial reports and financial statements confusing? Are you…
Here is a copy of the updated document Employee or Self-Employed rc4110-10e.pdf from the CRA.