Welcome to the charity sector from CanadaHelps!
Thank you for joining Canada’s 86,000+ registered charities and making a difference for Canada and the wider world.
Charities touch our lives in essential ways by addressing social, environmental and humanitarian issues. Whether your charity builds community or tackles crises such as homelessness or hunger, we are here to support you and your mission!
We know starting a charity can be overwhelming, but you’re in a great company, and there are many resources that can help you achieve your mission.
Sector News & Resources to follow:
Here is a general list of resources to follow. Following thought leaders in the sector can help you keep up-to-date on what is happening in the charitable and non-profit sector in Canada and act accordingly
- The Philanthropist Journal - “We have been publishing articles written by and for the charitable and non-profit sector in Canada since 1972.”
- Imagine Canada - “Our mission is to strengthen Canadian charities and nonprofits so they can better serve individuals and communities both here and around the world.”
- Sector Source, a project of Imagine Canada, has many valuable resources on managing a charity and goes through everything from Board Governance and Staff Management to Volunteer Involvement and Charity Tax Tools.
- Canadian Charity Law, run by lawyers at the Blumbergs Professional Corporation law firm, has plenty of educational materials that support charities in trying to be transparent, legal, ethical and effective.
- Association of Fundraising Professionals - “The Association of Fundraising Professionals empowers individuals and organizations to practice ethical fundraising through professional education, networking, research and advocacy.”
Build Your Digital Foundation
In 2021, CanadaHelps ran a Digital Skills Survey. In this first-of-its-kind survey, we found there is an overall willingness and recognition of the importance of adopting digital tools despite challenges.
While there are challenges, there is also plenty of help out there. Here are some great resources to get started with building a robust digital foundation for your charity.
- CanadaHelps For Charities - take your first steps in online fundraising using tools that are built for charities and which incorporate all the best practices. Getting registered is free and simple.
- Charity Growth Academy is a free digital transformation program that provides you with an action plan tailored to your charity and ongoing support in all aspects of digital transformation.
- TechSoup Canada connects charities and nonprofits to donated and discounted technology, covering everything in the tech stack from servers to accounting. Microsoft for Nonprofits and Google for Nonprofits rely on TechSoup to assess charity/nonprofit status in various jurisdictions.
- Microsoft for Nonprofits Microsoft provides various grants and discounts for nonprofits that wish to use Microsoft 365, Power Platform, Dynamics 365, Azure and LinkedIn.
- Google for Nonprofits combines Google Workspace, the Google Ad Grant, YouTube Nonprofit Program and Google Earth and Maps.
- Nonprofit Tech for Good is a long-standing resource for nonprofits with regular blogs on nonprofit technology as well as resource lists for certificate programs, webinars and guides and reports.
Be a Part of Something Bigger
One of the best things about a being part of the Canadian Charity sector is being part of something bigger. There are multiple communities and movements that you can leverage to raise more for your charity.
- Giving Tuesday - celebrated annually across the world on the Tuesday following Black Friday. GivingTuesday is a massive day for giving and data shows that participating charities receive more donations on the day and throughout the holidays.
- Make It Monthly happens in March! Our newest annual campaign which helps charities to attract new monthly donors which can provide enormous impact, and sustainable donations for charities that participate.
- The Great Canadian Giving Challenge happens during the month of June and can really help charities to fundraise during the slower summer months. June is now the third highest month for donations through CanadaHelps.
- The Small Charities Masterclass is an education series run annually in September since 2022 to support Small Charities. The majority of charities in Canada are small (79% making less than $500,000 in annual revenue, 90% employing 10 or fewer full-time staff and 58% being entirely run by volunteers)
About CanadaHelps
As Canada's largest charitable social enterprise, our mission is to inform, inspire, and connect donors and charities, and to democratize access to effective technology and education in the charitable sector.
CanadaHelps serves Canada’s 86,000 charities by providing a one-stop shop for donors to donate and learn more about their mission, as well as all-in-one fundraising solutions, from online donation forms to events management and more.
We look forward to supporting you and your charity in the months and years ahead!