Should Our Non-Profit Become a Canadian Registered Charity and if so, how?
It is a complicated issue as to whether a non-profit should become a charity if so how?
Enroll in Course
This course, "Should Our Non-Profit Become a Canadian Registered Charity and if so, how?" discuss when it may be advantageous or not for a Canadian non-profit that has already been established to apply for registered charity status with the Canada Revenue Agency.
The Canadian registered charity sector is a large and important part of our country. It also has revenue of over $300 billion per year. Because of the tax and reputational advantages of being a registered charity, CRA has a significant and comprehensive process for groups wishing to become a registered charity. This is not a simple process like applying for GST/HST number. Most charity applications are not successful and many are surprised at the complexity of the process. Failure to achieve charity status does not mean that your non-profit organization is not a good organization but there are many technical requirements that need to be met for CRA to accept an organization as a registered charity. You cannot be 98% charity - you need to be 100% charity.
If you are contemplating establishing a charity from scratch, then this course is not for you, and we have another course that covers that topic. This is for groups who already are established and contemplating a charity application.
In this course, we will discuss the following:
- Should your organization apply for registered charity status?
- Advantages and Disadvantages of becoming a registered charity
- What type of entity are you?
- Are you properly “organized”? Who are your members?
- Applying for Charitable Registration
- Guidances helpful for charity registration
- How to Apply for Registered Charity Status in Canada
- CRA’s Application review process
- Timelines and Costs of a charity application and how to retain our law firm to assist if you wish
- Why do Charity Applications Fail, according to the Charities Directorate?
- Myths About Charity Registration
- Tips and Tricks for a Successful Charity Application
This course will be of interest to those working in non-profits (staff, volunteers). It will also be helpful to professional advisors such as lawyers, accountants and governance consultants who advise non-profit entities and will deal with the topic of whether the entity should become a registered charity.
Your Instructor
Mark Blumberg is a lawyer at the law firm Blumbergs Professional Corporation (Blumbergs) in Toronto and works almost exclusively advising non-profits and registered charities on their work in Canada and abroad. Mark has written numerous articles, is a frequent speaker on legal issues involving charity and not-for-profit law. He is the editor of a blog, www.CanadianCharityLaw.ca, and created the largest portal of data on the Canadian charity sector, www.CharityData.ca Mark also edits www.SmartGiving.ca, which provides information on due diligence when selecting charities.
Mark is particularly interested in the regulation of non-profits and charities in Canada, philanthropy, transparency requirements for the voluntary sector, providing accessible information on regulatory issues, and the use of data to make more informed decisions on the charity sector.
Mark is quoted regularly in print media and frequently appears on radio and television on topics relating to philanthropy and the regulation of charities in Canada. Mark has also appeared on a number of occasions in front of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance on topics such as charity regulation, transparency, accountability and tax incentives for philanthropy. Mark has testified at the Special Senate Committee on the Charitable Sector, the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance and the House Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics.
Mark has also made presentations to the Charities Directorate Annual All Staff Meeting as well the Annual Divisional Staff Meeting of the Determinations Section of Charities Directorate. Mark presented to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) when the FATF conducted an evaluation of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism in Canada in 2015.
Mark sat for 4 years on the Charities Directorate Technical Issues Working Group, which is a bi-annual meeting between the Charities Directorate, the Department of Finance and the charity sector to discuss technical and policy issues pertaining to registered charities and the Income Tax Act (Canada). Mark is a member of the Exempt Organizations Committee of the American Bar Association. Mark spent 6 years on the Advisory Committee for the Master of Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership (MPNL) at Carleton University. Mark is on the Board of the Canadian Charity Law Association.
Mark has co-authored 20 Questions Directors of Not-for-Profit Organizations Should Ask About Mergers (Published by CPA Canada) and co-wrote a chapter on International Trends in Government-Nonprofit Relations: Constancy, Change, and Contradictions in Non-profits and Government: Collaboration and Conflict in Non-profits and government: collaboration and conflict (Edited by Elizabeth T Boris and C Eugene Steuerle)
Mark frequently lectures to various industry and professional groups on charity compliance issues including the Chartered Professional Accountants Canada (CPA Canada), as well as CPA Ontario, BC and Alberta, the Canadian Bar Association, Ontario Bar Association, Canadian Association of Gift Planners, Association of Fundraising Professionals, Ontario Hospital Association, Ontario Non-profit Network, and many other organizations.
Mark has a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Toronto, an LLB from the University of British Columbia and an LLM from Osgoode Hall Law School in Tax Law.