When it comes to compliance with tax laws, many charities feel slightly in the dark. But an understanding of the CRA Charities Directorate and its regulations is of utmost importance if your charity is to avoid an audit, investigation, or...
My charity is part of a global organization, and our staff and volunteers travel a lot. Should we be buying carbon offsets or doing something else to make up for the flying, in particular? A charity should use all its...
Volunteers are one of the most important assets of nonprofit and charitable organizations in Canada. They bring time, enthusiasm, and skills to the organization or to a program. They can also make the delivery of programs far more cost-effective. Many...
The two main types of board conflicts Board conflicts are among the most challenging conflicts a nonprofit executive faces. They generally come in two forms - conflicts among board members and conflicts between the board and professional management of the...
My organization funds a charity to carry out programs that serve both our missions. We have been giving core support plus project funding, some of it multi-year, for about ten years now. Our priorities have changed and their programs are...
Our grant application reflected our best estimates for results and expenses. Take-up was well below our expectations and, therefore, our costs were a lot lower too. But we developed a related program that achieved similar outcomes, sort of, and used...
Much has been made in the press over the last year about the alleged fraudulent use of tax shelter plans by Canadian charities. If you’re at all interested in the charitable sector in this country, then you’ve likely read the...
Ever wondered what it would be like to go from being an armchair executive to the role of executive director or CEO of a major (or minor) organization for a limited time? Does having the power to decide on the...
Nonprofit organizations are often encouraged to include a lawyer on their board of directors. Afterall, what group couldn't benefit from some free legal advice now and then. But it's not quite as simple as that. Adam Aptowitzer, a lawyer with...
I read that a nonprofit employee recently committed suicide after being confronted with evidence that she had defrauded a nonprofit. Was the nonprofit ethically responsible for leading her into temptation? The responsibility for wrongdoing always rests primarily with the wrongdoer....
