Getting Your Board on Board - Talking to your Board About CanadaHelps

GETTING YOUR BOARD ON BOARDTALKING TO YOUR BOARD ABOUT CANADAHELPS
Winter 2010

Instructions
We’ve designed this presentation for you to take to your Board in order to
show them why CanadaHelps would be beneficial for your organization.
We’ve packed in as much information as possible so you would have all of the
information needed to answer all questions.

Table of Contents
1. About CanadaHelps
2. Donation Process
3. How It Works
4. Advantages
5. MyCharity Account
6. FAQs
9. How to Register
10. Appendix

About CanadaHelps
What is CanadaHelps?
A public charitable foundation that provides accessible,
affordable and secure online technology to both donors
and charities.
Vision
Build a caring and involved Canadian society that is committed to giving and participating
effectively in the charitable sector. Using technology, we create an efficient connection
between charities, donors, and the corporate community.
Mission
Engage Canadians in the charitable sector by providing accessible and affordable online
technology to both donors and charities so as to promote – and ultimately increase –
charitable giving in Canada.
We are a charity helping charities. We make giving simple.

About CanadaHelpsHow It Began
In 1999, a young university student named Aaron Pereira sat in a church pew waiting for the collection plate to make its way towards him. As he dug in his pockets, he realized that he didn’t have any cash on him. The dot-com boom was in full swing, and e-commerce was the way of the future: how come his church wasn’t collecting donations online, too?
With that question in mind, he began to put together the concept that eventually became CanadaHelps. Aaron envisioned a way for all charities and donors to benefit from the same technology that helped businesses reach huge markets over the internet.
With two friends – Ryan Little and Matthew Choi – Aaron set about finding support to build CanadaHelps. The students convinced major supporters to back their vision of an engaged donor base online. With Canadian corporations and financial institutions offering donated funds, space and technology, CanadaHelps launched in 2000. CanadaHelps, itself a charity, supports the philanthropic efforts of both donors and charities – online. Ryan, Matthew and Aaron’s dedication and volunteer time led to its early success: in its first year, over $150,000 was donated through CanadaHelps to charities across the country.
Today, CanadaHelps facilitates over $40 million in donations annually. We continue to honour our entrepreneurial roots by innovating to stay ahead of online trends and offer Canadians new ways to give to their favourite causes.
Matthew, Ryan and Aaron in
The first CanadaHelps office.

About CanadaHelpsSome Stats
As of January 2010
More than $130 million has been processed since CanadaHelps launched in 2000;
Over 8,500 charities are registered with us
An average of 35 charities sign up with us every week.

About CanadaHelpsBoard of Directors
Bill Kerr, Chair - JSE Partners Inc., Oakville
Alec Zimmerman - Borden LadnerGervais LLP, Toronto
Aaron Pereira – Social Entrepreneur
John Beattie - Telus, Toronto
Ryan Little - StormFisher Biogas, Toronto
Sean Van Doorselaer - OPK Capital, Toronto
Matthew Choi - Physician, Winnipeg
Patrick Johnston - Walter and Gordon Duncan Foundation, Toronto
Brenda Gainer - Schulich School of Business, York University, Toronto

The Donation Process

Donor Perspective

The Donation ProcessDonor Perspective
The donor visits your website
and clicks on the CanadaHelps
Donate Now button.

Enter donation details
Fund designation/instructions
Potential card request
Personal contact information
Payment information

Gift is submitted
and tax receipt
immediately
emailed to the
donor

Charity Perspective

The Donation ProcessCharity Perspective
Charity is notified by
email when they’ve
received a donation.

The Donation ProcessCharity Perspective
Donation details appear
in your account

HOW IT WORKS

How It Works
Disbursement Process
What is Electronic Fund Transfer or EFT?
EFT allows CanadaHelps to disburse donations directly into a charity’s bank account through direct deposit on a weekly basis. All charities registered with CanadaHelps receive funds by EFT.
*PLEASE NOTE: Charities not registered with CanadaHelps will instead receive cheques on a monthly basis

How It Works
Receipting
CanadaHelps issues tax receipts for all donations made through our site
We are a foundation with our own charitable business number
Legal name of your charity is also listed on the receipt
Receipts are in an unalterable PDF format, as per Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) regulations
Your charity should never issue receipts for donations made through CanadaHelps

How It Works
Complete Donor Records
What information does a charity receive?
Name
Mailing and email
addresses
Message to charity
Card acknowledgement
requests
Donation amount and
source
Fund designation
Fee taken
You receive an email notification when a donation is made to your organization.
Donor records are available to you 24 hours a day, seven days a week in your personal MyCharity Account.

How It Works
Thanking Donors
CanadaHelps sends an email to donors with their tax receipt, but since these are your donors, it’s important for you to foster the relationship and personally thank them.

Remember!
These are your donors
You own the relationship with your donor so steward them as you would any offline supporters
CanadaHelps doesn’t solicit donations and doesn’t share, sell, trade or otherwise use your donor information.

ADVANTAGES

Advantages
Multiple Donation Options/Sources
We offer several options for giving by Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Interac Debit Online, which include:
Scheduled Giving – The ability to accept recurring monthly gifts.
Securities – The only way to accept gifts of securities online in Canada.
CanadaHelps Giving Pages – Peer-to-peer fundraising tool for your supporters.
Causes on Facebook – Rally your network on Facebook around your cause.
In memoriam donations – Remembering a loved one’s life with a gift to charity
In honour of donations – Give on behalf of friends, family or coworkers
Donations to different funds/campaigns – Donors specify the project they support

Advantages
Low Cost, Less Time, Less Administration
Other providers will charge for:
Set Up
Monthly/Annual Fees
Transaction Fees
Tech Support fees
CanadaHelps charges 3.9%, covering:
Creation and distribution of tax receipts
All credit card merchant rates and
transactions fees, bank account settlement
costs and disbursement charges
Please note: The fee is 4.9% for charities not registered
with CanadaHelps to cover the costs of issuing and
mailing cheques

Advantages
Bilingual
For your French Donors, our services are offered in both official languages
Please visit www.CanaDon.org to find out more

Advantages
Enhanced Charity Profile
Once signed up, you can include the following information in your profile:
Personalized Logo/Banner
Donate Monthly Button
Contact Information
Mission Statement
Description

AdvantagesAutomated E-receipts
Your charity doesn’t issue receipts for donations made through CanadaHelps
CanadaHelps issues receipts for all donations made through our portal, regardless of donation size. This is an administrative savings to your organization!

AdvantagesSecurity & Privacy
CanadaHelps employs a number of measures and practices
to protect you, including:
CanadaHelps recognizes that privacy and security are important issues for both donors and charities and as such is committed to ensuring a safe experience when using our services.

AdvantagesProject Specific Pages
A CanadaHelpsGivingPage is a
tool that provides new and
easy ways for your organization
to fundraise for a specific
campaign or project

AdvantagesPeer to Peer Fundraising
CanadaHelpsGivingPages also
provide new ways for your
donors to fundraise on your
behalf!
Create a GivingPage for:
Sports events
Weddings
Birthdays
Memorials
Graduation

AdvantagesEasy To Use!
Above all, CanadaHelps is easy to use. CanadaHelps
allows donors and charities to raise funds quickly and
efficiently. CanadaHelps staff is always available to help if
you have any questions too!

MyCharity Account

MyCharity AccountWhat is it?
A MyCharity Account is a charity’s account on CanadaHelps.
It allows a charity to do the following:
Access donor records
Update account information
Fill a profile with information
Access the Donate Now button
* The following slides will take you through
the different sections of an account.

MyCharity AccountHome
You have complete control of your donor information
Under the Home tab, you can:
Get updates in the News section
Read FAQs
Download the Charity User Manual

MyCharity AccountProfile
Review and change your operating names, admin email, contact info, and banking details.
Enhance your Charity Profile with a mission statement, organizational description, and logo.
Preview your page to see what others will see!
Fill in your charity’s mission statement and description in English and French.
This is your chance to explain to donors what your charity does.
Under the Profile tab you can:

MyCharity AccountDonations
Under the Donations tab, you can:
View donation details for all of your gifts 24/7
Use the “Data Download” feature to import donor data into your database software

MyCharity AccountFunds & Link
Under the Funds tab, you can:
Designate specific funds for your charity (e.g. special campaign, specific project, fundraising appeal, etc.)
Create a drop down menu that donors select from when making a donation, thus increasing your charity’s transparency
Under the Link tab, you can:
Learn how to add the Donate Now! button to your charity’s website, linking donors directly to your page on CanadaHelps

MyCharity AccountSearch Info
Under the Search Info tab, you can improve your charity’s “searchability” in the CanadaHelps.org search engine in two ways:
CATEGORIES lets you select main and sub categories that best describe your charity
KEYWORDS lets you create a list of search terms that you want to be associated with. When they are typed into the search engine, your organization will appear in the results

Frequently Asked Questions

Can we download the data into our database?
Saving the file as a comma separated value (CSV) file will allow you to open it into many
different programs. To save it in this format, simply type “.csv” at the end of the file
name. You can then open the file in your spreadsheet program or upload it to your
donor management software.
Compatible with:
Raiser’s Edge
Excel
Access
Salesforce
And many more!

What are our charities saying about CanadaHelps?
Testimonial 1
"Your provide a great service. Small organizations like ours benefit tremendously, keeping our overhead low & spending more on good works!" - Better Day Alliance
Testimonial 2
Through CanadaHelps' service, we have been able to generate a surprising amount of additional income for our projects. Our donors find it very convenient to preset their donation periods, direct their donations to specific funds, and even dedicate them on behalf of a cherished one. The donor records are thorough and easy to access through and the technical support has made it easy for our young organization to integrate this important feature onto your website. Thanks CanadaHelps!" - Todd Lorenz, Managing Director, One Child's Village

How much is this really going to cost me?
3.9%
There is ONLY a 3.9% fee per transaction, which covers:
Credit card processing fees
Bank processing fees
Administration
* Charities not signed up with CanadaHelps are subject to a 4.9% transaction fee when we mail a
cheque for donations because of the added mailing costs.

How do I know a donation has been made?
You receive an email each time a donation is made
Donation details then appear automatically in your account
Find out who made the donation so you can thank them and respond to any requests they may have

Where do I claim CanadaHelps donations on my charity’s tax return?
Again, since CanadaHelps issues and sends tax receipts for all of the donations made through our site, you do not need to do this. Your organization therefore must claim CanadaHelps donations on line 4510 of your tax return, “Total amount received from other registered charities.”

What happens when a donation needs to be refunded?
CanadaHelps handles all refunds. In the event of a refund, CanadaHelps
notifies the charity and provides all relevant back up documentation. If the
donation has already been disbursed into your bank account, CanadaHelps
will need to perform a debit to return the funds to the card holder.

What more can CanadaHelps do for our organization?
We also teach charities how to use low cost or free online technologies in efficient and
cost effective ways that will help further their missions!
Check out www.mycharityconnects.org for demos, event listings, and other great
resources!

What can CanadaHelps not be used for?
We can only process donations that are 100% tax receiptable, so
we cannot process:
Ticket sales
Memberships
Product Sales
Auction bids
If you are unsure if a transaction will qualify as 100% tax receiptable, you should
contact the Charities Directorate of the Canada Revenue Agency to inquire at
www.cra-arc.gc.ca

Where do I get more information on CanadaHelps?
Click on the following menu options on the CanadaHelps.org main
page to learn more about CanadaHelps:
About CanadaHelps
How To Give
For Charities

How To RegisterThe Steps
Go to www.canadahelps.org
Click on “Register Your Charity”
You will be asked to accept the CanadaHelps client agreement and then receive a banking information form that must be sent in with a voided cheque or bank statement.
You can send in this information
By fax
1-888-787-4264
By mail
215 Spadina Ave, Suite 330
Toronto ON M5T 2C7

How To RegisterRegistration Checklist
Before sending in your banking information, please
ensure you’ve completed the following:
The online part of the registration has been completed
Your Banking Information Form is fully complete
Your voided cheque or bank statement includes the full name and account details for your organization

I have more questions, who do I talk to?
Contact our Charity Liaison with any questions at info@canadahelps.org
We respond to email inquiries within 24 business hours

Thank you, from the staff at CanadaHelps!
We are a charity helping charities and we’re here to help you in your fundraising needs!

Appendix
CanadaHelps encourages you to do your research before
choosing an online donation processer. Here are some
questions to consider:
Who handles tech support?
How are refunds handled?
Is the processer PCI compliant?
Does the processor accept Interac?
Does our charity require a credit card merchant account?
What are the costs involved?
If there are fees, how are they paid for? Is the organization invoiced? If so, how often?
How often do we get donations disbursed to us?

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Getting Your Board on Board - Talking to your Board About CanadaHelps

by CanadaHelps / MyCharityConnects on Feb 04, 2010

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Getting Your Board on Board - Talking to your Board About CanadaHelps Presentation Transcript