January 14, 2021
Going the Extra Mile: The Liability of Foreignness in U.S. Foundation International Grantmaking to Local NGOs
I recently ran across a very good article entitled: "Going the Extra Mile: The Liability of Foreignness in U.S. Foundation International Grantmaking…
January 13, 2021
Blackbaud’s “Tax Receipting and the Top Compliance Issues for Canadian Charities” delivered by Mark Blumberg
Mark Blumberg will be delivering a webinar for Blackbaud on "Tax Receipting and the Top Compliance Issues for Canadian Charities". Here is further…
December 29, 2020
Canadian charities can have relationships with non-charities but need to have adequate separation
We recently did a course entitled Multiple Corporate Structures for Canadian For-Profits, NPOs, + Charities to Enhance Flexibility and Impact.…
December 29, 2020
Happy Holidays from the OECD – a very interesting report on different countries and how they treat philanthropy and charities
An interesting report from the OECD on charities in many different countries recently was published. It was given a really exciting title namely…
December 20, 2020
Another version of CRA’s guidance on advancement of religion released in an access to information request
We have been blogging about CRA's draft guidance "Advancement of religion and charitable registration" in 2009, 2017 and 2018. Essentially CRA has…
December 20, 2020
CRA Ministerial Welcome Package – excerpts dealing with charities
We recently received a copy of the CRA Ministerial Welcome Package which is dated November 2019.There are a number of references to charities…
December 20, 2020
Why does CRA ask about charitable “activities” and not just about charitable “purposes”
In a recent CRA document, we obtained that was released through access to information, it provides a good explanation of why CRA cares about…
December 12, 2020
Mark Blumberg’s testimony to the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics (ETHI) on CSSG/WE Charity Scandal
On Friday, December 11, 2020 I gave testimony to the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics (ETHI) on the CSSG and We…
December 5, 2020
CRA revokes as a result of audit first 2 charities in over a year
The CRA has revoked its first two registered charities in over a year. Actually, over 13 months not one charity has been revoked. Some think that…
November 30, 2020
Some are calling for changes to Canadian charity rules for foreign activities
I wish I did not have to write this article about the Canadian rules around international philanthropy and foreign activities but unfortunately, a…
November 27, 2020
Despite WE Charity Scandal and 5 months of intense coverage the Federal government is reducing transparency on the charitable sector
If you have followed the WE Charity scandal one of the major concerns is the lack of transparency with Canadian registered charities. That is not…
November 27, 2020
CRA releases foreign activity guidance after multi-year delays as well as guidance on intermediaries working in Canada
CRA released today the updated guidance CG-002, Canadian registered charities carrying on activities outside Canada. Essentially, this guidance…
November 18, 2020
Mark Blumberg to present as part of a panel at the AFP GTA Congress 2020 on “WE have a Problem”
Here is a description of the presentation on November 24, 2020: Lunch ’N Learn Panel: WE Have a Problem Jaya Mootoo , Ann…
November 18, 2020
Mark Blumberg to present to CIMA Canada Conference on “Dealing with Ethical Dilemmas: at Work and Beyond”
Mark will be presenting on November 19, 2020 at the CIMA Canada Conference on "Dealing with Ethical Dilemmas: at Work and Beyond". CIMA is the…
October 30, 2020
Capacity building, education, and online courses for the Canadian charity and non-profit sector
Our firm has been using online tools for over 10 years – primarily webinars. In 2018, we moved to providing paid online courses dealing with charity…
October 18, 2020
CRA accepts over 170 voluntary revocations
The Canada Gazette on October 17, 2020 published the names of over 170 Canadian registered charities that had requested voluntary revocation. Here…
September 22, 2020
CRA Charities Directorate email today on upcoming changes with our comments
The Charities Directorate of CRA sent out an email today to their electronic mailing list. The full text is below and our comments are in [brackets…
September 14, 2020
Decline in trust in the Canadian non-profit and charity sector as a result of the WE Charity scandal
A recent public opinion poll by Proof Communications, which runs the CanTrust index, dealing with trust shows a 6% decline for the non-profit and…
August 28, 2020
CRA asking about cryptocurrencies on charity audits
When CRA audits charities they typically send a long questionnaire to be filled in by the charity on many different issues. With some…
August 20, 2020
“Steve Bannon Is Charged With Fraud in We Build the Wall Campaign” – some quick thoughts on fundraising and restricted gifts
In this New York Times article published today entitled "Steve Bannon Is Charged With Fraud in We Build the Wall Campaign" it has shocking…
July 31, 2020
Transparency in the Canadian Charitable Sector and the T3010 Registered Charity Information Return Online Course
Every year we do a 3-hour course on transparency and the T3010. This year there has been a lot of interest in transparency around charities. On…
July 20, 2020
Mark Blumberg’s written submission to the Finance Committee on transparency in the non-profit and charity sector
Here is my Written Submission for the Pre-Budget Consultations in Advance of the Upcoming Federal Budget on Transparency and Accountability in the…
July 19, 2020
We have recently added two new online courses for Canadian charities
We have recently added 2 new full-day courses namely Fundamentals of Running a Canadian Charitable Organization/Operating Charity and Fundamentals of…
June 25, 2020
Charities Directorate Business Resumption Plan and Audits
CRA has just published its plan for the resumption of full activities. Here is one pertaining to the Legislation and Policy Branch (Charities). My…