Fundraising Activities Conducted by Charities
Registered charities often rely on charitable donations to carry on their charitable activities, and fundraising activities may be necessary to solicit these donations.
Fundraising activities may be conducted by the organization itself or by a third party (such as a fundraiser). These activities must be conducted with transparency and within acceptable legal guidelines.
When an organization applies for registration or when its information return is verified, its fundraising activities, as well as the expenses involved in fundraising campaigns, are subject to review.
Types of fundraising activities
The following is a non-exhaustive list of the types of fundraising activities generally organized by charities:
- subscription campaigns, planned giving programs or mail campaigns
- sales of lottery tickets
- auctions
- fundraising dinners
- galas or concerts
- sporting events
- collection boxes
- advertising
- flyers
- radio and television spots
- door-to-door solicitation
- online sales
If an organization conducted fundraising activities (or engaged a third party to do so on its behalf), it must declare in its information return all the fundraising methods employed during the taxation year.