What donors can do to improve transparency in Canada's charity sector

What donors can do to improve transparency in Canada's charity sector

Following the Charities Directorate's revocation of one of Canada's largest charities, Beth Oloth in January 2019, comments were made about what took the Charities Directorate so long.[i] Expert charity lawyer Mark Blumberg commented "if abuses like these are allowed to continue it will undermine the public’s confidence in the whole charitable sector” and the government should be embarrassed the charity was allowed to operate for so long.

Canada's current laws muzzle the Charities Directorate from informing the public. The Charities Directorate must follow due process and do exhaustive audits and investigations. In the Beth Oloth case, the investigation was dragged on by lawyers and spanned more than two years. It is alarming that in these two years under investigation, Beth Oloth tax receipted $49.9 million in donations and received an additional $53.9 million from private foundations.

Currently, the Charities Directorate cannot suspend “trading” or notify donors until it makes its final decision. In contrast, British laws allow its Charities Commission to prominently notify the public when a charity is under investigation. Canada’s laws can change to help the Charities Directorate better police the charity sector and inform the public.

Yet, rather than asking what more Ottawa can do, shouldn’t we be asking ourselves what we can do to make our charity sector what we want it to be?

Charity Intelligence believes we donors need to become more active. We need to ask charities to be financially transparent in exchange for our support. We need to raise our expectations that charities follow best practices.  

Just as our communities are kept safer by watchful neighbours, our charity sector needs us all to be vigilant. We must help prevent charity fraud or tax abuse. This job is too big for one regulator, or single organization. Canada’s charity sector will be stronger and cleaner when we all step up. Let’s start now.

  • Know your rights as a donor. Rights are just platitudes unless respected. The Donor Bill of Rights, Article III states, “All donors have the right to have access to the organization’s most recent financial statements.”
  • Do your homework and research the charity. Check that the charities you support have posted financial statements on their website, especially with large charities with more than $1 million in annual donations. For large charities, are these financial statements audited? Contact the charity’s management team and directors to share your thoughts.
  • Hold your support until your charity is financially transparent is what Charity Intelligence recommends.
  • Report suspicions of charity fraud, please contact the Charities Directorate.

 

Learn more:

Beth Oloth's charity status revoked - one of Canada's largest charities is a case study showing donors early warning signals February 2019

Kupas Hachesed Meoroth revoked July 2022

Gates of Mercy - Charities Directorate finds curious connections with revoked charity Beth Oloth, April 2019

Why charity transparency matters, March 2019

 

Sources: 

[i] Stewart Bell, “Government revokes charity status of Canadian Jewish group that supported ‘foreign armed forces’, Global News, January 28, 2019

Revocation of Beth Oloth Charitable Organization, Canadian Gazette, January 12, 2019

  


If you find Charity Intelligence's research useful in your giving, please consider donating to support our work. Being entirely funded by donors like you maintains our independence and objectivity to help Canadians be informed in their giving. Canadians donate over $17 billion each year. This giving could achieve tremendous results. We hope Charity Intelligence's research helps Canadians give better.

Legal disclaimer:

The information in this report was prepared by Charity Intelligence Canada and its independent analysts from publicly-available information. Charity Intelligence and its analysts have made endeavours to ensure that the data in this report is accurate and complete but accepts no liability.

The views and opinions expressed are to inform donors in matters of public interest. Views and opinions are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, organization, individual or anyone or anything. Any dispute arising from your use of this website or viewing the material hereon shall be governed by the laws of the Province of Ontario, without regard to any conflict of law provisions. 

 


Print   Email
Image

Charity Intelligence researches Canadian charities for donors to be informed and give intelligently. Our website posts free reports on more than 800 Canadian charities, as well as in-depth primers on philanthropic sectors like Canada’s environment, cancer, and homelessness. Today over 500,000 Canadians use our website as a go-to source for information on Canadian charities reading over 1.6 million charity reports. Through rigorous and independent research, Charity Intelligence aims to assist Canada’s dynamic charitable sector in being more transparent, accountable and focused on results.

 

Be Informed. Give Intelligently. Have Impact

 

Charitable Registration Number: 80340 7956 RR0001