Charity Tax Tools provides basic, introductory information about the major requirements of the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) for charities. There are many other valuable resources, both basic and more advanced, to assist you in complying with these requirements.
The list that follows highlights useful resources from:
The resources that follow are listed in alphabetic order by the offering organization, and web links or other contact information to access/obtain these resources is included where known. This list will be updated as additional resources become available.
Carters Professional Corporation
CharityLaw.ca, from Carters Professional Corporation, provides timely information on tax and related legal issues of interest to charities and not-for-profit organizations in the form of articles, seminar materials and regular newsletters, including the monthly Charity Law Update (latest issue is March 2011) and Charity Law Bulletin (latest bulletin is "Updating Charities and Not-For-Profit Organizations").
Carters has also produced a special bulletin, Significant Benefit for Charities in 2010 Federal Budget DQ Reform.
People looking to start a new charity now have a comprehensive resource to use online. CentrePoint Non-Profit Management has launched Starting a Canadian Charity with funding from the Canada Revenue Agency to help non-profits navigate the sometimes confusing waters to getting charitable status. CentrePoint has developed online training material to inform visitors of the process of becoming a charity including incorporation, filling out CRA’s forms and other key considerations. Visitors will also discover other resources for their non-profit organization to help with governance, fund development and other considerations.
Charity Central is a Canada-wide charity law education initiative of the Centre for Public Legal Education Alberta made possible with a financial contribution from the Canada Revenue Agency. The initiative supports Canadian charities in understanding and complying with the requirements of the Income Tax Act in the areas of receipting, fundraising, record keeping, and accountability and transparency practices.
Other popular resources include:
The Charity Tax Tools material from this website is available in printed and PDF formats, and on a CD-ROM for use without the Internet. You can order resources here.
As well, this material is currently being addressed in webinar format. These sessions are being recorded and recordings are available on-demand. Check out our on-demand webinars.
Institute for Nonprofit Studies, Mount Royal University
The Charity Filing Guide is designed to help small and rural Canadian charities complete the Registered Charity Information Return. The information in this website helps you understand CRA's requirements, develop processes to make completing the forms easier, and gives you a chance to practice using working copies of the forms that provide plain language explanations.
Summer 2012: Ten items for audit committees of not-for-profit organizations to keep in mind.
On January 20, 2011 KPMG offered a free webcast on new accounting standards for non-profit organizations called "Accounting Standards for Not-for-Profit Organizations Are Released: Are You Ready?" Click here to download a copy of the presentation slides.
Announcement: New Financial Reporting Frameworks for Canada's Not-for-Profit Organizations
KPMG offers valuable information on related business activities for charities. Click here to find out more!
Canada’s Accounting Standards Board (AcSB) and Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (PSAB) are working to establish accounting standards for Not-For-Profit organizations. On Tuesday, June 22, 2010, KPMG professionals from their Not-for-Profit group discussed the proposed standards. If you missed the live webcast, you can access the archived recording or a copy of the presentation here.
KPMG has produced a special budget commentary, 2010 Federal Budget Highlights for Charities. The budget provisions are discussed in more detail in Charities’ Spending Rules Eased Starting in 2010.
KPMG has also produced a Financial Reporting Update for Canada’s Not-For-Profit Organizations.
Public Legal Education and Information Service of New Brunswick
Learn about the role, rights and responsibilities of Canadian board members and volunteers with these free resources from Public Legal Education and Information Service of New Brunswick.
The Welcome Aboard series includes:
