The Assaulted Women’s Helpline understands that donors are so critical in helping us achieve our mandate. We believe that when donors interact with us they have the following rights:
- To be informed of the organization’s mission, of the way the organization intends to use donated resources, and of its capacity to use donations effectively for their intended purposes.
- To be informed of the identity of those serving on the organizations governing board, and to expect the board to exercise prudent judgement in its stewardship responsibilities.
- To have access to the organization’s most recent financial statements.
- To be assured their gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given.
- To receive appropriate acknowledgement and recognition.
- To be assured that information about their donation is handled with respect and with confidentiality to the extent provided by law.
- To expect that all relationships with individuals representing our organization will be professional in nature.
- To be informed whether those seeking donations are volunteers, employees or hired solicitors.
- To have the opportunity for their names to be deleted from mailing lists that an organization may intend to share.
- To feel free to ask questions when making a donation and to receive prompt, truthful and for the right answers.
The Assaulted Women’s Helpline respects the privacy and protection of our donors. We recognize the importance of privacy and are committed to maintaining the accuracy, confidentiality and security of your personal information. We do not sell or trade any personal information.
**The Donor Bill of Rights was developed by:
- The Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP)
- Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP)
- Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE)
- Giving Institute: Leading Consultants to Non-Profits
Information for Donors
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has launched a section on its website called Giving to Charity: Information for donors, which offers information on:
- Finding and researching registered charities
- The regulation of charities
- Donation tax receipts and tax savings; and
- Protecting yourself against fraudulent fundraising.
You can verify that a particular charity is authorized to issue official receipts for income tax purposes, and you can read about the activities and finances of individual registered charities.
For more information, please visit cra.gc.ca/charities
