Hamilton Community Foundation - Donors

Donors

Giving Wisely

Hamilton Community Foundation adheres to the highest standards to protect donors' interests in privacy and accountability.

Ethical Fundraising

Hamilton Community Foundation is committed to being responsible custodians of donated funds, to exercise due care concerning the governance of fundraising and financial reporting, and to ensure its adherence to ethical fundraising and financial accountability principles. HCF endorses Imagine Canada’s Ethical Fundraising and Financial Accountability code, which is consistent with the practices and standards of the Foundation and its staff. Among other areas, the code provides guidance on fundraising practices financial practice and transparency, donor policies and public representations. View or download a copy of the code from Imagine Canada’s website.

Tax Benefit

Registered as a Public Foundation with the Canada Revenue Agency, Hamilton Community Foundation is authorized to issue charitable receipts for income tax purposes for gifts of cash, securities, life insurance, real estate or other forms of property transferred during the donor's lifetime or later by bequest in a will. Our charitable number is: 13052 7427 RR0001

The information returns and charitable numbers for all valid charities in Canada are available on the Canada Revenue Agency website. We invite you to view Hamilton Community Foundation's information on the CRA website.

Questions to Ask

Your charity dollars are an investment. It is as important to be as cautious in donating as you are with any other financial decision. Here are some guidelines to help you give confidently - and receive satisfaction from your giving.

Know your own philanthropic goals. This should really be your first giving decision, because it provides focus for the rest. Take the time to identify the causes that are most important to you. Do you have a particular area of interest - e.g. arts, environment, poverty - or do you want to support a variety of causes? Think about events or people who have affected your life or your family, your own legacy and the impact you want to have on your community. Making up your mind about what you would like your gift to accomplish is a decision not to be taken lightly.
Think about how you want to give. Do you want to choose a different group each year? Or do you want to establish a long-term commitment that could bring about a substantial change? It may make sense to diversify your financial portfolio, but spreading around your giving can limit the opportunity for any of the individual charities to make major change. Also, with the advice of your professional advisor, you can structure your gift to achieve both your financial and your philanthropic goals.
Investigate the charities. Look at how well a charity communicates who they are, what they do and what they want to achieve. If they're clear about objectives, they'll likely be better able to measure and deliver results. Take a look at their programs, so that you can feel comfortable supporting not only the mission of the organization, but also how they'll get there.
Look for transparency and openness. A charity should be able to assure you that your gifts are being used as you intended. It should have a specific policy on donor rights, including privacy. And it should provide financial results on request. Canada Revenue Agency provides some tips at www.cra-arc.gc.ca/charities.

Investing time and attention to these guidelines will maximize the impact of your giving.for you, for the charities you support and for your community.