Curtis Towns
Head of Accreditation, Member Support Team
What's inside
Our team is excited to share with you our April 2022 Bulletin. We hope it is of great help to you as you carry out such meaningful and important work. In this edition, you’ll find a collection of new member resources, including content designed to assist you with your Fundraising and Marketing Communications. Remember to login to your account to access all the content!
I'd like to make a special mention of a congratulatory blog post featuring our 2022 Accredited Members! These organizations have taken the voluntary step to be reviewed for compliance with the CCCC Standards of Accountability. If you know someone from an Accredited Member organization, take a moment to send them an encouraging note of congratulations. If your ministry may be interested in Accreditation, I invite you to register for the upcoming Accreditation Information Session on May 5th.
Rounding out the remainder of this month's Bulletin are important sector updates, upcoming events, and trending threads in The Green.
New Cryptocurrency Resources
Cryptocurrency (crypto) and blockchain technology have created a potential paradigm shift in the financial industry as traditional economic infrastructure attempts to “figure out” a digital currency within its existing context. Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is increasing scrutiny around the acceptance of crypto donations, and a growing number of charity leaders are asking questions around what ownership of crypto means for their organizations. This new category of topics introduces you to crypto and provides resources to help you make a plan for your charity.
Read moreHow to Leverage Video Content Across Multiple Channels
There are a number of good reasons to consider using more videos in your ministry. This resource offers an overview of different types of videos with examples, and recent video marketing trends. While many churches share video content during their livestream worship services, there are lots of ways to increase your impact through this medium and leverage what you are already producing for content all week.
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Good Governance: The Key to Organizational Performance
Governance is the highest level of leadership in an organization. A charity’s governance board is responsible for governing the organization and is accountable to civil authorities. However, the boards of Christian ministries are ultimately accountable to Jesus Christ for stewarding his ministry well. Its mission, people, and resources all need to be well cared for. Good governance is the bedrock of a successful organization. If an organization fails, a failure of governance is usually at least one of the contributing factors, if not the primary factor.
Read moreWhat's New In the Knowledge Base?
The CCCC Knowledge Base is always changing and growing. This page is where we highlight major changes to the site and resources. It is also a record of what we are learning about technology, remote work, and collaborative information sharing. Open the drop down menus for each month to see a list of new and revised resources.
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Give Confidently and Generously
Donors trust CCCC's accreditation process. When donors see the CCCC Accredited Member Logo on a charity's website, they can give confidently and with peace of mind because they know that the charity has been thoroughly vetted. Visit giveconfidently.ca to learn more about CCCC Accredited charities.
Federal Challenges to Charitable Status
CCCC has written to the federal government about its mandate letters that instruct ministers to amend the Income Tax Act "to make anti-abortion organizations that provide dishonest counselling to pregnant women about their rights and options ineligible for charitable status." As a Christian organization we do not stand for dishonest conduct. Thankfully, existing parts of the Income Tax Act already address concerns about dishonesty. As such, we are deeply concerned that this proposal targets charities that hold views or beliefs that are different from those of the government and how it will have a destabilizing impact on the entire charitable sector. You can read our letters, learn more about the issues, and find helpful resources on our Federal Challenges to Charitable Status page.
Read moreFederal Court of Appeal denies an application to postpone a charity's suspension of receipting privileges
Following an audit, CRA imposed a penalty and suspended the charity Human Concern's receipting privileges for one year. CRA took the position that the charity was involved in making false charitable tax receipts. Human Concern filed a notice of objection to this conclusion and released a statement affirming that it did not engage in inappropriate receipting. As the oldest Muslim international relief charity in Canada, it also expressed concerns about Muslim charities being disproportionately targeted for audits.
While its objection was being processed, Human Concern asked the court to postpone the suspension of receipting privileges until that objection was fully addressed. The lower court dismissed the application and the Federal Court of Appeal agreed. For the full case summary, click "Read more."
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Quick Picks
CCCC staff are constantly reading news, reports and other resources to stay on top of developments in the charitable sector. We think you'll find these picks helpful!
- Did you know that the government makes up 64% of all charities' revenue? That Canadian charities spend $3.8B on activities outside of Canada? Or that of $3B in CEWS funding to charities, only 4 post-payment audits occurred up to March 31, 2021? For more stats and info, check out CRA's Report on the Charities Program 2020 to 2021.
- What changes are being proposed for reporting obligations? A February Senate motion called for the T3010 and T1044 to include questions about board diversity.
- Are you an Alberta charity? The Alberta government has helpful guidance for you on managing volunteers and volunteer liability through its Freedom to Care site.
- Ontario Bill 89, a Private Members' Bill, proposes to amend the Human Rights Code to protect religious expression.
Events
Accreditation Information Session: CCCC Webinar
We are inviting you to learn more about CCCC Accreditation at our upcoming Accreditation information session on May 5 at 2:00pm ET on Zoom.
Other notable upcoming events
April 14, 2022, 10:00 am ET - Pension Plan Member Education Session.
April 14, 2022, 1:00 pm ET - Pension Plan Member Education Session.
Reasonable Mileage Rates For Reimbursement
What is considered a reasonable mileage reimbursement rate for employees given the recent volatile gas prices?
Read moreMarketing & Communication Tutorials
CCCC and Word Made Digital have created a bunch of helpful video tutorials of a variety of topics - what would you like to see in a future video tutorial?
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Aid & Support for Ukrainian Refugees
Learn which charities are already at work in Ukraine and consider whether it makes sense for your charity to partner up with one of them. Let us know if you know of others as well!
Read moreServices
A Pro When You Need One
The professionals listed in our Professional Associates Directory provide services to charities and practice in four general areas: law, accounting, insurance, and consulting.
Contact details
Canadian Centre for Christian Charities
1 - 43 Howard Ave
Elmira, ON N3B 2C9
(519) 669-5137
View driving directions