Gerald A wrote:
What is the actual yardstick that the charitable status request is measured against? I'm not sure if other functioning charities have to disclose their applications, but it might help if they do to review that.
There is a detailed discussion at http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/chrts/plcy/cps/cps-024-eng.html . Other links on the Rev Can website are also helpful. See http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/chrts/menu-eng.html for main page about charities.
I haven't yet found anything online about these documents, but IIRC they are a matter of public record, and available for the cost of making copies. Financial records are available on line through the above link.
Also, I'm guessing that RevCan has some set of rules that they apply to orgs that already have status to determine if they are allowed to keep it.
They are required to make an annual filing somewhat akin to an income tax return. These filings show details of expenditure, and are used to determine whether the organisation has met its disbursement quota. How we spend the money will be key.
I know that some of this is a bit fuzzy, but the less fuzzy we make it the easier it will be to make some decisions going forward. We should be able to look at existing orgs with charitable designation to get ideas of what has worked until now.
I do think that WM Canada will probably break new ground as an org, but the truth is that we should probably avoid it during the startup phase with the government, as it'll make the job harder all around.
Absolutely! The more loose ends the greater the likelihood of being rejected. If I may draw an analogy with current US politics, those who want to reform the health care system need to learn when they have extracted as much as they can, and secure those gains. That still leaves a lot of necessities unresolved, but that's still better than the risk of going nowhere.
Ray