Government of British Columbia Ombudsman:
http://www.ombud.gov.bc.ca/
Charity
Accountability Programs:
Alberta Government
Services: Charities, Coops,
Non-profit Companies, Fund-raising Businesses & Societies.
http://www3.gov.ab.ca/gs/services/cnfb/
How to File
a Consumer Complaint http://www3.gov.ab.ca/gs/services/consumer/
Acts and Regulations
Charitable Fund-raising Act c.C-9
Sets standards for charitable organizations and
professional fund-raisers when soliciting
contributions and helps protect the public from
fraudulent, misleading or confusing solicitations.
http://www.qp.gov.ab.ca/documents/acts/C09.CFM
Charitable Fund-raising
Regulation - AR 108/2000
http://www.qp.gov.ab.ca/documents/regs/2000_108.cfm
Consumer Tips
Information for Charities Donors -
The Charitable Fund-raising Act http://www3.gov.ab.ca/gs/pdf/charities.pdf
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) of Southern Alberta
is the leader among Canadian bureaus in operating
a Charity Review Program in which charities are
measured against 14 voluntary standards in a province
where there are more than 1,000 registered charities.
And the BBB's Dispute Settlement Centre has a well-trained
staff and corps of mediators and arbitrators who
provide consumers and businesses an alternative
to the courts. http://www.southernalbertabbb.ab.ca/
The Charity
Review Program for BBB Southern Alberta
http://www.betterbusiness.ca/consumer_services/charity_review.asp
Canada Customs
and Revenue Agency - Charities Division
Registered Charities and the Income Tax Act
(613) 954-0410 or toll free 1-877 202 5111
BCSPCA Head Office Charitable tax number: 11881 9036 RR0001
Vancouver Regional Branch Charitable tax number: 11881 9036 RR0019
http://www.ccra-adrc.gc.ca/E/pub/tg/rc4108em/rc4108-e.htm
Charity Watch
http://www.cbc.ca/disclosure/archives/0111_charity/charity.html
The Charity
Commission: The organization responsible
for overseeing charities in England and Wales.
http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk
Complaints about
the Charity Commission itself
(England and Wales) can be made either to the Independent
Complaints Reviewer http://www.icrev.demon.co.uk/icrbook.htm
or the
Parliamentary Ombudsman www.ombudsman.org.uk. The
intention is that the Independent Complaints Reviewer,
who also deals with complaints about the Land Registry,
the Public Records Office and the Housing Corporation,
will deal with most complaints. But a complainant can
go directly to the Parliamentary Ombudsman and is not
required to put his/her complaint to the Independent
Complaints Reviewer first.
With regard to
the regulation of charities in the Republic
of Ireland, you may be interested checking out
http://www.tvindalert.org.uk/charity
Among other things, it says, "Despite Government pledges,
there is still no sign of legislation to regulate charities in
Ireland."
Articles:
Building on
Strength: Improving Governance
and Accountability in Canada's Voluntary Sector:
The final report of the Panel on Accountability and
Governance in the Voluntary Sector, chaired by
Ed Broadbent. Includes 41 recommendations on
improving accountability and strengthening the
capacity of the voluntary sector, as well as a good
practice guide effective stewardship
(Final Report February 1999).
http://www.ccp.ca/information/documents/cp141.htm
Accountability:
The maturing of the charitable
sector by Sherry Ferronato (March 3, 1999) Practicing
accountability takes time, resources, and a lot of thought.
Here's how some in the sector view the issue.
http://www.charityvillage.com/charityvillage/research/rstew7.html
http://www.ccp.ca/information/sector%5Fissues/standards%5Fof%5Fpractice/fc300.htm
Fair First:
An OmbudsAudit of the WCB Ombudsman
Gives a comparison of the two most common ombudsman
models: 1. Classical usually used within government,
and 2. Executive usually used in private companies.
http://www.ombud.gov.bc.ca/publications/reports/Public_Reports/PR37_Fair_First/TOC.html
http://www.ombud.gov.bc.ca/publications/reports/Public_Reports/PR37_Fair_First/
The Muttart
Foundation: 'Talking about Charities:
Canadians' Opinions of Charities and Issues Affecting
Charities
Public Opinion Survey Results Released October 3, 2000
This study was prepared by the Canadian Centre for
Philanthropy, and surveyed the opinions of almost
3,900 Canadians. The full report (85 pages) is available
for download, or you may choose to download only the
Executive Summary (12 pages).
http://www.muttart.org/
"What's
It Worth?" by KPMG December 1998
Alberta and Saskatchewan (148 pages).
Salary Survey - The Foundation released a study of
compensation paid to some senior people within the
charitable sector in Alberta and Saskatchewan. The
study examined salaries and benefits paid to executive
directors/chief staff officers, managers one level below
the senior staff person, and volunteer coordinators.
http://www.muttart.org/public.htm
Related Links:
The Canadian
Centre for Philanthropy
http://www.ccp.ca/
The Better Business
Bureau of Mainland BC: It is
one of nearly 180 Better Business Bureaus across the
U.S. and Canada. We are a private, nonprofit, self-regulatory
organization, dedicated to promoting fairness and
honesty in the marketplace.
http://www.bbbvan.org/aboutbbb/index.html
The BBB Wise
Giving Alliance http://www.give.org/
is affiliated
with the Canadian Council of Better Business Bureaus
(CCBBB) and the Better Business Bureau system)
http://www.canadiancouncilbbb.ca/cancouncil.html
The links below have information about how a well
functioning society runs and about the roles of board
members and directors. Interested parties can compare
these models with the BCSPCA management structure.
http://www.managementhelp.org/misc/founders.htm
