GCWCC fundraising costs – National Capital Region (NCR)


United Way/Centraide manages the GCWCC on behalf of Treasury Board and the Government of Canada.  United Way/Centraide was selected for this role, through Treasury Board’s competitive process, because of our ability to pool resources to reduce the cost of fundraising by other charities and the ability to achieve economies of scale on their behalf.

Actual campaign fundraising costs in the National Capital Region in 2010 were 15% of the total campaign revenue. The direct cost of fundraising for all registered charities is recovered in the form of a 15% fundraising fee. This fee covers actual costs, which includes gift solicitation, advertising and promotion, donor recognition and stewardship, processing, charitable tax receipting, accounting, reporting and auditing. The fee is strongly competitive when compared to Imagine Canada’s national average for charities of 26%.  

United Way’s policy is to honor all donor pledges to recipients organizations. Circumstances sometimes impact a donors’ ability to fulfill their pledge to United Way.  On average the pledge loss in a year is  about 5%. (Pledges Include: Payroll Deductions, Monthly Credit Card, and posted dated cheques). As an insurance and stability to agencies we hold back 5% of all pledges to ensure we commit to the original donor wishes.

As managers of the campaign, United Way/Centraide is able to keep fundraising costs very low, thanks to the support of many sponsors and contributors who provide gifts and services in-kind and who lend us their staff through our Loaned Representative program during the campaign period.

For more information about fundraising and administrative costs in your region, please contact your local United Way/Centraide.