Donation records are an essential tool for Canadian fundraisers. They provide insight into giving behaviour, help assess philanthropic capacity, and support the cultivation of meaningful donor relationships. But the availability of donation data depends on whether the gift is made by an individual, a corporation, or a foundation.
Individual Donation Records
Canada does not have a publicly accessible database of individual (or corporate) charitable donations. Privacy laws protect the confidentiality of personal charitable contributions.
However, third-party prospect research platforms, such as CharityCAN, have aggregated millions of disclosed individual gifts using web crawlers that capture data from media announcements, gala listings, and annual reports. While not a substitute for government filings, this information helps fundraisers spot patterns and affinities.
Corporate Donation Records
Like individual giving, corporate giving is not subject any legal disclosure requirements. However, companies often share their community investments through CSR reports, press releases, and annual reports. Companies give for a variety of reasons and, usually, one of them is to be recognized for their giving.
Like with individual giving, third-party databases have captured hundreds of thousands of disclosed corporate gifts, offering fundraisers valuable insight into corporate giving behaviour.
Foundation Donation Records
Foundations are the most transparent category of donors in Canada. All registered foundations must file the T3010 Registered Charity Information Return with the CRA. This includes:
- Financial data such as assets and liabilities
- Gifts of $5,000+ to other charities
- Directors, trustees, and officers
This legally required reporting makes foundation giving records a cornerstone of prospect research in Canada.
Key Takeaways
- Individual donations are private unless self-disclosed.
- Corporate gifts are selectively disclosed, usually in CSR reporting.
- Foundation gifts are fully public via the CRA.
- Third-party databases aggregate disclosed gifts from individuals and corporations