Accreditation Process
1. Review the Standards & Evidence for your level
The Standards Program Handbook lists all 73 standards along with a summary of the evidence you are required to submit if you wish to be considered for accreditation. Review the standards and evidence to ensure you understand the requirements of the Program. To be accredited, organizations must be able to demonstrate compliance with all standards for their level. Discuss the Standards Program with your board and review your policies and practices to determine if you are ready to join.
2. Submit the Participation Agreement & Application Fee
Organizations interested in pursuing accreditation must complete the Participation Agreement and pay the appropriate application fee. Fees are based on your organization’s average annual expenses over the last three years. Charities can find their annual expenses on line 5100 of their Registered Charity Information Return (T3010).
3. Application Preparation
Once the Participation Agreement and fee have been submitted, you will be given access to our Online Application Platform and can begin entering the required information. Additional information & training on the application process, standards and evidence will also be made available to you.
4. Application Submission & Peer Review Process
Applications must be submitted by the application deadline to be reviewed by the Peer Review Panel. The Panel will determine if the applicant is accredited or if further work is required for the organization to come into compliance with all standards. In the latter case, organizations may simply be required to answer a few questions or submit a few additional documents, or they may be requested to revise and resubmit their application in time for a second peer review.
5. Compliance & Renewal
Organizations are accredited for five-years. Once accredited, a licence agreement must be signed to access the Program Trustmark. An annual compliance report and licence fee must be submitted to maintain accreditation. Compliance is monitored through investigation of complaints and annual onsite audits/spot checks of 3-5% of accredited organizations.
Did you know that there are 161,000 nonprofilts and charities in Canada?
Did you know that Canada’s nonprofit and voluntary sector is the 2nd largest in the world?
The sector represents $79.1 billion or 7.8% of the gross domestic product
The sector is larger than automotive and manufacturing. It generates $112 billion in revenues and employs 2 million people
Canadians donated $10 billion in 2007
Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick have the highest donor rates.
Canadians volunteered 2.1 billion hours in 2007
Young Canadians aged 15 to 24 are more likely to volunteer than Canadians in any other age group
One percent of nonprofits command 60% of all revenues flowing to the sector
Canadians with the lowest household incomes give a greater percentage of their income than others
Saskatchewan has the highest volunteer rate in the country, followed by the Northwest Territories and the Yukon
Those exposed to giving and volunteering activities early in life are more likely to continue those behaviours as adults
