How We Help Ministries

The Great Commission Foundation works with ministries of many types and sizes. We want to see people working in ministry thrive, and we believe that by providing charity administration expertise and guidance, we can free people to focus on the mission work God has called them to. To do this, we vet and bring on people and organizations as our agents (which are our ministry projects) to fulfill our charitable mandates while we help with the back-end administration that all ministries must manage.

We are looking for people like you to join us in fulfilling our charitable mandates: the advancement of the Christian faith, the advancement of education, and the relief of poverty.

Benefits of Collaborating:

Donations and Receipts 

Donor Confidence

People who believe in the work of a ministry will often want to provide support, and that frequently includes financial donations. Building relationships with donors and maintaining donors’ confidence is important to retaining their support.  Our professional donations team oversees the practical side by processing donors’ financial gifts and responding to donors’ questions.

Supporters can expect:

• Intuitive search function for vetted ministry projects.

• Easy communication with our donations team via phone, email, or web chat.

• Official annual tax receipts for qualified gifts.

Donation Processing and Receipts

Providing an official tax receipt recognized by the Canada Revenue Agency requires an organization to be registered to do charitable work in Canada and remain in good standing. As a foundation registered to do charitable work, we are diligent about meeting Canada Revenue Agency requirements, maintaining meticulous records, and staying apprised of new government requirements needing to be implemented.

• Highly professional staff taking great care of donors.

• Annual official tax receipts sent within the recommended timeline.

• Donation processing and accounting through Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge™ and the power of Financial Edge™.

• Donations can be handled in a variety of forms including, but not limited to, Direct Debit, Credit Card, Cheque and PayPal.

• 24/7 access to cloud-based software for revenue, expense, and donor reports.

 Fundraising Tools

When you join us we provide access to tools that assist you with fundraising; we also provide fundraising guidance to ensure compliance with government requirements:

• Customized online donation page

• Peer-to-peer online fundraising software with customized websites

• Supporter reports and mailing lists

• Donor engagement coaching

Bookkeeping and Accounting

Tracking revenue and expenses properly can be time-consuming. Add to that the charity requirements of the Canada Revenue Agency, and ministry leaders can become mired in the necessary but often frustrating administrative work that every charity must manage. By joining us, we aid to alleviate the burden of this work, making more time for ministry.

Challenges:

• Identifying and engaging paid staff who are qualified and knowledgeable about charity bookkeeping and accounting can be difficult. Finding qualified volunteers can be even more difficult.

• Outsourcing to a contracted Bookkeeper or Accounting service can result in unsatisfactory outcomes if they are not charity experts.

• Individuals in ministry often don’t have the time or resources to properly manage charity financials.

Our Solution:

• As an agent (a ministry project) of ours, you benefit from a whole team of people who have extensive experience with charity bookkeeping and accounting.

• No gaps in service due to staffing changes, vacations, or other time away that ministry organizations can face when relying on in-house volunteers or staff.

• We oversee and process accounts payables, including invoices and expense claims, contract payments, wages & benefits, and other accounting needs via EFT, cheque, and wire transfers.

• Access to cloud-based software available 24/7 for financial reports.

• International wire transfers are done in accordance with Canada Revenue Agency requirements.

Wages and Benefits

Our accounting team is committed to helping our agents (our ministry projects) thrive. Our team can determine and oversee the best way for our Agents to receive wages and benefits support.

Payroll

Payroll is available to Canadian citizens who have a valid Social Insurance Number and are working out of an eligible location as defined by the Canada Revenue Agency. In addition, to be considered for payroll, the person must also meet additional criteria and agree to other requirements. The T4 is prepared and sent annually to employees on our payroll.

• Meet the minimum income designated to an individual.

• A six-month waiting period may be required.

• Work out of an eligible office location. Home offices are not eligible as defined by the Canada Revenue Agency. 

Contract Payments

Contract payments are a great solution if you do not meet payroll requirements.

• No deductions are taken off your wages.

• The T4A will be issued to Agents on contract payments. Contract payments need to be claimed on your annual tax return as well, you must pay any deductions and taxes owing to the Canada Revenue Agency.

• As an independent contractor, you may be eligible for tax deductions or tax benefits unavailable to payroll employees.

Benefits

If you need life insurance, extended health, and dental care, we can discuss your options. Who can qualify for benefits?

• Canadian citizens on payroll or contract payments.

• Canadian expats working internationally.

Government Compliance

When you join us as an agent (a ministry projects) you can rely on our team to comply with the Canada Revenue Agency’s charity requirements. Our legal team works with one of the top charity law experts in the country to aid in ensuring that we are complying with all of our legal obligations. As an agent, you will benefit from this investment.

• We use processes and procedures to ensure our agents and our organization remain in good standing with the Canada Revenue Agency.

• We retain the services of charitable finance and legal specialists who are leaders in the nonprofit sector.

• We maintain meticulous records to remain in compliance with Canada Revenue requirements.

• We believe that financial transparency and ministry accountability honours God, his Kingdom workers, and those called to support the work financially.

Charitable Status and Compliance

Many people in ministry discover that applying for charity status in Canada can be both time-consuming and expensive. In addition, maintaining status requires effort but is vital.

Challenges:

• It can take up to two years to complete the Charity registration process.

• 80% of applicants are not granted status with their first application.

• Canadian charities must have a substantive office located in Canada.

• The Canadian government actively investigates the activities of registered charities in Canada. Working outside of Canada Revenue Agency’s guidelines can put an organization’s charitable status at risk.

Our Solution:

• As an agent, it is not necessary to apply for charitable status in Canada.

• We fulfill the compliance obligations for all of our charitable activity, which includes the activities of our agents (our ministry projects).

• The setting up of new agents (ministry projects) can be done relatively quickly – we work at our new agent’s pace.

• We use efficient processes and procedures, and a ministry account advisor helps make the fulfillment of compliance requirements as easy as possible by providing guidance along the way.