Kids Help Phone receives ‘A’ in Financial Post’s report

December 18, 2017 – Kids Help Phone recognizes that donors deserve clear information to make informed choices about the organizations they want to support. As part of our commitment to transparency and accountability, we answer your questions below.

To learn more about the annual report card, read Financial Post’s “Charities of the year: Our annual picks of Canada’s most efficient and accountable charities”.

How much of my donation goes to fundraising?

We spend 25 cents of each dollar on fundraising. Nearly $10.8 million is directed to fund our essential service, ensuring we are always open for young people in Canada, providing a safe and trusted place in any moment of crisis or need.

It is important to understand that the cost to raise a dollar is only one aspect to consider when evaluating a charity. We encourage donors to also reflect on how effectively an organization uses your donation to achieve its mandate, how much it contributes overall to the mental health and well-being of young people, and how great its impact is on the lives of young people across Canada. Our Impact Report is just one example of the many ways in which we report on how we are always open for young people, providing a safe and trusted place in any moment of crisis or need.

Explain your fundraising costs.

Effective fundraising is about much more than simply raising money. Our fundraising activities also raise awareness of our service among youth and build engagement in support of young people. By investing in fundraising, we can reach a larger audience with our important messages and encourage all individuals in Canada to join us and help ensure we are always open for young people in any moment of crisis or need, which means we can raise even more money for our cause.

Many of our donors are passionate about young people and want to be more involved with our cause rather than simply writing a cheque. Engaging our donors in a meaningful and memorable experience, such as Walk so Kids Can Talk presented by BMO, means we may at times incur minimally higher fundraising costs, but the return on investment is phenomenal in terms of the increased support for our cause.

There would be no Kids Help Phone service — professional counselling, crisis support, expert information, referrals, research and resources, nor advocacy — if there weren’t fundraising to support those activities. Some fundraising activities, such as events, are more expensive than others. But if we don’t invest in fundraising and donor stewardship, we will raise less and be forced to reduce the work that our donors consider essential. We regularly review and evaluate our fundraising activities to ensure that we raise the most funds in the most cost-effective way, enabling us to make the most impact while using donor contributions in a prudent and responsible way.

How much goes to administration?

To ensure good governance, we engage in activities such as supporting our Board of Directors, annual general meetings and strategic planning. In addition, we are required to file financial records with the Canada Revenue Agency and produce annual audited financial reports. As a national organization, we also support our presence in provinces across Canada. To cover these costs, we spend 4% of our total revenue on administration.

What if I have more questions?

We welcome your questions. You can reach us by calling Donor Relations at 1-800-268-3062 ext. 8331 or contact us by using our general contact form.