GIFT-IN-KIND PROGRAM Frequently Asked Questions
- Gifts in-Kind Program was established by United Way in Ottawa in 2001 to respond to calls from individuals and corporations wishing to donate goods and transferred to Rideau-Rockcliffe Community Resource Centre in 2011.
- The program is funded by United Way East Ontario and RRCRC.
- This city-wide initiative enables individual, corporate, governmental, and non-profit donors to provide items to approximately 190 nonprofit recipient agencies.
- Since 2011, we have grown by 25% and are continuing to expand the program. In the last 7 years more than $6 million worth of donations distributed to our registered agencies.
Not profit organizations are the customers of the GIK Program. Individuals cannot register for the GIK program however they can be the beneficiary if they are affiliated with one of GIK recipient organizations. They need to get a user name to login and shop from the relevant registered recipient organization.
- Visit giftsinkindottawa.ca or call 613 745 0073 ext 133 to get in touch with the program manager.
- Once an agency match has been confirmed, the recipient agency will contact you to discuss the logistics for the pickup or delivery of your donation.
We accept items that can be used to support the work of our agencies and their service recipients e.g., office equipment, office furniture, event/concert tickets, hygiene products, new clothes, etc. We also accept services such as training, translation, content writing and editing, software design, promotion, graphic design, photography/videography, and social media management.
- CRT television, DVD players, VCR players
- Used Clothes
- Used mattresses
- Hazardous, flammable or toxic materials
- Children’s car seats or drop-side cribs
- Items that have been recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Government of Canada
Your donation will be used to support the delivery of their programs and services to families and individuals in need.
Your donation will NOT be sold, traded, bartered or used for any fundraising purposes.
The delivery/pick up of donated items must be coordinated between the donor and the recipient agency. GIK Program staff will help with this coordination. Depending on the size of the donated items and the storage availability GIK can store the donation in its warehouse.
We need your financial support to ensure the sustainability of the program. We have different types of expenses such as the digital platform, rents for the storages, buying supplies, pick-up, delivery expenses, gas etc. Unfortunately, current financial resources are not enough to cover them all.
Visit giftsinkindottawa.ca and use the pre-registration form. We will call you back to complete the process.
At the moment recipient organizations are not charged an administration fee for this service. However a social enterprise model can be exercised in the mid-term to ensure the sustainability of the program through a more stable financial model.
Yes, if the donated item(s) can be utilized by a charitable organization and the item(s) is in good working condition. The Charity receiving the donation will be responsible to issue the tax receipt. GIK will coordinate the process. Please note that some of our recipient organizations do not have charity status.
According to CRA guidelines, in order to issue a tax receipt Charity requires official documentation (e.g., sales receipt, invoice) or an independent appraisal of the fair market value of the donated item. Tax receipts can only be issued when this documentation is on file with the relevant Charity. If the documentation is not provided, the fair market value will be established by GIK Program.
Note: In all cases, the Gift-in-Kind Donation Form must be completed in order to receive a tax receipt.**
Donations from individuals:
Once the original sales receipt has been provided, Gifts in-Kind Program will depreciate the value based on the age and condition of the item. If the donor does not provide the original receipt or appraisal document, we use a variety of public sources e.g., Kijiji, Craigslist, etc. to establish a value for the item.
Donations from corporations:
If the donated item is an asset (e.g., used computers), the individual guidelines (above) apply.
If the donation is from inventory e.g., clothes from a retailer, an invoice is required to establish the fair market value.
The Gifts In-Kind tax receipt will be emailed to you after the recipient organization has received the donation.