Last week, I almost published a blog about a particular charity…but then I deleted it once I realized I was having way too many ‘weird’ feelings about the particulars involved with what the organization was seeking to do. (Beware of hidden agendas, among other things, when it comes to charities. You must do your research and go with your gut, too!) But today, I am happy to share with you Chimp.net! This gives you total freedom to choose your own Canadian registered charity with confidence. This service is just a year old and already more than $32 million has been donated through it to over 3590 Canadian charities! People are singing its praises and here’s why:

• Chimp proudly maintains the lowest fees in Canada on charitable donations and ensures the largest part of any donation actually makes it to the charity. To give you an idea, its fee is 1%, whereas competitors usually charge 4-7% in processing fees.
• Chimp has joined forces with global social giant Hootsuite to cover all administration costs, which guarantees that every cent donated goes to the charity.
• Chimp has an efficient, simple and easy to navigate interface. Through it, you can see your current account balance, choose any charity you wish, have access to functional statistics about the charity, and know where 100% of your money is going. You can see everything like revenues, expenditures, and a breakdown of the programs.
• A donation of $5 or more will get you a tax receipt.
• Individuals and companies can easily set up matching campaigns and other incentives for their fundraising efforts, making their impact go further. Anyone can set up their own donor advisor fund.

Photo Credit: kibsri/freedigitalphotos.net

And International Day of Giving is coming up on Tuesday December 2 which is also called Giving Tuesday. Last year, thousands of Canadians participated in Giving Tuesday and it is expected to grow exponentially this year. Chimp allows donors different options to give – whether it’s individually, as a workplace, or a group of friends. Or you can start a Giving Group and invite friends and family to join in the giving. A nice way to start the giving season with confidence, ease and happy spirits! And something I am glad to share. Let me know if you try this out – either as a donor or a charity – I’d love to hear your feedback!