FAQ - - frequently asked questions.
If you have any questions about the Amherstburg Community Foundation, please CONTACT US. We ARE happy to address any questions.
Q: What is the Amherstburg Community foundation?
A: The foundation was first formed in 2009. It is formally recognized as a foundation with its Letters Patent, Bylaws, charitable number, and follows a professional and transparent governance that involves keeping minutes and having regular board meetings.
Q: Why is it independent of the town?
A: There are approximately 191 community foundations across Canada. The best and most effective model is to be independent of local government. If they are run by the local government it sometimes raises issues between donations and tax dollars. We want to work closely with the Amherstburg Town Council and Administration but independence makes us transparent and complementary to Town operations.
Q: What does the foundation hope to achieve?
A: Simple - help to make an Amherstburg that is healthy, inspiring and inclusive - an Amherstburg that is great to visit and even better to live in.
Q: If the town starts a lobbyist registration should the Foundation be registered as a lobbyist group?
A: First of all we support transparency and professionalism. Should town council define our championing for an even better, more progressive Amherstburg and donating money to local initiatives as lobbying then we will register. We have absolutely nothing to hide.
Q: There have been questions about the board members donating money. Is it true each director had to donate $20,000?
A: Our directors come from all walks of life - we have business owners, a retiree, a part time worker and even a university student - none of them were required to give $20,000 or any set amount. When directors were first interviewed for the board it was discussed that all directors should commit to donating some monies over three years. Our belief was that to sit in front of person or organization and ask for a donation, we had to have credibility. We couldn’t ask for money without giving ourselves. The 9 directors committed to a collective total of $150,000 over 3 years with sixty thousand donated in 2019. Some director’s gave less - some more. An average number has very little meaning - what’s more important is that all our directors believe in our vision and are willing to put their own dollars on the line to help make it happen.
Q: Do Directors get paid?
A: Absolutely not. First of all it is illegal for Foundation directors to get paid in Ontario. Secondly that is not why our directors agree to serve. Between personal donations, claiming no personal expenses; and the significant volunteer time they are committing to the foundation, their directorships are more likely to be costing them some money. They are giving their time and money to make Amherstburg even better.
Q: How much of my donation money goes to the actual initiatives?
A: The Amherstburg Community Foundation strives to keep it's expenses as low as possible. Operating expenses include such things as legal, audit, insurance, advertising, printing, and office expenses, which are necessary to operate as a responsible charitable organization in accordance with Revenue Canada rules. In addition, there are credit card and intermediary (e.g., CanadaHelps, Eventbrite, and PayPal) transaction fees. We are always working toward keeping expenses extremely low so the Amherstburg community can garner the most benefit from donations.
Q: Are my donations tax deductible?
A: The Amherstburg Community Foundation is permitted by Revenue Canada to issue tax receipts for eligible donations in
support of the ACF initiatives. Receipts may not be issued for donations less than $20 because postage/mailing costs at that donation level are more than 5% of the donation.