United Way of the Alberta Capital Region encourages all individuals to contact their charities of interest and learn the costs associated with each in order to make an informed decision. Here are some resources:

Imagine Canada is the national umbrella for charities and provides standards for charitable organizations to manage and report their financial affairs and fundraising responsibly through the Ethical Code Program. Suggestions on evaluating a charity are at the Imagine Canada website.

Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) requires all registered Canadian charities report salary ranges that are subsequently published on the CRA website for public review. CRA also requires accountability, transparency and stewardship of the dollars raised by Canadian not-for-profits in order to maintain charitable status.

Visit the "Charities and Giving" section on the CRA website for more information and:

1. Click on "Search the Charities Listings"
2. Type in the charity name field and click "Search"
3. Click on the name of your choice