FAQs

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Canadian government has provided individual Canadians until June 1st 2020, to file their 2019 tax return.

For details on how this impacts you, please visit the Canada.ca website.

Health and safety are top priorities for both our canvassers and the public.  SickKids Foundation has been closely monitoring the developments related to COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease) and will adjust our fundraising activities as needed.  The risk to the public is still considered low and our fundraisers continue to follow Public Health Ontario recommendations:

• Wash hands often and well
• Exercise good hand hygiene (limit hand shaking, use sanitizing wipes or lotions to clean self and shared equipment, avoid touching eyes, nose or mouth)
• Use Lysol wipes to disinfect pitch cards and tablets
• Stay home if unwell

Please call our monthly Donor Specialist at 416-813-1216 to assist you.

No, we will not auto-cancel your donations. If you need to cancel your monthly donation we ask that you contact our Monthly Donor Specialist directly after a year at 416-813-1216.

Our residential program is focused on acquiring long-term donors. You can fund the fight with a one-time donation by visiting our website, or by mailing in your donation. Cheques payable to SickKids Foundation can be mailed to: 525 University Avenue, Ste 835 Floor, Toronto, ON, M5G 2L3. We value every donation we receive no matter the size.

Once a donor has successfully signed up for a monthly donation, you should receive:

1. A bookmark with the fundraiser name and ID on it

2. A Welcome package that includes a donor bead bracelet

3. A patient postcard for donors who sign up for $30 a month

4. A confirmation email welcoming you to the SickKids monthly giving program confirming your donation commitment

Canvassers work from 3 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday to Friday and occasionally Saturday. This is the time when most people are home.

SickKids provides each fundraiser with the following:  

• ID badge with photo, full name and fundraiser ID #. (Trainees are given a “Professional Fundraiser Trainee” badge with no photo, full name or fundraiser ID #).
• SickKids branded lanyard 
• SickKids branded iPad bag containing a tablet
• SickKids Patient Postcards (for monthly donations of $30 or more)
• SickKids Laminate with information about our fundraising
• SickKids Welcome Packages
• SickKids Bookmarks
• Weather permitting, SickKids branded winter jacket (optional), SickKids summer golf shirt (optional), toques and branded winter gloves.

 If further verification is required, you may contact SickKids Foundation at 1-800-661-1083 or donor.services@sickkidsfoundation.com.

A will is the easiest, most effective way to ensure the people and causes you care about are provided for and your assets are distributed according to your wishes. A properly planned will can also reduce, even eliminate, the taxes on your estate.

Please contact Kelly Trickett, Director, Gift & Estate Planning at:

Phone: 1.800.661.1083 ext. 5225 or 416-813-5225

Email: Kelly.Trickett@sickkidsfoundation.com

Mail:

SickKids Foundation

Attn: Kelly Trickett, Gift & Estate Planning Team

525 University Ave, Suite 835

Toronto, ON M5G 2L3

Once you let us know that you’re leaving a gift in your will to SickKids, we’ll invite you to join the J.P. Bickell Society. You’ll be recognized on the SickKids Donor Hall of Honour in the Hospital’s main corridor, either with your name or in honour of a loved one. You can also choose to remain anonymous, while retaining the many benefits of the Society, including a subscription to our newsletter SickKids Legacies and invitations to exclusive SickKids events like the J.P. Bickell annual luncheon.  If you are interested in becoming a J. P. Bickell Society member, please contact us at 416.813.8271 or gift.planning@sickkidsfoundation.com.

Yes. Not only would we like to thank you, but we want to ensure that your gift is properly recognized, and your intentions are understood and honoured. We can also provide the right wording, particularly if you’re designating your gift to a specific area. We understand that creating a gift in your will is one of the most personally significant gift you can make and we will respect your wishes with regards to how much recognition or anonymity you would like.

Letting us know of your future gift is not legally binding in any way, but it does help the Hospital plan for the future when we know we have community support into the future to continue investing in child healthcare.

We encourage you to first consider an unrestricted donation, which gives us the flexibility to deploy funds in the areas of greatest need—and greatest promise. (We can’t predict where we will need funds down the road, nor can we know what research, projects, or funding will be underway when a gift is realized.) However, if you do decide to designate your gift to a specific area, let us know so we can help with the wording and ensure that your gift goes where you want it to.

No. Gifts come in all shapes and sizes, and we’re grateful for every dollar. Even 1% of your estate can make a huge difference in improving the lives of sick children and their families.

The name you should include in your will is “The Hospital for Sick Children Foundation”. The Foundation is responsible for raising money and performing estate administration on behalf of the Hospital.

Specific wording depends on the type of gift and its designation, but here are some examples:

Residual Bequest

“My estate trustees shall pay ______(all or %) of the residue of my estate to The Hospital for Sick Children Foundation, Toronto, ON, for the purpose of supporting its highest priority needs.”

Legacy Bequest

“My estate trustees shall pay the sum of $ ______ (or transfer assets with an equal value) to The Hospital for Sick Children Foundation, Toronto, ON, for the purpose of supporting its highest priority needs."

Other than a gift in your will, you can help SickKids by:

• Designating SickKids as the beneficiary and/or owner of a new or existing life insurance policy
• Naming SickKids as the beneficiary of your pension plan, RRSP, RRIF, or TFSA
• Setting up a charitable gift annuity or charitable remainder trust
• Making a gift of property, such as real estate, jewelry, or art

There are many ways to include a charity in your will, but these are the two most common:

Residual Bequest:

Commonly designated as all or a percentage of the estate’s residue, a residual bequest is made from the balance of an estate after all debts, bills and taxes have been paid and all specific and general gifts have been distributed.

Legacy Bequest (also known as specific bequest):

A legacy bequest is a gift of a specific dollar amount or asset, such as a house, car, stocks, or securities.

1. Speak to your lawyer about drafting or revising your will by adding a codicil, an essential step to protect your family’s future and to ensure that your assets are distributed according to your wishes.

    

2. Add the appropriate bequest wording in your will, which our team can help tailor to your specific area of interest. (For sample wording, see “How should I word my bequest?” below.)

    

3. Let us know about your bequest so we can show our appreciation and ensure your intentions are properly understood and honoured. (See “What’s your contact information?” below)

SickKids treats everything from broken arms and appendicitis to rare brain cancers and congenital heart defects. Every year, some 100,000 patients come to us from across the province, country and even the world for specialized care, while our scientists are making important medical discoveries every day. Our research breakthroughs also have implications in the adult world including expanding knowledge on diseases such as dementia and brain tumours.

For all our triumphs—clinical and research—legacy gifts have been instrumental, helping create our storied Research Institute, where scientists created Pablum, discovered the cystic fibrosis gene, and continue to crack the code of childhood cancers and heart disease. Legacy gifts have enabled SickKids to become a world-class leader for intensive care, organ transplants, and complex heart surgeries. It’s because of our donors that we’ve grown from a community hospital to a global leader in child health.

If you are considering a gift in your will– thank you! Leaving a gift in your will is a powerful way to affirm your values and build a legacy. A bequest gives you the comfort of knowing your assets are available today, while enabling you to leave a larger gift than might be possible in your lifetime.

It’s also one of the most efficient ways to give. In fact, a gift in your will can reduce, even eliminate, the tax burden on your beneficiaries.

Absolutely.  You can become a donor by using our online donation form, or by visiting us at:

SickKids Foundation 

525 University Avenue

Suite 835

Toronto, Ontario

M5G 2L3

Running a year-round telemarketing fundraising program requires an extensive amount of resources and expertise. Our telemarketing partner, Causeworx, helps us raise much-needed dollars for the highest priority needs of the Foundation. SickKids has been raising money through our telemarketing program since 2012 .

Each week our map is updated with the towns/cities where canvassers are located.  There may be locations not listed on the map due to last minute changes.  Please check back tomorrow if you do not see your location on the map.

Yes. You will receive a tax receipt for one-time donations of $20 or more. Tax receipts for monthly donations are mailed in February. 

If you would like to update your name, address, phone number or you would like to update your credit card or banking information for your monthly gift, please complete our online form or contact us by telephone at 416-813-6166.

The hospital manages its own volunteer intake process. Please visit the hospital's volunteer page.

Health and safety are top priorities for both our canvassers and the public. SickKids Foundation has been closely monitoring the developments related to COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease) and will adjust our fundraising activities as needed.  The risk to the public is still considered low and our fundraisers continue to follow Public Health Ontario recommendations:

• Wash hands often and well
• Exercise good hand hygiene (limit hand shaking, use sanitizing wipes or lotions to clean self and any shared equipment, avoid touching eyes, nose or mouth)
• Use Lysol wipes to disinfect pitch cards and tablets
• Stay home if unwell

If you did not receive your tax receipts right away, please check your spam and junk email folders. If you still have not received your tax receipt after 12 hours, please email us at donor.inquiries@sickkidsfoundation.com or call us at 416-813-6166.

To minimize administrative costs, paper tax receipts are issued for donations of $20 or greater. For online donations, e-tax receipts do not have a minimum donation.

Please visit Globalfaces Direct.

Monthly donors help support SickKids. Business-to-Business fundraising has proven to be an effective fundraising channel and helps us to meet our core commitments to the Hospital.  

Many Foundation volunteer opportunities do not require that you have any previous experience, unless otherwise indicated.  

No. In addition to cash, online, or by check and appreciated stocks or real property, U.S. donors may also make planned gifts via Friends of The Hospital for Sick Children. For Bequests and Trusts, Friends must be the designated charitable beneficiary in order for the charitable remainder trust to qualify for U.S. estate tax and income tax deductions.

SickKids is located in 2-3 malls each week across the GTA and Golden Horseshoe area. We also fundraise at Toronto events throughout the year, and some private sites.

Business-to-Business fundraisers visit businesses Monday to Friday between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Please email volunteers@sickkidsfoundation.com.

No. SickKids adheres to the Imagine Canada guidelines. Our fundraisers are compensated with an hourly wage. To learn more about Imagine Canada and their standards, please visit http://www.imaginecanada.ca/.

Your receipt for the current tax year will be mailed out at the end of February of the following year. You should receive your tax receipt in early March.

Running a year-round Business-to-Business fundraising program requires an extensive amount of resources and expertise. Our Business-to-Business partner, Globalfaces Direct, provides superior face-to-face fundraising services. They help us raise much needed dollars for the highest priority needs of the Foundation.

Your donation directly supports SickKids Foundation to speedily deploy funds in the areas of most need, such as research, clinical advances and compassionate care. Donations help to enhance the care patients receive, provide outstanding learning opportunities for staff and future generations of health-care professionals, and fund groundbreaking research that will lead to new discoveries, treatments, and cures.

For safety reasons, we do not allow our fundraisers to accept or carry cash donations. If you are interested in making a donation, please do so using our online donation form.

Yes, Friends can help U.S.-based donors and their legal and tax advisors choose the best donation vehicle and explore the significant income and estate tax advantages of making cash or planned gifts to SickKids Foundation. As always, seeking legal and tax counsel to review your situation is advisable before making significant gifts.

Please visit the Donate Good and Services page for more information.

Unfortunately SickKids turtles are not for sale. SickKids turtles are only given to patients at the Hospital.

For safety reasons, we do not allow our canvassers to accept or carry cash donations. If you are interested in making a donation, please visit our online donation page to make a donation.

SickKids has been raising money through our mall program since 2004.

Please fill out our Change of Address Form or call 416-813-6166 ext. 1216.

Patients treated at SickKids come from different parts of Ontario and Canada. Some even come from other countries. The research and discoveries that happen at SickKids benefit children everywhere.

Our overall Foundation cost per dollar is 28 per cent, which includes the Business-to-Business fundraising program. You can find more information in our annual report and financial statements. SickKids Foundation encourages transparency and accountability.

No, all data is encrypted in a compliant environment according to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard.