CanadaHelps
Canadian donors who want a single secure home for their giving, and registered Canadian charities seeking online fundraising tools, automatic tax-receipting, and a profile synced from the CRA database.
A Canadian registered charity and public foundation operating a donation and fundraising platform for every CRA-registered Canadian charity, with automatic tax receipts and Canadian data residency.
- Funding model
- Fixed platform fee
- Platform fee
- 3.75%
- Payment processing fee
- 0% + C$0.00
- Recipient gets
- C$96.25 / C$100
- Data residency
- CA (Microsoft)
- Countries
- 1
- Languages
- 2
- Last updated
- 2026-06-11
Our overall editorial assessment. Full weights are published in the methodology.
The review
CanadaHelps is a Canadian registered charity and public foundation that has operated an online donation and fundraising platform since 2000, with the mission of increasing charitable giving across Canada. It serves both donors and charities: every charity registered and in good standing with the Canada Revenue Agency is listed by default, with profile pages generated automatically from the CRA database.
The organization operates as a registered charity under the Canada Revenue Agency (business number 896568417RR0001) and is governed by the laws of British Columbia. Funds are collected through the platform and disbursed to the recipient charity, donors receive an electronic tax receipt for each gift automatically, and the platform is funded by a per-transaction fee applied when a fundraising tool is used.
CanadaHelps' core strength is breadth of coverage: it is effectively the default giving directory for the Canadian charitable sector, with tools for one-time and recurring donations, securities, cryptocurrency, and gift cards. Its scope is also its main limitation, because only CRA-registered Canadian charities and qualified donees can receive funds, so it is not an option for individuals, non-profits, or international causes. For Canadian donors and charities these constraints rarely matter; for organizations operating outside Canada they rule it out.
Personal data is stored in Canada on Microsoft's Canadian data centres, with two-factor authentication required to access donor information, a residency position that suits Canadian privacy expectations. The interface is available in English and French (branded CanaDon in French), and donors can give using major cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, gift cards, securities, or cryptocurrency.
What’s good, what’s not.
- ✓Operated by a registered Canadian charity and public foundation dedicated to online giving since 2000.
- ✓Every CRA-registered Canadian charity has a profile, synced automatically from the CRA database.
- ✓Automatic electronic tax receipts are issued for each donation, whether or not the donor has an account.
- ✓Broad payment support: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, PayPal, Google Pay, Apple Pay, gift cards, securities, and cryptocurrency.
- ✓Canadian data residency, with donor data stored in Canada on Microsoft's Canadian data centres and two-factor access controls.
- ✓Recurring monthly giving, donor accounts, and giving goals are supported.
- −Recipients are limited to CRA-registered Canadian charities and qualified donees - no individuals, non-profits, or charities outside Canada.
- −The interface is available in English and French only, with no other languages.
- −A per-transaction fee always applies to donations, so it is not the lowest-cost option for charities.
- −Donor-facing currency is effectively Canadian dollars, limiting use for international fundraising.
Where each C$100 actually goes.
Fees vary by payment method. We default to Credit card because that’s the dominant method in Australia.
CanadaHelps doesn’t process payments in AUD. Pricing is shown in CAD, its native currency.
1 countries · 2 languages · 5 payment methods.
Better-fit alternatives to CanadaHelps.
Our curated shortlist — the platforms we’d actively recommend instead of CanadaHelps for fundraising in Australia, with the figures behind the call. For the full, neutral index of every side-by-side, see Compare with below.
CanadaHelps keeps donor data in CA (Microsoft); WhyDonate is EEA-resident and GDPR-native, so personal data never leaves the region.
Zeffy lets more of each donation through than CanadaHelps — A$100.00 reaches the recipient per 100, against A$96.25.
JustGiving lets more of each donation through than CanadaHelps — A$97.80 reaches the recipient per 100, against A$96.25.
See how CanadaHelps stacks up head-to-head.
Frequently asked questions
What does CanadaHelps charge?
CanadaHelps charges a 3.75% platform fee and 0% + C$0.00 in payment processing per donation.
Where is CanadaHelps based?
CanadaHelps was founded in — and is headquartered in —. Data residency is CA (Microsoft).
Which countries does CanadaHelps operate in?
CanadaHelps operates in 1 countries including major European markets and English-speaking markets.
Is CanadaHelps suitable for nonprofits?
CanadaHelps’s primary audience is individual fundraisers and groups; nonprofits can use the platform but may find specialized alternatives better suited.
Rankings are produced by a public editorial methodology — open to peer review. We disclose ownership, scoring weights, and every change.