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Common Questions about Donations

Have a question about online donations, ways to give, updating your information, tax receipts or the impact of your gift? We've answered some common questions below.

If you can't find what you're looking for, please contact our Donor Relations team at 604.215.5440 ext 533 or donors@ugm.ca.

We'd love to hear from you!

 

Give by Phone

To make a donation by phone, please call 604.891.5682

If you’re calling from outside of Metro Vancouver, please call toll free to 1.888.347.4673

The Impact of Your Donation

A:  Your gift transforms lives in our community!

With each donation, 77% goes straight back into UGM’s transformative programs and services and just under 23% goes towards administration and development. This is well within CRA guidelines for Canadian Charities.

All donations will be used for board-approved programs and projects. When any goal has been met, extra funds will be used in areas of greatest need.

You can view our Annual Report and Financial Statements or read inspiring Stories of Hope to learn more and see the impact your gift is making. 

A: Come for a tour of UGM to see the impact of your support. We offer 45 minute tours of our building in Vancouver at 601 E Hastings Street. We'll share stories of hope that you make possible, and give a fuller understanding of the life-changing services we're so grateful to run by showing you some of the spaces where we hold our programs!

Sign up for a tour on our online booking page.

 

 

Online Donations on UGM.ca

A: Thank you for your donation! Once you’ve made an online donation, you should receive an email confirmation from Union Gospel Mission with the gift amount and your name and address within a few minutes. Be sure to check your junk mail.

If you do not receive an email confirmation, please give us a call at 604.215.5440 ext 533. Charitable tax receipts will be mailed to the address you have provided to us.
 

A: If you would like to cancel a donation or are having any other problems making a donation, please contact us at 604.215.5440 ext 533 or email donors@ugm.ca.
 

A: We're sorry that you're experiencing issues with our website! Try using the Address Complete function on our form instead of the auto-fill address feature on your browser. If you are still experiencing issues, please contact 604.215.5440 ext 533 or donors@ugm.ca and our staff will be happy to help you. 

Mailings and Donor Information

A: To update your mailing address, please call our Donor Relations team at 604.215.5440 ext 533 or email donors@ugm.ca with your new address and contact information.

A: Thank you for being a part of our Hearts for the City Monthly Donor family! To set up a new monthly gift or to make changes or updates to an existing monthly gift amount or payment method, please contact our Monthly Giving team at 604.215.5440 ext 484 or email monthlygiving@ugm.ca.

A: Because your partnership is an important part of our mission, we send mail and emails to keep you updated on our current needs, new programs and stories of lives changed. We also sometimes send mail to invite people to join our donor family.

If you would like to reduce or change the amount of mail or email you receive from us, give us a call at 604.215.5440 ext 533 or email donors@ugm.ca. You can also click the unsubscribe link at the bottom of an email sent by UGM.

Because some of our mailings are pre-printed, updates to mailing preferences can take 8-10 weeks to come into effect.

Charitable Tax Receipts

A: One-time donation receipts will be sent out within 2-3 weeks of your gift. Our Hearts for the City monthly donors receive consolidated receipts for all the gifts they have made within a calendar year, which are issued before the end of February of the following year.

If you prefer one receipt per year for all donations, our team can make that change for you! Please contact 604.215.5440 ext 533 or donors@ugm.ca to update your preferences.

A: It depends! UGM follows Canada Revenue Agency guidelines and regulations around issuing tax receipts, which require the charity to determine the fair market value of an item. Due to the difficultly of determining a fair market value for used goods, UGM generally does not provide tax receipts for used items. 

New items may be eligible for a tax receipt.

To check if your donation is eligible for a tax receipt, please contact our Donor Relations team at 604.215.5440 ext 358 or email annualgiving@ugm.ca. 

A: Unfortunately our donation system isn't set-up to issue tax receipts online at this time due to complexity around issuing annual donation receipts. It is something that we hope to be able to provide in the near future. If you are unable to receive mailed receipts, please contact our donor relations team at 604.215.5443 or email donors@ugm.ca to make alternate arrangements. 

A: We understand that some couples may wish to have both names on the tax receipt.

UGM's receipting system doesn't allow for two names on donation receipts, because each individual has a separate record. We are able to total a household's giving for annual tax receipts but unfortunately, only one name can be on the tax receipt. 

According to the Canada Revenue Agency, when a taxpayer has a spouse or common law partner, a donation made by one of them in the current taxation year or any of the preceding 5 taxation years can normally be claimed by either spouse.

A: No. The official donation receipt has to be in the name of the true donor - the individual or organization that made the donation to the charity. For example, a cheque or credit card clearly shows the name of the individual or organization making the gift.

Ways to Donate

A: Thank you so much! Yes we accept donations by mail or in person as well.

To mail a donation, either send a cheque to the address below, or to give by credit card through the mail, fill out a donation form with credit card information and mail your donation to:

PO Box 2546, Vancouver BC V7B 3W8

Please do not send cash through the mail.

Donations can also be dropped off in person at UGM's Vancouver location at 601 E. Hastings St
 

A: Thank you for celebrating your loved one in such a meaningful way. To make a donation in honour or memory of someone, you can select the checkbox for “This donation is made in tribute to someone, or to commemorate the occasion of an event” when making an online donation. You will be prompted to add the name of the honouree, and their address or email if you would like a card sent to them.

You can also make a tribute donation over the phone at 778.851.0165. If you’re calling from outside of Metro Vancouver, please call toll free to 1.888.347.4673.

The tax receipt for the donation will be addressed and mailed to you.

A: Thank you for your generosity! A gift of publicly-traded securities, such as stocks, bonds or mutual funds, can be made to Union Gospel Mission by following the directions on the Gifts of Shares & Securities page.

A: Yes we do! See our Donations of Items page for more information on our most urgent needs and drop off locations. 

A: Yes we do! UGM partners with the Charity Car Program and Donate-a-Car Canada to accept donations of used vehicles. Contact one of our car donation partners to arrange a free towing or drop off of your vehicle. For donations through Charity Car Program, donors will receive a tax receipt issued by UGM. For donations through Donate-a-Car Canada, tax receipts will be issued by Canada Helps, and the funds from the sale will be transferred to UGM.

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Union Gospel Mission
601 East Hastings Street
Vancouver, BC V6A 1J7
ph: 604.253.3323

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© 2022 Union Gospel Mission Feeding Hope. Changing Lives. Reg Canadian Charity · 13190 2348 RR0001

Union Gospel Mission acknowledges with humble gratitude that our sites are located on the traditional unceded lands of the Musqueam, Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh, Katzie, Kwantlen, Qayqayt and the Sto:lo First Nations.