How do I know that my donation is reaching communities in Africa?

More than 75% of all revenue is spent on programming for communities in Africa affected by HIV&AIDS. The remainder covers our operational costs in Canada including communications, fundraising and administration. We endeavour to keep these costs to a minimum with a small, but efficient office, and maintaining only one staff person based in Canada.

We are also happy to share our Audited Financial Statements which can be download for your perusal on the CAP AIDS Financials page.

In 2010 we commissioned an independent Value for Money Audit of our programming in Uganda which can also be downloaded from the CAP AIDS Financials page.

Finally, in the Fall of 2011, CIDA, our main funding partner, commissioned an independent financial audit of our current Safe Livelihoods Program which concluded that the auditted program expenditures of $149,088 had been spent in accordance with the program goals and within CIDA's expenditure and financial documentation standards. 

 

Does the money raised through the Bike to CAP AIDS bike-a-thons support the purchase of bikes for communities and health workers?

Partial proceeds from these events are used to support the purchase of bikes in accordance with the needs of our partners in Africa. The amount used to support bicycle distribution varies year-to-year and is determined by local needs.

These bikes are an important tool as they can increase the reach of community volunteers and health workers by more than 4X and greatly expand the impact of their efforts in advocacy, education and providing care and support for HIV-affected households.

The remaining funds are used to support CAP AIDS' ongoing programming with HIV-affected youth, caregivers and outreach workers who are on the frontlines of the fight against HIV&AIDS in their communities.  You can read more about our current programmes on our Making a Difference page .

Reports on the use of funds from past Bike to CAP AIDS campaigns can be found on our Completed Projects section. 

Does CAP AIDS issue tax receipts for donations?

Yes. CAP AIDS is a registered charity (BN#88898 7500 RR0001) and provides charitable tax receipts for all donations received for $10.00 or more.

Donations made online receive PDF tax receipts by email immediately after the donation is approved by the Credit Card company. Donations made by Cash or Cheque are issued tax receipts which are sent by mail within two weeks of receipt.

If you are a donor and haven't received a tax receipt for a recent donation, please contact us and we will re-issue immediately.

Note: Due to the current work stoppage at Canada Post, donors may experience a longer than usual waiting period for tax receipts being sent by mail.

Can I direct my gift to a particular project or country?

Yes, we can work with groups wishing to raise or donate funds towards a particular community project. For example, we are working with a family in B.C. who have raised funds for the construction of a youth centre in Uganda in memory of a loved one - this was negotiated with the team at CAP AIDS Uganda to ensure that we could respect the wishes of the family while ensuring that we directed those funds in a way which would enhance our programming and support for local communities. However, given the additional work and administration required, we are unable for the time being to do this for individual donations.

I have heard that donations to NGO projects are sometimes matched 3:1 by the Canadian International Development Agency. Is this true for my donations to CAP AIDS?

Yes and no. Like our NGO collagues, CAP AIDS does receive funding for our core program from CIDA. This program is funded on a 3:1 matching basis. However, as is true with other organizations, the amount of funding from CIDA and to be raised by CAP AIDS is pre-determined and outlined in the agreement we signed at the beginning of our three-year project (i.e. even if we raise more funds, we do not receive more funding from CIDA). However, being able to demonstrate that we have increased support from Canadians does help to build our credibility as a partner at CIDA and supports our ability to access CIDA funds in the future. 

How can I volunteer? Do you have any overseas volunteer or internship opportunities?

There are lots of ways to get involved as a volunteer in support of CAP AIDS initiatives in Canada - including work in our head office in Toronto and on committees for events and campaigns across the country. We also occasionally arrange for internships or volunteer experiences with our teams in Africa. Please visit our Volunteer Page for more details.

How do you select your Board of Directors?

Board Directors are recruited based on the needs of the organization with the aim of maintaining a balance between needed skills (e.g. human resources, legal, financial management) and representation of key constituencies (e.g. African diaspora communities, Canadian HIV&AIDS communities).

Directors are elected by the membership at our Annual General Meeting held in September each year. Once elected, all Directors are required to review and sign our Director's Code of Conduct. Find out more about our current Board of Directors in the Our People Section.

How do you select your African partners?

CAP AIDS engages with small, grassroots community-based organizations as we believe this is the best way to reach the communities on the front lines of the fight against HIV&AIDS. We look for partners who are already responding to the needs of their communities - usually on a voluntary basis - but who could expand their positive impact and reach with an infusion of capacity building and funding for their activities.

We rely on local teams and advisors who screen organizations and community projects and help us to identify local partners. Once we engage in partnerships, CAP AIDS commits not only to providing financial support, but also to working with partners to identify capacity building needs and to ensure that they receive coaching, mentorship and access to tools and resources which they can use to improve their programs and create an even greater impact in their communities.

For a complete list of our partners in Africa - visit our Partners Page.

Do you have guest speakers or educational resources for my school or community group?

We love opportunities to meet with interested Canadians and visit schools. We have volunteers in Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver who can be available to speak about our work and the challenges that HIV&AIDS has posed for communities in Africa. Please contact us for more information.

Note: In February and June of 2012, two CAP AIDS staff from Uganda and Ethiopia will be visiting Canada for a speaker tour. Please let us know if you would like to host them in your community!

CAP AIDS does not have any curriculum resources for schools. However, there are many great organizations which do! We recommend checking our what's available through other Canadian NGOs - here's a great place to get started.