FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Donating to the Jewish General Hospital Foundation
| Donations | Personal information |
| Monthly Giving Program | Mailings |
| Planned Giving Program | Donor recognition |
| Tax receipts and benefits | Events |
| Financial statements | Administrative costs |
Donations
Why should I donate to the JGH Foundation?
The Jewish General Hospital is one of Quebec’s largest and busiest tertiary and quaternary acute-care hospitals, providing general and specialized care of the highest quality in a humane and caring manner, with an emphasis on specialized and ultra-specialized services. It is a McGill University teaching hospital and trains approximately 22 per cent of the students of the Faculty of Medicine. The JGH and its Lady Davis Institute (LDI) are also at the forefront of cutting-edge research with major discoveries in such areas as AIDS, aging, cancer and human genetics, leading to the continuous development of more effective means of prevention, treatment and patient care.
The JGH Foundation provides essential assistance to the Hospital to enhance its extraordinary patient care, to further scientific discovery and to acquire the most recent and innovative medical equipment. By donating to the JGH Foundation, you are helping to save lives, to improve the quality of life of countless patients and their loved ones, and you are ensuring continued excellence in research, teaching and patient care for the people of Montreal, Quebec and beyond.
What is your Charitable Business Number?
The Registered Canadian Charitable Number of the JGH Foundation is: 10487 2304 RR0001.
Isn’t the Jewish General Hospital funded by government?
Yes. Like most hospitals, the JGH is given an annual inflation-adjusted global budget by the provincial government. However, this funding only covers daily operational costs and a portion of the Hospital’s programs and services. It does not supply all of the latest, state-of-the-art equipment that is critical to providing the very best in patient care. Government budgets only fund a portion of the costs of the latest in diagnostic equipment that is critical to the early detection of disease, or the much-needed renovation and expansion of hospital premises, or the establishment and operation of important support programs that will be of immeasurable benefit to patients. Likewise, scientific research that will lead to new breakthroughs in the prevention and treatment of disease is only covered in part by public granting agencies.
Today, superior health care depends to a great extent on the generosity of private donors, corporations and foundations and their indispensable partnership in our medical mission.
How can I donate to the JGH Foundation?
You can donate by phone, by mail, in person or over the Internet through our secure online donation application. You can make a donation by cash, cheque, money order or credit card (Visa, MasterCard and American Express). You can also join our Monthly Giving Program, which allows for convenient, automatic monthly withdrawals from your bank account or credit card. You can also use strategies to maximize the tax benefits associated with charitable giving through our Planned Giving Program, by choosing to make a gift in your will, donate securities, purchase a life insurance policy or strip bond, fund a charitable remainder trust or bequeath your RRSP or RIFF. You can also take part in or support one or more of the many fundraising events that are held each year. For more information, please contact us at 514-340-8251.
By phone:
Dial 514-340-8251
By mail or in person:
The Jewish General Hospital Foundation
3755 Côte St. Catherine Road, Room A-107
Montreal, Quebec, H3T 1E2
By Internet:
Visit www.jghfoundation.org. Simply click the Donate! button. Then fill in the required contact, credit card and gift detail information. Your donation will be securely processed and a confirmation message as well as your tax receipt will be instantly sent to your email account.
Is it safe to make a donation online?
The JGH Foundation uses industry-leading Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology to keep your personal information as secure as possible. The Foundation helps to protect your information by working with partners that provide a secure and safe environment for credit card donations. The Foundation website also uses industry standard security measures to protect against the loss, misuse and alteration of the information you provide on this site. All information is stored in a secure database. Your credit card information will never be saved on our site. For more about SSL Certificates, click here.
What is the best way to support the Jewish General Hospital?
There are so many ways in which you can support the Hospital in fulfilling its mission of doing outstanding research and delivering excellent healthcare to the people of Quebec and beyond. Please consult the Giving Opportunities page of our website for a complete overview. Many of our donors find the Monthly Giving Program and online giving to be the most simple and effective ways to support our wonderful hospital. Both help reduce the JGH Foundation’s administrative costs and support our efforts to be more environmentally-friendly. A monthly gift by debit card or credit card ensures a reliable source of funding for the Hospital and offers you the added convenience of receiving a consolidated receipt at the end of the year. You may also consider our Planned Giving Program, which provides you with the opportunity to make a significant gift and take advantage of interesting tax benefits without affecting your current assets or lifestyle.
Can I decide what my donation is used for?
Yes. Our online donation application allows you to designate a specific Hospital department, research or program to be the recipient of your gift. You can also make an online donation in the memory of loved ones (Memorial Fund) or to honour special people in your life (Honour Fund). Likewise, many programs and events are featured on the website with appropriate links to facilitate your donation. The online donation application gives you the option of notifying someone of your donation and including a short personal message by email or mail. When making a donation by phone, mail or in person, simply indicate the specific department, research, program, event or fund you wish to support.
What is my donation used for?
The JGH Foundation provides essential assistance to the Hospital to enhance its extraordinary patient care, to further scientific discovery, to acquire the most recent and innovative medical equipment and to renovate, modernize and expand existing facilities. Your donation will support a wide variety of initiatives, including leading-edge research, treatments and programs, the upgrade of technology and facilities, the acquisition of state-of-the-art equipment and the recruitment of leading professionals. By donating to the JGH Foundation, you are helping to save lives, to improve the quality of life of countless patients and their loved ones, and ensuring continued excellence in research, teaching and patient care for the people of Montreal, Quebec and beyond.
You can designate what your donation is used for (see above). Undesignated gifts are allocated to the Hospital’s Greatest Priorities Fund and applied to the departments, programs and areas with the most pressing needs.
How will I know what my donation was used for?
Reports are posted on the JGH Foundation website regularly. All people who have donated $36 or more to the JGH Foundation in the past two years automatically receive the JGH Foundation newsletter, Communiqué, and JGH News by mail. The Communiqué newsletter as well as the Foundation’s annual report can also be consulted or downloaded from the Publications page on the JGH Foundation website, while the JGH News issues are available on the JGH website at www.jgh.ca.
Is there a minimum amount that I can donate?
All contributions make a difference and are appreciated. However, income tax receipts are issued only for contributions of $10 or more. Accordingly, our online donation application, which automatically generates a tax receipt for each donation, only accepts gifts of $10 or more.
Can I cancel my donation?
Please understand that any one-time donation made to the JGH Foundation cannot be refunded. However, you can end or change the amount of a pledge or monthly donation at any time, by contacting our Accounts office at 514-340-8222, extension 5838.
I can't make a donation at present. Is there any other way I can help?
Yes. You can still make a difference and contribute to continued excellence in research, teaching and patient care at the JGH in three unique ways:
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By downloading and using the JGH Foundation Toolbar for all your web searches (coming soon).
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By switching to Charitel for all of your telecommunication needs (residential phone lines, long-distance calls and high-speed Internet).
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Gifts-in-kind
For more information, please consult the Giving Opportunities page of our website.
Can I make a gift-in-kind?
Yes. A gift-in-kind is a gift of property other than cash. It includes numerous types of property, such as a company’s new and surplus inventory and an individual’s donation of personal items. To make a gift-in-kind or for more information, please contact us at 514-340-8251.
Monthly Giving Program
Why join the JGH Foundation Monthly Giving Program?
Monthly donations help reduce administrative costs and provide a continuous and reliable source of funding to support continued excellence in research, teaching and patient care at the Jewish General Hospital for the benefit of the people of Montreal, Quebec and beyond.
On what date are monthly gifts processed?
Monthly gifts are processed on the 1st or 15th day of each month. The specific date is chosen by you and can be changed at any time by calling us at 514-340-8222, extension 5838 (Accounts office) or by email at info@jghfoundation.org.
Who should I contact to make changes to my monthly gift?
You can make changes to your monthly donation at any time simply by calling us at 514-340-8222, extension 5838 (Accounts office) or by email at info@jghfoundation.org.
Planned Giving Program
What are the advantages of the Planned Giving Program?
By capitalizing on strategies that maximize the tax benefits associated with charitable giving, planned giving provides donors with the opportunity to make a significant gift to the Jewish General Hospital Foundation in a meaningful way, often at a lower cost than you might imagine. Whether you choose to make a gift in your will, donate securities, purchase a life insurance policy or strip bond, fund a charitable remainder trust that will provide you with a future income, bequeath an RRSP or RRIF, or choose to make your planned gift in another way – planned giving offers a variety of options that typically allow you to plan today without affecting your current assets or lifestyle. By making a planned gift to the Jewish General Hospital Foundation, you can remain secure in the knowledge that your gift will contribute to ensuring continued excellence in research, teaching and patient care for many years to come. Consider creating your lasting legacy today! For more information on planned giving options, please contact Alexis Gaiptman at 514-340-8222, extension 4057 or agaiptman@jgh.mcgill.ca.
Tax receipts and benefits
What is the current tax credit rate for donations?
The first $200 you donate is eligible for a federal tax credit of 15% of the donation amount. After the first $200, the federal tax credit increases to 29% of the amount over $200. Generally, you can claim all or part of this amount up to a limit of 75% of your net income. For gifts of certified cultural property or ecologically sensitive land, you may be able to claim up to 100% of your net income. For more information, please refer to the Canada Revenue Agency website at http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/chrts-gvng/dnrs/menu-eng.html.
In addition, you will generally be eligible for a provincial tax credit, depending upon the province in which you reside. The provincial tax credit in Quebec is 20% on the first $200 and 24% on amounts beyond this. For more information, please refer to the Revenu Québec website at http://www.formulaire.gouv.qc.ca/cgi/affiche_doc.cgi?dossier=6074&table=0 (in French only).
Will I get a tax receipt for my donation?
Income tax receipts are automatically provided for all donations of $10 or more. Donations must be received by us by December 31 for us to issue the appropriate tax receipts for that fiscal year.
Will I get a tax receipt for my gift-in-kind?
As a general rule, tax receipts are issued for gifts-in-kind. The Foundation must be able to establish the fair market value of items donated from a company's inventory and that no material benefit accrued to the company in consideration for this donation before a tax receipt can be issued. Items of nominal value and services do not qualify as gifts-in-kind for the purposes of issuing a tax receipt. Please contact us at 514-340-8222, extension 5838 (Accounts office) for more information prior to making a gift-in-kind.
Will I get a tax receipt for my contribution to fundraising events?
Contributions to fundraising events such as admission and raffle tickets, auction and food or item purchases and the like are treated differently than straight donations for income tax purposes. A portion of the ticket or purchase price may be eligible for an income tax receipt if the amount paid for said ticket or purchase exceeds the fair market value or actual costs of the event or item in question. For example, if you paid $150 for an admission ticket to an event that provides a meal, entertainment and other advantages valued at $80, you would be considered to have made a charitable donation of $70 and would receive a tax receipt for that amount. If the advantages of the event were valued at $150, then you would not be considered to have made a donation and would not be issued a tax receipt.
When will I receive my tax receipts?
An income tax receipt is automatically generated and immediately sent to your email account when making a donation through our online donation application. You can expect to receive your receipt for a one-time donation within one or two weeks from the date you made a donation by phone or mail. If you have joined our Monthly Giving Program, a monthly receipt (if requested) will be issued at the end of each month or a single annual receipt (by default) will be sent out at the beginning of January each year.
I lost my tax receipt. Can I get another one?
Please contact us at 514-340-8222, extension 5838 (Accounts office) and we will issue a replacement receipt in accordance with the Canada Revenue Agency’s income tax regulations.
I made an online donation but no electronic tax receipt was sent to my email account. What should I do?
The most common reasons for not receiving the electronic tax receipt are either a wrong email address or the email being blocked by a spam filter. Please contact us by phone at 514-340-8222, extension 5838 (Accounts office) or by email at info@jghfoundation.org for assistance.
Financial statements
Can I have access to the JGH Foundation’s financial statements?
Yes. The JGH Foundation Board of Directors adopted Imagine Canada's (formerly known as the Canadian Centre for Philanthropy) "Ethical Fundraising and Financial Accountability Code" as its policy in June 2006. In so doing, members of the governing board commit to being responsible custodians of donated funds, to exercise due care concerning the governance of fundraising and financial reporting, and to ensure to the best of their ability that the Foundation adheres to the provisions of the Code. Every year we produce an audited summarized statement of financial position and summarized statement of operations as part of our annual report. Our annual reports can be downloaded or consulted from the Annual Report page. A printed copy is also available upon request.
