Everything you need to know about CNIB’s door-to-door fundraisers
About us
The CNIB Foundation (Canadian National Institute for the Blind) is a non-profit organization driven to change what it is to be blind today. We deliver innovative programs and powerful advocacy that empower people impacted by blindness to live their dreams and tear down barriers to inclusion. Our work as a blind foundation is powered by a network of volunteers, donors and partners from coast to coast to coast.
What is face-to-face fundraising?
Face-to-face fundraising is when representatives from a charity hit the streets, go door-to-door or canvass in shopping malls to raise awareness about their cause and ask members of the public to support their organization with a monthly donation. CNIB Foundation canvassers solicit monthly donations for our general programming, as well as for CNIB Guide Dogs, our guide dog program. Monthly donations are one of the easiest and most sustainable ways to support our work, long-term.
Why canvassers?
Like most charities in Canada, the CNIB Foundation has engaged in face-to-face fundraising in select regions across the country in order to recruit new monthly donors.
Our face-to-face fundraisers provide the CNIB Foundation with a safe and secure method for engaging Canadians who want to help change what it is to be blind today.
Third-party fundraising partners
Running a year-round fundraising program requires an extensive amount of resources and expertise. We have partnered with Public Outreach, TNI The Network Inc., Up Fundraising and Globalfaces Direct to represent us, as they provide superlative fundraising services across Canada. Face-to-face fundraising is one of the most cost-effective ways for us to reach Canadians where they are.
The fundraisers’ passion for the CNIB Foundation’s work allows us to connect with Canadians on an individual level. One-on-one conversations allow donors to get answers to questions in ways we can’t otherwise provide without them.
Ethical fundraising practices
CNIB has been accredited under Imagine Canada’s Standards Program.
The Standards Program is a Canada-wide set of shared standards for charities and non-profits designed to help organizations strengthen their operations in five fundamental areas: board governance; financial accountability and transparency; fundraising; staff management; and volunteer involvement. To earn the accreditation, organizations must meet a total of 73 standards.
Face-to-face fundraising is a physically and mentally demanding job and canvassers are paid an hourly wage regardless of the amount of donations raised for the CNIB Foundation; they do not receive commission.
Our fundraising partners adhere to the Association of Fundraising Professionals ethical standards. Fundraising representatives are expected to conduct themselves in an honest, respectful and effective manner that ensures a positive experience for anyone they engage with, and the best possible results for the CNIB Foundation.
COVID-19 pandemic: Impact on fundraising
In March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced Canadians to isolate themselves at home, more people with sight loss turned to us for help than ever before. Many people with sight loss are facing unique challenges that mainstream support networks are not equipped to address. The demand for our guide dogs has grown by 350 per cent, and uptake for our virtual programs is higher than it’s ever been in our history, with no signs of slowing.
The pandemic made most of the CNIB Foundation’s traditional fundraising methods (events, galas, etc.) impossible, but that does not mean the need for those funds has gone away. We expect to feel the pandemic’s impact on our fundraising for years to come.
How canvassing helps us serve Canadians
We rely on street canvassing and door-to-door fundraising as a way to help Canadians continue to donate to the causes they care about, but from the safety and comfort of their home.
The CNIB Foundation is committed to ensuring no one is left behind, and in order to meet that commitment, we must continue to mobilize Canadians to support our work. We need funding to continue to be there for people with sight loss from coast to coast to coast.
Supporting locally
When you become a monthly donor to our Partners in Vision program, your monthly gift funds CNIB Foundation services and assists Canadians with sight loss right in your own province! By becoming a monthly donor to the CNIB Foundation, you’ll be supporting locally – helping Canadians in your community smash down barriers to inclusion in your own backyard.
Fundraising in your neighbourhood
Whether you’re in Moncton, Vancouver or Toronto, you might get a knock on the door from one of our friendly CNIB Foundation canvassers or see them on the sidewalks of your downtown. We’re active year-round, with campaigns in places like Victoria, BC; Regina, SK; Calgary, AB; Winnipeg, MB; Montreal, QC; Halifax, NS; and across Ontario – just to name a few! Want to know where we are right now? Contact our Donor Services team at 1-800-563-2642 or donor.services@cnib.ca.