Set up and run your non-profit in a few clicks

When you incorporate a non-profit. A not-for-profit corporation is created by filing articles of incorporation -- federally under the NFP Act with Corporations Canada, or provincially under a statute such as Ontario's Not-for-Profit Corporations Act, 2010 (ONCA). You will need articles, by-laws and the organizing resolutions of the directors and members.

When you seek charitable status. Registration as a charity is a separate step: the organisation applies to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), which assesses its purposes and activities, and only a registered charity can issue official donation receipts for income-tax purposes.

When you run an unincorporated association. A constitution and by-laws set out the objects, membership, board and meetings of a club or association that has not incorporated, though its members may carry personal exposure because it is not a separate legal entity.

When you operate day to day. Donation agreements, volunteer agreements, board and members' resolutions, and conflict-of-interest and privacy policies keep the organisation accountable and compliant.

• Non-profit incorporation documents: articles of incorporation, by-laws and organizing resolutions.
• Constitutions and by-laws: objects, membership, directors, meetings and dissolution.
• Charity governance documents: governing policies, conflict-of-interest and gift-acceptance policies.
• Donation and sponsorship agreements: terms of the gift, restrictions and acknowledgement.
• Volunteer agreements and resolutions: roles, confidentiality, appointments and approvals.

The starting point is the choice of form. A federal not-for-profit corporation is incorporated under the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act (NFP Act) through Corporations Canada and is a separate legal person with limited liability for its members; provinces offer equivalents such as Ontario's ONCA, British Columbia's Societies Act and Alberta's Societies Act. An unincorporated association is quick to set up but is not a separate legal entity, so its members and directors can bear personal exposure. A federal corporation that operates in a province must also register extra-provincially there.

Charitable status sits on top of the legal form and is granted federally. Incorporating does not make an organisation a charity: it must apply to the Canada Revenue Agency to be registered as a charity, which requires exclusively charitable purposes (the relief of poverty, the advancement of education or religion, or other purposes beneficial to the community) and brings ongoing obligations, including filing the annual T3010 return and respecting the limits on political and business activities. Only a registered charity may issue official donation receipts.

Good governance is the recurring theme. The by-laws should define the objects clearly, regulate membership and the directors, require proper meetings and minutes, and address conflicts of interest and the handling of assets on dissolution -- with charitable assets having to go to another qualified donee. A non-profit that collects members' or donors' personal information must also respect the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) or the equivalent provincial privacy law.

• Drafted for the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act (NFP Act) and provincial equivalents.
• Built with Canada Revenue Agency charity registration and the T3010 return in mind.
• Reviewed by legal professionals, with clear objects, membership and governance terms.
• Ready to use as PDF and Word, so you can file or adapt them immediately.
• Practical structure: guided fields for objects, membership, directors and meetings.