Easter Seals Canada
STAR RATINGCi's Star Rating is calculated based on the following independent metrics: |
✔+
FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY
Audited financial statements for current and previous years available on the charity’s website.
B+
RESULTS REPORTING
Grade based on the charity's public reporting of the work it does and the results it achieves.
Low
DEMONSTRATED IMPACT
The demonstrated impact per dollar Ci calculates from available program information.
NEED FOR FUNDING
Charity's cash and investments (funding reserves) relative to how much it spends on programs in most recent year.
57%
CENTS TO THE CAUSE
For a dollar donated, after overhead costs of fundraising and admin/management (excluding surplus) 57 cents are available for programs.
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OVERVIEW
About Easter Seals Canada:
Easter Seals Canada is a two-star charity with a Low demonstrated impact score. It is financially transparent and has a B+ results reporting grade, which is above average. For every dollar donated to the charity, 57 cents are available to go to the cause. This is outside of Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending.
Founded in 1922, Easter Seals Canada (ESC) aims to enhance the quality of life and independence of Canadians with disabilities. The charity reports that 27% of Canadians, or eight million people, aged 15 and over live with some form of disability that affects their quality of life. Easter Seals Canada and its ten provincial affiliates provide programs for children and adults with various disabilities. These include job training, financial aid for assistive technology, summer camps, residential programs, sports programs, and scholarships.
Grants: In F2023, 92% of program spending went to campaign disbursements to Easter Seal’s provincial affiliates. These funds are used in the local Easter Seals’ programs. In F2023, Easter Seals Nova Scotia piloted a new wheelchair basketball program in Cape Breton. In British Columbia, the first cohort of CompassWorks participants received certificates in computer skills. ESC funding to regional organizations allowed 4,750 campers to attend the 14 specialized and fully accessible camps across Canada in F2023.
Access 2 Entertainment: This national program accounted for 8% of program spending in F2023. Easter Seals Canada partners with over 500 movie theaters, cultural attractions, entertainment venues, and recreation facilities across Canada. This program allows people with disabilities to receive free admission for their support person at any participating location. The Access 2 Entertainment card costs $20 for three years or $30 for five years. Currently, there are more than 78,000 active cardholders in Canada. In F2023, 60 new venues joined the program.
ESC helps support many other fundraising and awareness campaigns for the provincial Easter Seals organizations. Started in 2019, Easter Seals’ Red Shirt Day of Action for AccessAbility and Inclusion took place across the country on June 1, 2022. This event happens annually on the Wednesday of National AccessAbility Week. Red Shirt Day works to highlight disability issues and promote a culture of inclusion by encouraging others to wear a red shirt in support. In 2022, Easter Seals’ Drop Zone Challenge took place in eight Canadian cities. Over 400 participants rappelled down high-rise buildings, raising $312,414 for Easter Seals programs, a 45% increase from 2021.
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Results and Impact
Charity Intelligence gives Easter Seals Canada a Low impact rating based on demonstrated impact per dollar spent.
According to a survey conducted by Easter Seals and Queen’s University, 86% of respondents said that the Access 2 Card helped them get out more and be more active.
Through a partnership with RBC, Easter Seals Canada offers a “21st Century Skills and Leaderships Program” for youth with disabilities aged 15-29. This self-directed online course helps individuals build employability and life skills from their own homes. In 2022, 86% of participants felt more workforce-ready, gaining confidence in problem-solving, critical thinking, communication, and financial literacy.
While Charity Intelligence highlights these key results, they may not be a complete representation of ESC's results and impact.
Impact Rating: Low
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Finances
Easter Seals Canada received donations of $2.7m in F2023. This includes $2.5m from corporations (95% of donations), which was distributed to provincial Easter Seals organizations. In F2023, ESC reports ten qualified donees in its T3010 filings. Easter Seals Canada spent $2.8m on its programs and grants in F2023, which is 68% of total revenues.
Administrative costs are 17% of revenues and fundraising costs are 26% of donations. This results in total overhead spending of 43%. For every dollar donated to the charity, 57 cents are available to go to the cause. This is outside of Ci’s reasonable range of 65 to 95 cents to the cause.
Easter Seals Canada has $3.5m in reserve funds, these are the charity’s cash and investments. ESC can cover around one year and three months of annual program costs using its existing reserves.
This report is an update that has been sent to Easter Seals Canada for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.
Updated August 1, 2024 by Alexia Tudose.
Financial Review
Fiscal year ending March
|
2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administrative costs as % of revenues | 17.3% | 19.6% | 18.7% |
| Fundraising costs as % of donations | 25.7% | 30.4% | 21.2% |
| Total overhead spending | 43.0% | 49.9% | 39.9% |
| Program cost coverage (%) | 127.5% | 216.6% | 224.8% |
Summary Financial StatementsAll figures in $s |
2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donations | 2,665,749 | 1,797,413 | 1,527,478 |
| Fees for service | 666,520 | 391,091 | 164,028 |
| Investment income | (50,891) | 64,553 | 332,164 |
| Other income | 771,096 | 846,097 | 1,080,893 |
| Total revenues | 4,052,474 | 3,099,154 | 3,104,563 |
| Program costs | 226,657 | 145,057 | 116,219 |
| Grants | 2,532,196 | 1,514,709 | 1,301,818 |
| Administrative costs | 709,122 | 593,467 | 518,299 |
| Fundraising costs | 684,577 | 545,816 | 324,240 |
| Total spending | 4,152,552 | 2,799,049 | 2,260,576 |
| Cash flow from operations | (100,078) | 300,105 | 843,987 |
| Capital spending | 3,731 | 2,439 | 7,422 |
| Funding reserves | 3,516,985 | 3,594,306 | 3,188,018 |
Note: Ci reported assessments revenue from provincial organizations and program funding as other revenue. Investment counsel fees reported net on revenues were removed from investment income and expenses. This affected total revenues and expenses by ($24k) in F2023, ($25k) in F2022, and ($22k) in F2021. Ci adjusted donations for deferred contributions, affecting revenues by ($82k) in F2023, $84k in F2022, and $99k in F2021. Ci used ESC's schedule of general expenses to report administrative costs, and also removed amortization. Easter Seals Fundraising Committee costs were allocated to fundraising costs, along with Branding and Marketing expenses.
Salary Information
$350k + |
0 |
$300k - $350k |
0 |
$250k - $300k |
0 |
$200k - $250k |
0 |
$160k - $200k |
1 |
$120k - $160k |
1 |
$80k - $120k |
2 |
$40k - $80k |
5 |
< $40k |
0 |
Information from most recent CRA Charities Directorate filings for F2023
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Comments & Contact
Comments added by the Charity:
Charity Contact
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Tel: 416-932-8382