427 Lakeshore Road East
Mississauga, ON L5G 1H8
Board Chair: John Nyholt
Board Vice-Chair: Don Macaulay

Charitable Reg. #:86235 2754 RR0001

STAR RATING

Ci's Star Rating is calculated based on the following independent metrics:

[Charity Rating: 5/5]

✔+

FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY

Audited financial statements for current and previous years available on the charity’s website.

A

RESULTS REPORTING

Grade based on the charity's public reporting of the work it does and the results it achieves.

High

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.

85%

CENTS TO THE CAUSE

For a dollar donated, after overhead costs of fundraising and admin/management (excluding surplus) 85 cents are available for programs.



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OVERVIEW

About The Compass:

The Compass is a 5-star, financially transparent charity with a High impact rating and an excellent A results reporting grade. It has a reasonably sized reserve of cash and investments and 15% total overhead spending. For every dollar donated, 85 cents are available to go to the cause.

Founded in 2002, The Compass is a Christian food bank that also runs community programs throughout Mississauga. It distributes both groceries and prepares meals for those in need. According to the charity’s 2023-2027 Strategic Plan, it has enhanced its programs in 2024: trained more kitchen staff, added fresh fruit to breakfast, and added salads to dinners. The charity reports 1/13 Mississauga households used a food bank in 2024 – nearly triple the 1/37 ratio in 2020.

A Charity Intelligence 2024 Top 10 Impact: Canadian Food Banks

A Charity Intelligence 2023 Top 100 Rated Charity

The Compass runs two program groups: food distribution and community programs. It spent $935k cash on its programs and distribute $933k worth of donated goods (food and clothing) in the December 2024 fiscal year. The charity did not provide any further breakdown of its program spending.

Food distribution is The Compass’ main program. In 2024, the charity distributed 972,035 lb of food (5% decrease from 1,025,613 lb distributed in 2023) to 6,321 unique individuals (15% decrease from 6,567 people in 2023) across 46,111 visits. It also served 71,624 meals in 2024. According to its strategic plan, it will give out 1,137,281 lb of food to 7,396 individuals in 2025.

Community programs include the Compass’ tax clinic, children’s camp, school supplies distribution, drop-in clothing bank, and Christmas gift card campaign. The charity runs a tax clinic where its staff help clients qualify for tax credits. It completed 313 tax returns in 2024. The Compass also operates a children’s summer camp for low-income families. It ran 97 weeks of programming for 52 campers, so each child stayed an average of 13 days at The Compass’ summer camp. It also distributed school supplies to 452 children, provided 1,443 Walmart gift cards, and provided winter clothing for 96 homeless people in 2024.

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Results and Impact

Since The Compass distributed 972,035 lb of food to 6,321 people during 46,111 visits, each person received around 154 lb of food during 2024 (156 lb of food / person in 2023). It also means clients received around 24 lb of food / visit.

The Compass spent $1.2m cash on its operations in 2024. This means it spent around $1.19 / lb of food distributed.

The charity’s clients who received help filing their taxes at its tax clinic received $1,091,629 across the 313 completed tax returns, or $3,488 / completed return.

While Charity Intelligence highlights these key results, they may not completely represent The Compass’ results and impact.

Charity Intelligence has given The Compass a High impact rating. This is based on its demonstrated social impact per dollar spent.

A Charity Intelligence 2024 Top 10 Impact: Canadian Food Banks

Impact Rating: High

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Finances

The Compass’ audited financial statements follow line-item costing, meaning it does not clearly separate its program, administrative, and fundraising costs. This is not a best practice.

In 2024, The Compass received $913k worth of cash donations and special events revenue (43% of total revenue), $933k worth of donated goods (44% of revenue), and $236k in government funding (11% of revenue). Its administrative costs are 7% of total revenue less investment income and its fundraising costs are 8% of cash donations. Its 15% total overhead means that for every dollar donated, 85 cents are available to go to the cause.

In 2024, The Compass spent $935k cash on program operations (28% increase from $730k in 2023) and distributed $933k worth of food and clothing (2% decrease from $954k in 2023).

At the end of 2024, The Compass had $1.4m in reserve funds (cash and investments). This can cover 154% or slightly over one year and six months of its annual program spending.

Profile updated by Julian Dranitsaris on June 20, 2025. Comments and corrections may be forthcoming.

Financial Review


Financial Ratios

Fiscal year ending December
202420232022
Administrative costs as % of revenues 7.3%5.1%4.0%
Fundraising costs as % of donations 7.9%6.7%2.7%
Total overhead spending 15.1%11.7%6.7%
Program cost coverage (%) 153.2%197.8%213.4%

Summary Financial Statements

All figures in $s
202420232022
Donations 566,053547,451595,892
Goods in kind 933,164953,929591,482
Government funding 236,15352,41518,292
Special events 346,704208,272165,867
Investment income 51,64636,0955,899
Total revenues 2,133,7201,798,1621,377,432
Program costs 934,789729,866698,257
Donated goods exp 933,164953,929591,482
Administrative costs 150,91388,90055,153
Fundraising costs 71,92750,62320,394
Total spending 2,090,7931,823,3181,365,286
Cash flow from operations 42,927(25,156)12,146
Capital spending 19,87441,881137,999
Funding reserves 1,432,5381,443,6781,489,942

Note: 1. LINE-ITEM COSTING: Since The Compass follows line-item costing, Ci referred to its T3010 filings with the CRA when available to help report program, administrative, and fundraising costs. 2. DEFERRED DONATIONS: Since The Compass follows deferred accounting, Ci adjusted donations for changes in deferred contributions to clearly show donors the year-to-year movement of cash within the charity. This affected total revenue by $6k in 2024, ($nil) in 2023, and ($35k) in 2022. 3. DEFERRED GOVERNMENT GRANTS: Ci adjusted government funding for changes in deferred government grants, affecting total revenue by ($4k) in 2024, $30k in 2023, and ($nil) in 2022. 4. DONATIONS RECEIVABLE: Ci adjusted donations for changes in donations receivable, affecting total revenue by ($37k) in 2024, ($79k) in 2023, and ($20k) in 2022.

Salary Information

Full-time staff: 1

Avg. compensation: $0

Top 10 staff salary range:

$350k +
0
$300k - $350k
0
$250k - $300k
0
$200k - $250k
0
$160k - $200k
0
$120k - $160k
0
$80k - $120k
0
$40k - $80k
1
< $40k
0

Information from most recent CRA Charities Directorate filings for F2023

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Comments & Contact

Comments added by the Charity:

We experienced unprecedented growth in demand in 2023 – a 63% increase in the number of individuals served!  High inflation, severe housing shortages, and a huge influx of newcomers all contributed to this growth.  Yes, we struggled to meet the challenge, but we are so thankful to report that we largely succeeded.  We are so very grateful for the full team effort that enabled us to meet the needs of our vulnerable neighbours in south Mississauga.  Our staff worked incredibly hard to keep things moving while overcoming obstacles at every turn.  Our 400 active volunteers did so much to keep the shelves stocked, fill client orders with great care and efficiency, create and serve nearly 70,000 delicious and nutritious meals from our kitchen, and keep the back-office operations humming.  The support from our member churches and the broader community has never been better, with a 24% increase in food donations, a 29% increase in donations and a 26% increase in fundraising results – including our amazing Walk The Walk event with over $160,000 raised.  All of this incredible support enables The Compass to continue living out our mission:  “Together, we provide help for today and hope for tomorrow.”   Our hearts are full of gratitude. We are blessed to be able to serve our clients experiencing food insecurity and homelessness. 
 
LEARN MORE: The Compass 2023 Annual Impact Report 

Charity Contact

Website: www.thecompass.ca
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Tel: 905-274-9309

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Charitable Registration Number: 80340 7956 RR0001