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. Canvassers fundraising on behalf of CNIB 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 many charities in Canada, the CNIB Foundation has engaged in face-to-face fundraising in select regions across the country. We do this for two reasons: It enables us to raise awareness about the issues facing Canadians who are blind, low vision, or Deafblind, and also because it's a cost-effective way of getting sustainable monthly donations, enabling us to direct more of your support to those who need it.
Our face-to-face fundraisers provide CNIB 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., 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.
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.
CNIB 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 programming and services and assists Canadians who are blind right in your own province! By becoming a monthly donor to CNIB, you’ll be supporting locally – helping Canadians in your community smash barriers to inclusion in your own backyard.
Supporting guide dog partnerships
When you become a monthly donor to CNIB Guide Dogs, your gift supports the raising, training, and matching of guide dogs with a person who is blind or low vision. But more than that, your gift provides a greater sense of mobility, safety, and confidence that comes with being part of a guide dog partnership.
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 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 and press 1, or donor.services@cnib.ca.