- Registering your challenge online at ichallengems.ca. This will provide you with access to all of the tools mentioned above
- Consult the MS Society regarding eligibility of tax receipts for donors (if necessary)
- Provide proof of insurance to the MS Society, if requested
- Provide proof of necessary licenses or permits, if requested
- Submit all event materials containing MS logo to MS Society for approval before printing
- Be responsible for funding or reimbursement of event expenses
- Make the event or activity accessible to persons with disabilities, where possible
- Tax receipts for all eligible donations
- Letter of approval, confirming your event is registered with the MS Society
- General advice and guidance to help you plan and run a successful event
- Materials, representatives or speakers
The MS Society is unable to provide:
- Funding or reimbursement for event expenses
- Corporate sponsors for your event
- Special event permits and licenses
- Insurance or any related liability coverage or indemnification
Unfortunately, the MS Society of Canada does not have the resources to cover I Challenge MS expenses. The best way to cover expenses is through cover charges, auction proceeds or sponsorships, as these are not considered charitable donations. All general monetary donations made payable to the MS Society of Canada cannot be used to cover expenses. It is also important to let your donors and supporters know if a portion of their contribution is being used to cover event expenses.
MS Society staff can provide guidance on handling and messaging your Challenge-related expenses.
Please contact your local chapter or unit to discuss possible options. If you must send the donation in by mail, please do not send cash. Instead, send a cheque to cover the total amount along with complete contact info for all donors so eligible tax receipts may be issued.
MS Society sponsors are already committed to helping us end MS through their current agreements with us, and therefore we ask that you do not approach our major sponsors with further requests. You may have better success securing sponsors by approaching local businesses and using personal connections.
If your event space has internet access, you can access any of the MS Society of Canada’s videos on our YouTube channel, at youtube.com/mssocietycanada.
When you register, you will be asked what type of support you would like from the MS Society of Canada, including the opportunity for a staff member, volunteer, or ambassador, to attend your event.
A team member from the MS Society will connect with you to learn more about your challenge. Please note that due to scheduling and resources, the MS Society is unable to guarantee or provide presence at all events.
The MS Society does not provide insurance or proof of insurance for I Challenge MS fundraising campaigns or events. Please refer to the MS Society’s Fundraising Policy (found on mssociety.ca) for more details.
Your local MS Society office may be able to help with the promotion of your event. Once you have registered online, please contact your local MS Society office for support.
The MS Society is able to provide some tips and suggestions on how to write releases and get media attention. You will need to distribute your press releases to your local media outlets. Please contact your local MS Society office or email ichallengems@mscanada.ca for more information.
You may use the I Challenge MS logo, available to download through the participant centre once you have registered.
Not all monetary donations are eligible for tax receipts. If a donor receives a right, privilege, benefit, or advantage of any kind from a contribution to charity, the donor is ineligible for a tax receipt. If a donor does not receive any benefit, a tax receipt may be issued. It is our practice to automatically issue tax receipts for donations of $20 or more, and for donations less than $20, upon request.
Please note that donations of any amount made online with a valid email address will be receipt automatically.
Complete donor contact information is required to ensure receipts can be issued: first and last name, mailing address and donation amount. All cheques should be made payable to the MS Society of Canada.
The CRA outlines that as a charity, we are only able to issue tax receipts to the person making the donation. Tax receipts cannot be sent to someone other than the donor.
The MS Society’s tax receipting guidelines are based on the policies outlined by the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA). The MS Society must comply with this legislation to maintain its charitable status, hence the MS Society has control over the issuing of tax receipts and reserves the right to review and approve all tax receipting matters prior to issuing charitable receipts. Tax receipts can only be issued from MS Society offices upon receipt of the donation. Please contact us before guaranteeing tax receipts to anyone attending or contributing to your event.