Any truth to this rumour?

[Huntnfish]

No offense to the last two posters, but I've been following the thread since I posted a few pages ago.

What my take away is this.

It may have begun up here with noble intentions, but activities fell off, correct?

Local chapters held banquets etc to raise funds, but weren't exactly sure where those funds were being allocated, correct?

The last two posters, who profess to have been involved with the organization at some point don't even seem to be on the same page as to what the NWTF actually does, or it's mission.

All of that combines in the last few pages to paint a picture of an organization that we, the hunters of Ontario, are better off without.

Notwithstanding Glenn Kelly, I'm sure you gave it your all. There are lots of organizations that would love to have a guy like you aboard, many who do broad based initiatives, which benefit habitat for turkey, as well as other species.

One of the reasons I am a active member of DUC isn't that I'm a rabid duck hunter. As a matter of fact I don't hunt ducks much anymore, but the preservation of wetlands assists the habitat of all game species. Where a wetland occurs, there are always buffer zones, and flood plains that are wooded, scrub, etc. You never see a wetland just stop, and cultivated fields begin. It is in those areas that many game species flourish, ergo, my support of an organization like DUC.

Yes I read the info about the NWTF A NON PROFiT organization but raising 23000 plus dollars and getting saplings in return is just plain cheap, no I'm not on the same page and that's why I quit it, the OFAH fought hard and I seen the names of their top guys fighting for the flawed gun registry and won on this issue, I m a hunter that does care about the resources and I don't Argue that they the NWTF did not do anything but they made a crap load of money at the expense of a lot of people that thought they would see a lot more support and money back to their area, you put money in a RRSP and expect a return on your investment, with them it was take take take. Truth hurts.

[ahadley]

With regard to "charitable" vs. "non-profit" it is essentially the difference between being able issue charitable tax receipts for donations... and not. Memberships dues don't count for donations nor to banquet tickets or similar. Only funds paid in excess of the price for these items would qualify for a tax receipt.

Not having charitable status can affect fundraising efforts but there are a number of groups like Greenpeace and Amnesty International which are successful despite being non-profits instead of charities.

There are a variety of reasons that the CRA invites an organization to change status. Typically they are audit related but may also have to do with the nature of their work. It's often related to the proportion of funds that actually get spent on programs vs marketing expenses and staff salaries. It usually doesn't have anything to do with the geography of where the funds are spent (think of the Red Cross or World Vision - they spend millions on overseas relief programs). Information about the specifics can be found on the CRA website though it is a bit vague.

A visit to: http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/chrts-gvng/.../menu-eng.html

And search for `turkey federation` under Revoked for Cause yields the following from the CRA website.

Summary of Reasons for Revocation - National Wild Turkey Federation - Canada

The Canada Revenue Agency's (CRA) audit has revealed that the Organization is not complying with the requirements set out in the Income Tax Act. Specifically, it was found that the Organization did not devote all its resources to its charitable purposes, failed to issue donation receipts in accordance with the Act, failed to maintain proper books and records, and inaccurately completed the T3010, Registered Charity Information Return. For all of these reasons, and for each reason alone, it is the position of the CRA that the Organization no longer meets the requirements necessary for charitable registration and should be revoked in the manner described in subsection 168(1) of the Act.

Now don't read into this that the NWTF is good or bad. The CRA has gotten much more stringent and strict with charities over the past few years. Many of these issues could be administrative. I'll leave it to your experience with the organization to make up your own opinion. It is however unfortunate that they've decided to withdraw from Canada rather than bring themselves into compliance.

[mark270wsm]

the nwtf got robbed, they helped introduce the turkeys here in ontario with alot of other organizations ofah was one of them . the ofah got the turkey course to help reduce the cost of relocating turkeys, there has been no turkeys transfered in a long time or very few where is all that money going every year. i know things are expensive to put on but now is the time to incoporate it into the hunter saftey course. how much money do you have to have left over before you are not considered not for profit or charitable ??

[Russ Donnelly]

I’m Russ Donnelly, the Regional Director for Ontario & Eastern Canada for Delta Waterfowl – I am based in Mississauga.

I’ve had quite a few contacts from NWTF chapters in the past couple of weeks that, given the recent demise of the NWTF event system in Canada, are interested in continuing their volunteer fundraising work with another group.

Delta Waterfowl is a membership funded organization (we do receive small research grants for our biological and conservation work, but majority of our operating budget comes from our memberships and fundraising events), established in 1911, that has a simple mandate – to ensure the future of waterfowl and waterfowl hunting.

The funds raised in Canada through our memberships and our events system stay in Canada to fund our Canadian operations in Winnipeg, the Delta Marsh and our research centre in Minnedosa.

We have an extensive research and conservation arm (ALUS), we promote first hunt / youth hunt programs and the installation of nesting structures, and we advocate on behalf of the hunting community on issues that will impact us. The recent abolishment of the Long Gun Registry was a Delta “win” – the Federal Government credits the lobby work of Delta Waterfowl as a key reason for the scrapping of the registry. We don’t only lobby on waterfowl issues, either – we recently were part of a group that got a dove season for Ontario, a crane season in Alberta, and we’re currently working on a crane season for Ontario, for example. We also get involved in local issues, as brought forth by our chapters.

When our local chapters hold local fundraising events, they retain 25% of the net proceeds raised to do local projects – youth / first hunt programs, installing nesting structures, maintaining habitat, offering scholarships, etc. This 25% retention is a key to the Delta methodology – we need the local grassroots support, and what better way to show our thanks than be allowing some of the funds to be reinvested locally.

We have an extensive event system, with fantastic event items, guns, gear, that changes yearly.

If you and some of your group is active in waterfowling and you’d like to know more about Delta and how we operate, I’d love to come and meet you and speak with you further about Delta. Please feel free to contact me at your convenience.

Cheers,

Russ


Russ Donnelly
Regional Director, Eastern Canada
Delta Waterfowl Foundation
647 228 6852
[email protected]

[shorst97]

I received that letter back in the fall. I wrote them back saying how disappointed I was in them and they just sent me back a cookie cutter response dodging the truth. I plan on taking my money that I would have spent on membership renewal and put it into a program that actually supports its Canadian members like DU or Delta Waterfowl.