Standards Exemption Requests

Purpose and Scope

Accreditation shows that a charity is trustworthy. To achieve Accreditation, members must meet 100% of the Standards of Accountability. In rare cases, a charity’s unique situation may warrant a limited exemption from a specific Indicator. This process outlines how exemptions can be requested and approved while maintaining the integrity of CCCC Accreditation. This process differs from addressing compliance concerns rated as part of the regular compliance process.

Eligibility Principles

To be considered, exemption requests must meet all of these criteria:

  • Indicator-level focus: The exemption applies only to a specific Indicator and not the entire Standard.
    Core intent met: Proposed exemption provides equal or greater assurance than the baseline Indicator’s control(s).
  • Legal compliance: No exemption to laws, regulations or CRA policy.
    Feasibility and verifiability: Must be practical and auditable.
  • Temporary: Every exemption that is granted is considered temporary and remains active for a period of four years. Members must reapply for the exemption after the four-year period has elapsed. Subsequent approvals are not guaranteed.
  • Protect donors: Donor trust is central. Exemptions will not be granted if they are perceived to cause harm to donors or erode public trust, even if they are technically compliant.
    Public disclosure: The exempted charity must commit to transparency in its own communication and use of the CCCC Accreditation logo, including a statement on its website about the time-limited exemption granted to the charity.
  • Board awareness: If appropriate for the member’s governance structure, the member must confirm whether the board is aware of the exemption request.
  • Non-exemptible Indicators: Exemptions are not permitted to any of the following:
    • 1.1 – Statement of faith (in very rare circumstances, an exemption may be considered for the roles required to affirm the written statement of faith)
    • 2.1 – Board’s independence
    • 3.1 – Audit/review of financial statements
    • 4.1 – Legal/regulatory compliance
    • 4.2 – Integrity, Conflicts of Interest, and Privacy
    • 5.1.a – No commission-based fundraising
    • 5.4 – Donor privacy
      Any Indicators reflective of legal and/or regulatory requirements for charities will not be considered for exemption.

Process

  1. Submit Request: The member submits a request through the Standards Exemption Request form, providing the required details.
  2. Initial Staff Review: Accreditation staff confirm the application is complete, prepare a summary, assess risks, make a recommendation to the Accreditation Exemption Committee and draft a disclosure text if recommending that the exemption be approved.
  3. Committee Review: A cross-functional CCCC Accreditation Exemption Committee reviews the request and may seek expert advice.
  4. Secondary Staff Review: Accreditation staff prepare a final recommendation for Executive Review, if required.
  5. Executive Review: The Executive may approve (with or without conditions), defer a decision pending further information, or decline. In its sole discretion, CCCC Executive and/or Accreditation staff may determine that an Executive Review is not required.
  6. Decision Letter: Accreditation staff send a written decision to the member, including, where applicable, conditions, monitoring requirements, renewal terms, revocation rules, an appeal path, and other relevant information, if any. Members may submit one written appeal within 20 business days of the date of the decision. The appeal must include new information or approaches that the member is willing to implement. The appeal will be reviewed by Accreditation Staff, who will review it and determine whether it should go to back to the Accreditation Exemption Committee or directly to the Executive.
  7. Implementation and Disclosure: Member confirms conditions are met; CCCC posts disclosure on giveconfidently.ca.
  8. Monitoring: Each year, as part of its Annual Standards Check, the member must verify that it continues to require the exemption and continues to meet any and all conditions related to the granting of its exemption.
  9. Revocation: Exemptions are conditional and may be withdrawn by CCCC at any time if conditions lapse or facts change. Members must report material changes within 10 business days to the Accreditation staff. The Executive determines revocation.
  10. Expiration and Reapplication: After the temporary exemption expires, the member must submit a new application. Subsequent approvals are not guaranteed.

CCCC Transparency and Public Disclosure

CCCC will be transparent about exemptions in the following ways:

  1. The charity’s profile page includes a note about its time-limited exemption.
  2. An aggregated list of all active exemptions granted through the above process is shown below.

Members with an active exemption:

[No exemptions at present]

Section: About Accreditation