FAQ - National Designation Fees

How does the GCWCC recover costs from other registered charities?

Alongside United Way Centraide and HealthPartners, more than 6,500 charities are supported each year through the GCWCC.

United Way Centraide Canada, as the Campaign Manager, is responsible for administering the campaign, including the distribution of funds to other registered charities.

In 2025, to respond to requests from GCWCC campaign teams and public servants across the country seeking clarity on designation fees, and in the spirit of continually improving systems to be more efficient, all donations to other registered charities through the GCWCC will now be 100% centrally processed.

Every donation incurs direct costs related to processing, receipting, communications, fundraising, and distribution. To recover the costs of these direct expenses, other registered charities incur a 19% designation fee on each donation.

Designation fees are not applied to donations made to the campaign’s Named Recipients, United Way Centraide and HealthPartners. However, the Named Recipients are responsible for their share of costs related to the management of the GCWCC.

While donating to another registered charity through the GCWCC incurs a designation fee, this process enables donors to set up as many recurring donations to as many charities as they would like, and have it removed in equal, regular deductions from their pay.

The designation is still a preferred option for many charities because they do not have to incur any fundraising costs, and they receive a direct payment with minimal use of their own resources, saving them money in the long run.

Going forward, if donors or charities have questions about their designations, they are encouraged to reach out to designations@unitedwayeo.ca