Rebuilding Trust in Giving: Why We Created WellCheck

Trust fuels philanthropy. When it’s strong, giving grows. When it’s fragile, generosity stalls.

In Canada, that trust is fragile. Research from the Environics Institute shows that only 8% of Canadians trust charity leaders, down from 19% in 2008. Between 2000 and 2013, The Muttart Foundation reported a 33% drop in public confidence.

The result? Donors hesitate, charities over-explain, and the sector gets buried in repetitive “prove you’re trustworthy” paperwork.

Why WellCheck Exists

We created WellCheck to shift from endless forms to a single source of clarity and confidence.

Instead of asking every charity to answer the same 50 questions in slightly different ways for every funder, WellCheck standardizes and streamlines the process:

• Charities answer one shared set of questions about governance, leadership, finances, and impact. If the charity is already accredited by a leading accrediting agency, WellCheck factors this in!
• Funders receive a clear, two-page report created from those answers, CRA data, and recognized best practices from Imagine Canada, Bridgespan, and others.

Everyone saves time—no more PDFs for donors to sift through, no more duplicate forms for charities.

Already Making a Difference

We recently completed a dozen WellChecks with one of our DAF partners as they prepared to make significant gifts. WellCheck gave them the clarity and assurance to move forward, while simultaneously allowing the charities to focus on impact, rather than endless admin. Shortly after the DAF ran WellChecks, another, unrelated donor wanted to give a sizeable gift to a charity that had already completed their WellCheck. No more reasking the same questions!

What It Means for the Sector

WellCheck isn’t just another form. It’s a shared layer of due diligence that works across funders, foundations, and donor-advised funds (DAFs).

For donors it means quicker, more confident decisions

For charities it means less redundancy, less paperwork, more time for mission

For philanthropy it means a smarter, more trusted way to give

See WellCheck in Action

If you’re a donor, advisor, or foundation, you can now request WellChecks for charities you’re considering supporting.

If you’re a charity, completing WellCheck once will unlock access to multiple funders without having to repeatedly fill out 50 slightly different “trust” forms.

👉 Explore WellCheck today