Donated hours are a special way for hosts and donors to share in a musical conversation. You choose a show, we schedule your hour, and the host gets in touch with you to find out about the music that moves you. Then the host carefully puts together a program that honours your musical story. When the date and time arrive, tune in and enjoy your donated hour, knowing that you have given a gift of musical programming to everyone who is listening.
How it Works
- Complete the online Donated Hour form with a donation of $1000 or more
- Indicate if you are donating through your company (see below for tax receipt implications)
- CKUA staff will confirm your contact information (or the recipient’s, if you’re donating on behalf of someone else,) when they schedule the hour; it is your responsibility to add to or correct the information.
- Please try to stick to a max of three artist suggestions.
- We’ll schedule your hour, and send you an email confirming the date and time.
- A few days before the program airs, the host will be in touch with you to find out about your musical tastes and whether the hour is in occasion of anything. The host will try at least twice to connect with you.
- The host may reference your musical requests but is not obligated to fulfill any that would significantly depart from their format (just in case you request Una Paloma Blanca be played 17 times in a row.)
- Please note that it is illegal to request a song to be played in return for a donation, if playing that song benefits you or your family members.
- CKUA announcers are, of course, human (no robots or aliens here) and sometimes fall sick or have to make last-minute schedule changes. We’ll do our best to accommodate your request, but CKUA may have to schedule the hour based on availability of the time slot.
- When the day and hour comes, tune in and enjoy the hour that your donation has helped support! And remember that with OnDemand, you can listen to your donated hour as often as you’d like, for a week after the program airs.
The CRA and Tax Receipts
CKUA issues tax receipts for donations, under the watchful eye of the CRA. There are very specific laws about who can issue receipts, and how they can be issued. And, of course, there are very serious consequences for deliberate or accidental non-compliance with these laws.
The difference between donating vs sponsoring an hour
A donated hour is a donation acknowledged by a host on air with thanks to the donor, and is eligible for a charitable tax receipt. A sponsored hour is payment in expectation for a material advantage, such as advertising or promotion, and is not eligible for a charitable tax receipt.
Some Donated Hour FAQs
- Are all donations eligible for a charitable tax receipt in Canada?
No. The CRA has rules that CKUA must follow to retain our charitable status and our authority to issue charitable tax receipts. If a donor is receiving a material advantage through donating, a charitable receipt cannot be issued. - Is on-air or online recognition giving a material advantage to a donor?
No. Social recognition is not viewed by the CRA as an activity that gives a material advantage, or causes ineligibility for charitable tax receipt. - Can a business donate an hour?
Yes, but the donated hour would be referred to as a sponsored hour, and the donor would receive a business receipt instead of a charitable tax receipt. - Can an individual donate an hour and ask for their company name to be recognized on-air?
Yes, but they would not be eligible for a charitable tax receipt. Instead, they would be issued a business receipt. - Can I get a copy of the hour as a keepsake?
Due to copyright law, we cannot provide a copy of a program. However, as part of our OnDemand feature, all donated hours can be heard for seven days after the show has initially aired.
We’re always here to chat if you have questions or ideas. Give us a shout at donors@ckua.com and thank you for all the ways you support CKUA!