Frequently Asked Questions
- How can I support Inter Pares’ work?
- Can I volunteer to work overseas or do an internship overseas with Inter Pares?
- Can I volunteer for Inter Pares or do an internship with Inter Pares?
- Can I visit Inter Pares-supported projects in other countries?
- Do you have any job openings?
- How can I find work in international development?
- How do I receive the Inter Pares Bulletin for free?
- Is Inter Pares a religious organization?
- Is my donation tax-deductible?
- How much of your money is spent on administration and fundraising?
- May I see your financial statements?
- I received your information by mail, but I have never requested these materials. How did this happen?
1. How can I support Inter Pares’ work?
You can donate to Inter Pares, engage in one of our campaigns, subscribe to our newsletter, and spread the word about Inter Pares’ work in your networks. Please visit the page "What you can do" for more information.
2. Can I volunteer to work overseas or do an internship overseas with Inter Pares?
Inter Pares is not a volunteer-sending agency, nor do we have offices overseas; rather, we work with local organizations. Several Canadian agencies do send volunteers and interns overseas; visit the websites of the 
Canadian Council for International Cooperation (CCIC) and the Association québécoise des organismes de coopération internationale (AQOCI) to find out which of their members offer this. For Canadians under 30, the federal government also offers youth internships abroad. Visit the Youth Employment Strategy's Career Focus page for more information.
3. Can I volunteer for Inter Pares or do an internship with Inter Pares?
We are not organized to work with volunteers or interns in a way that would be meaningful and satisfactory for all. Individuals interested in volunteering with a non-profit organization in Ottawa may consult Volunteer Ottawa, a referral agency which lists many volunteer opportunities with local non-profit organizations.
4. Can I visit Inter Pares-supported projects in other countries?
We get many such requests, and of course, although it is never intended as such, each introduction is an imposition on our overseas colleagues. They assume an obligation to offer hospitality and time. Indeed, most of these organizations are small and, like Inter Pares itself, do not have the capacity nor the infrastructure to deal with volunteers or other visitors in such a way that would make the experience meaningful. In addition, in many countries our counterparts are in delicate security situations due to their advocacy on behalf of the poor in the face of hostile and repressive government and military institutions; foreigners who are new to such situations often unwittingly enhance the vulnerability of the project and its principals, putting themselves, but more especially local nationals, at risk.
For this reason, we do not normally allow people to use the name of Inter Pares as an introduction without prior knowledge of the qualities and experience of the person, and extraordinary circumstances that clearly indicate concrete benefits to the counterpart. This allows our overseas colleagues to make their own judgement about whether they wish to dedicate time to a specific visitor, rather than acquiescing to us or others out of politeness.
5. Do you have any job openings?
Inter Pares is not currently hiring. If a job posting becomes available, we will post this information on our site.
6. How can I find work in international development?
The CCIC maintains a listing of current work opportunities in international development, both in Canada and abroad. AQOCI similarly posts opportunities in Quebec on its electronic bulletin board. Visit their sites at www.ccic.ca/e/006/employment.shtml and www.aqoci.qc.ca/membres/03_membresEmplois.asp. Another useful website for employment in the Canadian non-profit sector is Charity Village. For employment opportunities abroad in social justice issues, an excellent resource is Action Without Borders, as well as Human Rights Internet's work opportunities page. The Guardian Weekly also lists many development jobs abroad.
7. How do I receive the Inter Pares Bulletin for free?
Simply e-mail, fax, telephone, or write us to request our print publications. We would be pleased to put you on our mailing list. If you would like to subscribe to our e-newsletter, please visit our subscription page to be added to our e-list.
Please click here for our contact information.
8. Is Inter Pares a religious organization?
Inter Pares is a secular organization, though we are supported by and sometimes collaborate with several faith-based groups.
9. Is my donation tax-deductible?
Inter Pares issues tax receipts for all donations received. Our charitable registration number is (BN) 11897 1100 RR0001. The exact amount of your tax credit varies by province of residence and by taxable income.
10. How much of your money is spent on administration and fundraising?
In 2009, Inter Pares spent 3.7% and 5.7% of the funds we raised on administration and fundraising, respectively. To view our audited financial statements for 2009, please click here.
11. May I see your financial statements?
We know that information about finances and how money is managed is important when deciding whether to support a charity like Inter Pares. A summary version of our financial statements may be found in our Annual Report, which we send each spring to our supporters. It is one of many ways in which we are accountable to the Canadian public and to our donors.
12. I received your information by mail, but I have never requested these materials. How did this happen?
You have been a recipient of our direct mail campaign to attract new donors to our organization. As part of this campaign, we exchange names with other organizations, and send out information about Inter Pares in order to invite Canadians to become supporters. Receiving our literature through this campaign does not mean that you are on our mailing list. For those who do wish to be on our list, please contact us to this effect, and we would be happy to add your name. For those who do not wish to be on our mailing list, simply do nothing and you will not receive our publications. We do not retain the names to which we mail (we in fact only see the names of those who reply), so do not have a list from which we can delete your name.
For those who do not wish to receive solicitations from us, or from other non-profit organizations, we advise that you register with the Canadian Marketing Association (CMA). The CMA enters the names and addresses you give them on a master delete file that is compared to any list they are compiling for direct mail campaigns; the effect is that your name and address will be automatically deleted from mailing lists before these mailings go out. Inter Pares and all other reputable charities as a matter of principle and policy always use CMA records to screen out the names of those who have written the CMA to request this. Visit here to use this service. Before doing so, however, please consider clicking here to find out more about the important role of direct mail in non-profit organizations.
| Reviewed July 29, 2009 |  |
Publishing Policies |
