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FAQs for donors & supporters

Our Frequently Asked Questions

General

Is Twice Upon a Time a registered charity with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)?

Yes! Our Registered Charity Number is 803095777 RR0001. We issue tax receipts for monetary donations over $15. We do not issue tax receipts for any book donations.

How can I make a monetary donation to Twice Upon a Time?

Visit our donation page for more information on how to make a financial donation.

How can I set up a recurring donation?

We are so grateful that you’d like to set up a recurring donation to Twice Upon a Time! You can set up monthly donations through our donation page by selecting “donate monthly.”

How can I learn more about the impact of my donation?

Every year, we report on Twice Upon a Time’s income and expenses, including how we spend the funds you have so generously donated in our Annual Reports. Donors can also learn more about our impact by subscribing to regular newsletters and periodic emails, and following Twice Upon a Time on social media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn).

How do you pay for expenses other than books?

Although Twice Upon a Time is 100% volunteer-run, we do have operating costs which include but are not limited to:

  • CanadaHelps platform costs and processing fees (this ensures that our donations are processed quickly and securely)
  • Insurance
  • Marketing and public outreach costs, including the costs associated with our website and fundraising campaigns
  • Memberships
  • Rental fees for our storage unit

These costs are paid with individual and corporate monetary donations, as well as with grant funds.

Does Twice Upon a Time issue tax receipts for book donations?

We do not issue tax receipts for book donations. The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) requires that in-kind donations be assessed for fair market value (FMV) to provide a tax receipt for the value of any non-cash donations. To do this, we would need our volunteers to assess the value of book donations, and for donations valued at more than $1,000, we would need to hire a professional appraiser to assess the correct FMV. The resource cost – both human and financial – is too great for our non-profit right now. But we dream of one day having enough resources to reconsider this policy!

Book acquisitions

Twice Upon a Time gives out free books to Ottawa kids. Where do these books come from?

We rely on our generous donors to help support our mission of giving free books to Ottawa kids. In 2023, more than 80% of the new or nearly new books acquired were from book donors. The rest were purchased with donations and grant funds.

How do you decide what books to buy?

A number of factors determine what books Twice Upon a Time purchases with monetary donations provided by our donors:

  • Gaps in our inventory determined by our Acquisitions Team
  • Current and relevant titles that kids love and have requested
  • The amount of donations received for each of our funding areas (diversity, French, Indigenous, other)
  • The amount of grants that we receive, as well as the purpose of the grants (for example, some grants are targeted to specific age groups, while others require us to buy certain categories of books)

Our Acquisitions team is responsible for our book inventory. The team works closely with our site volunteers, who give out books to children and take notes about popular titles and the types of readers they meet. This way we can be sure to offer the right books to the children we serve.

What books are most popular with the children who visit you?

We continue to be amazed by our young readers’ interests! While our in-demand titles continue to be popular, we know that children’s interests change over time—often quite quickly! We’re sure to review this list at least twice per year to continue to offer current and relevant titles. Children ask for and want more than the popular titles. So we offer a wide range of books, both fiction and non-fiction, in English and French. While we offer children books that we have heard anecdotally are of interest to them, our young readers surprise us daily with their choices and interests. So, we strive to offer as many options as possible so that every child can go home with a book that speaks to them that day.

How can I host a book drive on behalf of Twice Upon a Time?

We rely heavily on book donations to give free books to children across Ottawa. Every book makes a difference! As a first step, please review our book donation guidelines. These will help you ask for the right books for the children we serve. A review of our in-demand titles will also prove useful as you prepare: When donors ask you what books we need most, you can provide them with a copy of this list! Finally, when you’re ready to begin, please send us an email at info@twiceuponatime.ca for marketing materials to help you during your book drive. We will also be able to answer any questions you may have, offer additional support, and make arrangements for advertising your book drive on our social media platforms. We can also discuss how best to collect the books from you after you have finished your book drive.

Where can I drop off book donations for Twice Upon a Time?

Donations of 20 books or less can be dropped off at one of our four bookstore partner locations: Books on Beechwood, Coin du livre, Octopus Books, and Singing Pebble Books. For donations larger than 20 books, or books collected during a book drive, kindly contact us at info@twiceuponatime.ca to make arrangements. Large donations can also be dropped off at the Dymon Storage located at 323 Coventry Road in Vanier, Ottawa.

I am an author or publisher and would love to donate copies of my book to Twice Upon a Time. How do I get in touch?

Thank you so much for your interest in donating books to our organisation! To ensure our young readers love your book as much as we do, please email us at info@twiceuponatime.ca to arrange an internal review.

Our Acquisitions team reviews titles to ensure they meet our book donation guidelines and appeal to our young readers, ages 0 to 12. If accepted, they will arrange for the delivery of the book to us.

Donors often ask us how many copies we'd like to receive. While we love to receive 5 to 8 copies of each title from our author and publisher donors, every book helps us meet our mission of getting free books to kids. Please do not hesitate to donate as many copies as you want! 

Note that we do not accept e-books or online books. For donations larger than 20 books, or books collected during a book drive, kindly contact us at info@twiceuponatime.ca to make arrangements. Large donations can also be dropped off at the Dymon Storage located at 323 Coventry Road in Vanier, Ottawa.

Bookstore partners

Who are Twice Upon a Time’s bookstore partners?

We are fortunate to have longstanding partnerships with four independent bookstores in Ottawa: Books on Beechwood, Coin du livre, Octopus Books, and Singing Pebble Books. These bookstores generously accept book donations on our behalf. Twice Upon a Time recognizes that generosity by purchasing some of our new books from these bookstores. To extend their generosity even further, these bookstores offer us a discount on our book purchases, allowing us to stretch our budget even further. Win-win-win!

Can I buy books from your bookstore partner and donate them to Twice Upon a Time?

Absolutely. And, in fact, we encourage it! We’re fortunate to have the generous support of our four bookstore partners. We would love it if you could support them too! Please feel free to purchase new books from these independent bookstores and donate them to Twice Upon a Time by leaving them with their staff.

How do you choose your bookstore partners?

It is important to us to support local businesses wherever we can. Our bookstore partners are local independent bookshops that have served the Ottawa community and some, for several decades! It was a natural fit for us to partner with these bookstores.

How do I become a bookstore partner?

If you feel your bookstore would be a great partner to help us fulfill our mission of giving free books to Ottawa kids, email us at info@twiceuponatime.ca and one of our volunteers will contact you shortly.

Volunteers

Does Twice Upon a Time have any paid staff?

No. We are a 100% volunteer-run charity. Our organization is led by a leadership team consisting of a Board of Directors, Committee Leads, and Site Leads.

How do I volunteer with Twice Upon a Time?


Visit our page on Volunteer Ottawa for the latest volunteer opportunities and apply directly through the site.

Not finding what you’re looking for? No problem! Contact us and explain how you’d like to help Twice Upon a Time give free books to Ottawa kids.

What kind of volunteer opportunities are available with Twice Upon a Time?

Twice Upon a Time is divided into five branches of operations:
  • We are led by a Board of Directors consisting of a President, Vice President, Treasurer, Executive Secretary, and one Member at Large. Various volunteers, including experts in events, governance, and human resources support the Board.
  • Four Committees lead our day-to-day operations:
    • Acquisitions, who are responsible for accepting and sorting book donations, coordinating book drives, maintaining book inventory, and book purchasing
    • Communications, who are responsible for our brand, marketing and promotion, social media/blog/web, newsletters, annual reports and other periodic external emails
    • Fundraising, who are responsible for individual and corporate donations, grant applications and evaluations, donation campaigns, and fundraising events
    • Volunteers, who are responsible for giving free books to children through our pop-up bookstores, self-serve bookshelves, and community program partners
We welcome applications for any of the committees listed above. We will be sure to contact all applicants who we feel can contribute to Twice Upon a Time’s mission of giving free books to Ottawa kids!

Are volunteers required to undergo a check with the Ottawa Police?

Volunteers who will be working directly with children are required to undergo a vulnerable sector check with the Ottawa Police. This check must be renewed at least every two years to continue volunteering with Twice Upon a Time’s young readers. Some of our pop-up bookstore partners may require additional screening and checks. We’ll let you know of any additional requirements after we receive your application.

I don’t want to volunteer, but I have great ideas to share about communications/book selections/events/fundraising campaigns, etc. Who can I contact to share those ideas with Twice Upon a Time?

Great! We want to hear from you! Please send us an email at info@twiceuponatime.ca with your ideas, connections, and recommendations. We’ll be sure to follow up!

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