Frequently Asked Questions

General Information

Q. What is The Arthritis Society Walk to Fight Arthritis?

A.  The Walk to Fight Arthritis is The Arthritis Society’s marquee fundraising event. The Walk unites those who feel the emotional and physical pain of arthritis in communities across the country to fund a cure and improve the lives of those living with arthritis.

Q. When is the Walk to Fight Arthritis?

A. The Walk takes place in most provinces on Sunday, June 4, 2017. Quebec's Walk events are on Saturday, June 3, 2017. Please check your Walk location page for all of the event details.

Q. Where is the Walk to Fight Arthritis?

A.  The 8th annual Walk to Fight Arthritis will take place in over 30 communities across Canada on Sunday, June 4, 2017. The Arthritis Society is proud to also offer Canadians the opportunity to join a “Virtual Walk” through which people can participate and fundraise if they are unable to attend an official Walk site.

Q. What is a community in motion?

A. Passionate ambassadors also have the opportunity to get their ‘Community in Motion’ by hosting their own Walk. Participants are able to register, fundraise and are eligible for all the Walk perks! Email walk@arthritis.ca or call 1-855-825-WALK (9255)

Q. Can I bring my dog?

A. Yes, but for safety reasons dogs must be on a leash.

Q. If I decide last minute that I want to walk on event day do I have to register?

A. Yes, for the safety of all participants, everyone must register as a participant.

Q. What forms of payment can I use to make a donation or pay my registration fee?

A. You can use Visa, MasterCard, American Express. We are currently unable to process debit card transactions.

Q. Where does the money raised at the Walk to Fight Arthritis go?

A. The funds are spread across these areas:

  • Research into breakthrough treatments and potential cures for arthritis
  • Developing ways to improve the quality of life for those with arthritis
  • Educational materials and informative events provided at no cost
  • Local programs and services to help people with arthritis face specific challenges and live well with arthritis

Q. Is The Arthritis Society a registered charity?

A. Yes. The Society's charitable number is 10807 1671 RR0003. When you donate to The Society you will receive a tax receipt.


Registration

Q. Can I register offline?

A. You may register via regular mail by downloading the registration form or you can register at your local Walk on event day

Q. May I use my username and password from previous years?

A.No. We have a brand new website this year that will make registration and fundraising easier than ever so you will be required to create a new user name and password. This will be good for other Arthritis Society events, in addition to next year’s Walk.

Q. How much is the registration fee?

A. The registration fee for the Walk is $25.00 for adults and $10.00 for students (13 to 18 years of age). If you commit to raising $100.00 (for adults) or $60.00 (for students) the registration fee will be waived. Please note that some sites also have Run events these have additional registration fees and are location specific.

Q. Where can I pay my registration fee?

A. You have 2 payment options.

  • Registration fees can be paid online during the registration process.
  • Registration fees can be paid on event day at the registration table.

*Registration fees cannot be refunded after payment.

Q. What forms of payment can I use to make a donation or pay my registration fee?

A. You can use Visa, MasterCard, American Express or PayPal. We are currently unable to process debit card transactions.

Q. Why is there a registration fee?

A. The Walk to Fight Arthritis is a fundraising event. Funds raised go directly to research, education and resources for the 4.6 million Canadians living with arthritis. We charge a registration fee to offset costs associated with the event.

Q. Can you convert my donation into a registration fee?

A. No, donations cannot be converted to registration fees.

Q. If I pay the registration fee will I receive a refund if I hit the waive fee level?

A. Any donations received after the registration fee has been paid are gratefully accepted; however registration fees are non-refundable.

Q. What is a community in motion?

A. Are you interested in hosting your own Walk? Passionate ambassadors also have the opportunity to get their ‘Community in Motion’ by hosting their own Walk. Participants are able to register, fundraise and are eligible for all the Walk perks! Email walk@arthritis.ca or call 1-855-825-WALK (9255)

Q. I registered as an individual, but now want to participate on an existing team or form my own team. How can I do this?

A. You can join a team from your participant centre. Please login and select change team membership on the ride hand side of the page, from there you can search for a team to join. If you require assiatance, please contact Walk Support at walk@arthritis.ca or 1.855.825.9255.

Q. I am already registered at a location, but now would like to change my location. How can I do this?

A. No problem! We are happy to help, please contact Walk support at 1.855.825.9255 or email walk@arthritis.ca.


Website

Q. May I use my username and password from previous years?

A. No. We have a brand new website this year that will make registration and fundraising easier than ever so you will be required to create a new user name and password. This will be good for other Arthritis Society events, in addition to next year’s Walk.

Q. What is my fundraising page?

A.This is the page that all of your supporters will come to make donations. Personalize this page - edit the content, tell everyone why this cause is important to yo, add a photo or video. Also be sure to set your fundraising goal.

Q. What is my Participant Centre?

A. This is your personal online fundraising hub send emails to friends and family, recruit team members, set your fundraising goal, track your progress and share your story.

Q. Can I upload my address book from my Outlook, Hotmail, Yahoo or Gmail account?

A. Gmail and Yahoo contacts can be directly uploaded to your participate centre to make your life super easy! Send emails, keep track of who opens, when to send thank you emails and more! Hotmail, Apple, Outlook and other providers can be uploaded too. You must go to your email, select contacts and export a .CSV file. Save the .CSV file on your computer, go to your participant centre and upload. Magically, all of your contacts will appear you can then select who you would like to contact.

Q. If I import my donor information online, will the Society be able to contact these people?

A. Your privacy is important to us. Staff or volunteers cannot view or access your online information. Your information is confidential and is only accessible by entering your personal username and password, to which The Society does not have access.

Q. I registered as an individual, but now want to participate on an existing team or form my own team. How can I do this?

A. You can join a team from your participant centre. Please login and select change team membership on the ride hand side of the page, from there you can search for a team to join. If you require assistance, please contact Walk Support atwalk@arthritis.ca or 1.855.825.9255.

Q. I am already registered at a location, but now would like to change my location. How can I do this?

A. We'd be happy to help, please contact Walk support at 1.855.825.9255 or email walk@arthritis.ca


Teams

Q. How do I register a team?

A. You can register a team by selecting 'Create a Team' during the registration process.

Q. How do I join a team?

A. You can join a team online by selecting 'Join a Team' in the registration process. Note: The Team Captain must register the team first before team members can join.

Q. Can I register my team the day of the event?

A.Yes! Teams can register on event day at their local Walk to Fight Arthritis event.

Q. If I make a donation to my team, will I receive a tax receipt?

A. Yes, you will receive a tax receipt.

Q. Can I donate to a specific team member?

A.  Yes you can! You can donate to an individual team member by searching for them after clicking on the donate button.

Q. I registered as an individual, but now want to participate on an existing team or form my own team. How can I do this?

A. You can join a team from your participant centre. Please login and select change team membership on the ride hand side of the page, from there you can search for a team to join. If you require assiatance, please contact Walk Support at walk@arthritis.ca or 1.855.825.9255

Q. I am already registered at a location, but now would like to change my location. How can I do this?

A.We'd be happy to help, please contact Walk support at 1.855.825.9255 or email walk@arthritis.ca


Donations

Q. Where can I find an offline donation form?

A. The offline donation form can be found under the fundraising resources tab. Or you can click here.

Q. What do I do with my cash and cheque donations?

A. Offline donation will be formally counted as part of your fundraising when they are received by The Society. Cash and cheque donations can be entered in your participant centre. NOTE: if you wish to bring any cash or cheque donation with you on Walk day, please ensure you also complete the offline donation form.

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Q. What do I do with my credit card donations?

A.All credit card donations are processed centrally after the event.

Q. Why is the Card Verification Value Code (CVV) needed?

A. Card Verification Value Code (CVV) is an anti-fraud security feature to help verify that you are in possession of your credit card. For Visa/MasterCard, the three-digit CVV number is printed on the signature panel on the back of the card immediately after the last four digits of your card's account number.

Q. How do I submit offline donations?

A. Offline donation will be formally counted as part of your fundraising when they are received by The Society. Cash and cheque donations can be entered in your participant centre. NOTE: if you wish to bring any cash or cheque donation with you on Walk day, please ensure you also complete the offline donation form.

Q. When will The Society send out tax receipts for Walk to Fight Arthritis donations?

A.Donate online and you will get an electronic tax receipt the same day. The Society will begin to issue tax receipts for all offline donations September 1, 2017, but no later than February 28, 2018.

Q. May I make a donation if I'm not participating in the Walk to Fight Arthritis?

A.Absolutely. You can donate online at www.walktofightarthritis.ca

Q. Does The Society accept corporate matching donations?

A.Yes, for more information on corporate donations options, please click here.

Q. My donor accidentally donated to the team instead of me, can the donation be transferred?

A.If a donor mistakenly donates to your team and would like to transfer the donation to an individual participant, the donor will need to contact Walk support at 1.855.825.9255 or email walk@arthritis.ca

Q. Can I donate to a specific team member?

A.  Yes you can! You can donate to an individual team member by searching for them after clicking on the donate button.


Tax Receipts

Q. Is there a minimum donation in order to get a tax receipt?

A. Tax receipts are automatically issued for all online donation (regardless of amount). Tax receipts are issued for offline donations of $20 or more, however donors can request a tax receipt for a donation of any amount.

Q. When will The Society send out tax receipts for Walk to Fight Arthritis donations?

A. Donate online and you will get an electronic tax receipt the same day. The Society will begin to issue tax receipts for offline donations September 1, 2017 but no later than February 28, 2018.

Q. I have lost my original tax receipt and require a duplicate. What do I do?

A. For tax receipt inquires, requests for replacements, and/or corrections contact Walk support at 1.855.825.9255 or email walk@arthritis.ca.

Q. I made an online donation and I cannot open my tax receipt? Why is this?

A.Electronic tax receipts are sent in PDF format. If you currently do not have Adobe Reader on your computer, you will not be able to open the attachment. Download Adobe Reader: http://www.adobe.com/downloads/. For a replacement tax receipts, requests for reprints, and/or corrections please contact Walk support at 1.855.825.9255 or email walk@arthritis.ca.

Q. I have collected money offline. When can my donors expect a tax receipt?

A. Offline forms are manually processed at The Society. As a result, tax receipts are issued after the Walk to Fight Arthritis. You and your donors can expect to receive tax receipts between September and February. Our deadline to issue offline tax receipts is February 28, 2018.

Q. Do I get a tax receipt for paying my registration fee?

A. The Society is not able to issue a tax receipt or refund the registration fee according to CRA (Canadian Revenue Agency) guidelines.

Q. How long is the tax receipt valid for?

A. According to CRA guidelines, you have up to 5 years from the date of issue to include this on your tax return.

Didn't find what you are looking for?

Contact Walk support at 1.855.825.9255 or email walk@arthritis.ca