Thank you for being an essential part of The Narwhal community! Your support allows us to tell in-depth stories about the natural world in Canada you can’t find anywhere else. We’re truly honoured by your trust. To help you make the most of your membership, we’ve answered some of your most frequently asked questions and more.
What does it mean to become a member of The Narwhal?
Becoming a member of The Narwhal means supporting our ad-free, independent journalism through recurring contributions. Members are crucial in funding our in-depth environmental reporting, which remains accessible to readers without a paywall.
Not a member yet? Go here to join our pod
What are the other ways I can support The Narwhal?
In addition to monthly, annual or one-time donations, you can support our work through gifts of securities, legacy gifts in your will, donating an RRSP or by contributing to The Narwhal Fund for Journalism. For more information, please visit our ways to give page.
Viewing and managing donations
Where can I view my current donations?
Sign in to our member portal to view and manage your donations by entering the email address you used to make your donation. From there, you’ll receive a “magic link” to your inbox that grants you access to the portal.
Why don’t I see all my donation history?
Only transactions since we started the membership portal are displayed. For most members, this is not a complete look at your donation history with The Narwhal. For a more comprehensive donation history, feel free to contact us at donations@thenarwhal.ca.
How do I update my credit card information for my recurring donation?
- Sign in to our member portal. You’ll find a record of your donations to The Narwhal in the portal.
- Choose the active recurring donation and click change payment method.
- A popup will appear where you can input your new credit card information and cardholder name.
- After submitting your information, click update payment method.
Go here for an in-depth guide on updating your credit card information.
How do I cancel my recurring donation?
- In the member portal, you will find a table with all of your payments and details.
- Choose the active recurring donation that you would like to cancel and click on it to see the details.
- Click on cancel contribution at the bottom and confirm the change.
- Once cancelled, the status of your donation will be updated to “cancelled” in the portal, and you will receive a confirmation email after cancelling your membership.
Go here for an in-depth guide on cancelling your recurring donation.
How can I change the amount of my recurring donation?
- Sign in to our member portal.
- Choose the active recurring donation that you want to modify and click on it to see the details.
- In the detail view, click Change billing amount to input the amount.
- Once you click Save, your next payment for your recurring donation will reflect the adjusted amount. You’ll receive an email confirming the change to your membership.
Go here for an in-depth guide on changing the amount of your recurring donation.
Tax receipts and deductions
When will I receive my tax receipt?
One-time donations: Tax receipts are automatically emailed to you immediately after your donation is processed.
Monthly and annual recurring donations: A consolidated tax receipt is emailed at the beginning of the following year for all donations made in the previous year.
Are my donations tax-deductible?
Yes! The Narwhal is a registered journalism organization in Canada, a status that allows us to issue tax receipts for donations, just like any registered charity.
I lost my tax receipt. How can I get another copy?
Please email the membership team at donations@thenarwhal.ca and we will gladly send a copy for your records.
What is the de minimus calculation on my tax receipt?
The de minimus calculation is required by the Canada Revenue Agency. Organizations must subtract the fair market value of a gift from the tax receipt total if the fair market value of the gift accounts for more than 10 per cent of an individual’s total donations in a year.
For example: If you donated $5/month from March to December ($50 total) and received a Narwhal toque with a fair market value of $30, your tax-deductible amount would be $50 – $30 = $20.
What items are included in the de minimus calculation?
Narwhal Toque: $30
Narwhal Tote Bag: $20
Who can I contact if I have more questions?
Feel free to reach out to our membership team at donations@thenarwhal.ca. We’re happy to help with any questions or concerns!
