The duty announced Thursday that it had obtained the status of a registered journalistic organization (RJO), which now allows it to issue official donation receipts to its contributors.
“This is a huge recognition that our donors have been waiting for for years. Now, this will allow us to send them tax receipts with their donations,” underlines the daily’s director, Brian Myles. The latter mentions that The duty will also now be able to knock on the doors of recognized charities to solicit donations.
With the Les Amis du Devoir foundation, created in 1916, the newspaper could already count on philanthropic income thanks to donors. The latter, however, could not benefit from tax credits for their contributions.
Given that Le Duty will receive the donations itself due to its new status, the non-profit organization will be dissolved. “Les Amis du Devoir has been a truly impressive reservoir of volunteer commitment and support over the years,” says Mr. Myles.
The fact of now being a qualified donee gives the newspaper other tax advantages, such as exemption from tax on its income.
Additional income
These new financing avenues will be complementary to the paid subscription model “fiercely defended” by the daily for its printed and digital editions. “Now our structure becomes a little clearer. We will act on three pillars, namely the subscriber, the advertiser and the donor. This will allow us to diversify income,” specifies the director of Duty.
He hopes these changes will ultimately bring more stability to the newspaper. The latter gravitates in a media world constantly subject to challenges, particularly of a financial nature, states Brian Myles.
In Quebec, The duty is the sixth media outlet to receive the OJE designation since the implementation of support measures for Canadian journalism by the federal government in 2019-2020. We also count The Press, Journaldesvoisins.com from Montreal, Châteauguay Valley Community Information Services, The Mauricie Gazette in Trois-Rivières and the National Independent Information Cooperative.
This status is not necessarily suitable for all types of media, believes Mr. Myles. It is up to each of them to analyze the advantages and disadvantages of being a registered journalism organization. “I would say that philanthropic status works well for media that have a strong social contract with their supportive community and with their readers […] The donation is a bit like the consequence of a relationship that we have previously established with our community,” he analyzes.
Structural change
Since its founding, the daily has evolved under the legal umbrella of La Fiducie Le Devoir, recalls Mr. Myles.
In order to obtain the status of a registered journalism organization, the newspaper had to make significant changes to its legal structure, he relates. “ The duty had shareholders and the latter had to accept the transformation of their participation. Instead of having stocks with a dividend, they were given loans. We transformed the action into a loan. »
The shareholders, including the Editorial Union, however retain their voting rights and their seat on the board of directors of the Duty. The latter is now constituted and administered exclusively for purposes related to journalism.