Donors want to be respected and listened to. If somebody asks to be taken off a mailing list, they get pissed (rightfully) when they get mail the next year. All you can do is apologize and do your best to fix it for the future.

While I support charity starting at home, for those who can afford it, my suggestion this holiday season is to split donations into two: one for your favourite local charity or food bank and another for NGOs or UN agencies addressing humanitarian disasters overseas.

While helping to organize yet another fundraising auction, I noticed that a few of the artists I approached felt unable to donate work, either because it didn't make sense for them financially at the time or because they had recently given work to one of the other (older) auctions taking place in Toronto.

Ideally, given that two federal parties currently do not have leaders, all parties should work together and pass a bill that democratizes party leadership and nomination races and uphold the democratic principles of one person, one vote, and of honesty, openness, ethics and fair and accurate representation.

THE CANADIAN PRESS -- HALIFAX - A donation from Sidney Crosby has helped Nova Scotia's largest children's hospital expand and renovate a lounge used b...