Business Development

The TDSB engages with many community members, organizations and businesses for distribution of materials, donations, employee discounts, fundraising, grants and sponsorship opportunities with the goal of enhancing the learning experiences for our students. This area of the TDSB is overseen by the Business Development team. For more information, email businessdevelopment@tdsb.on.ca or call 416-397-3510.

Distribution of Materials

Any distribution or display of communications that will be placed in schools or on school property has to be with the consent of the TDSB. Business Development will facilitate the review process for all materials and a decision will be made on whether or not to distribute or display the materials. This process supports the TDSB’s responsibility to ensure that all material aligns with TDSB policies and procedures. For more information about distributing materials, please contact Meera McDonald, Business Development Coordinator at meera.mcdonald@tdsb.on.ca.

Donations

Donations are gifts of property or funds to support a specific activity. The TDSB issues charitable receipts or letters of acknowledgement for donations of $25 or more if paid by cheque or cash.

Donations are not tied to specific recognition, endorsement or other publicity, though it is good practice to thank donors, both privately and publicly for their support.

Online Donations

The TDSB's Online Donations Module allows TDSB schools to collect and track donations made online. Donors will receive a tax receipt for any donation amount (there is no minimum donation required). Donors receive their tax receipts via email and they can also retrieve and reprint tax receipts by logging on to the School Cash online website at http://schoolcashonline.com.

All TDSB schools now have access to the Online Donations Module. Please note that the online donations module is intended for TDSB internal fundraising purposes only and funds collected via this method are not intended for redistribution to other external charitable organizations.

In-Kind Donations

In-kind donations include new and gently used items, and vehicles. The donor is responsible for providing the donation voluntarily and arranging for delivery of the goods to the school. These types of donations may qualify for a tax receipt.

If a tax receipt is required, the donor must provide proof of the current fair market value of the goods. For new goods, an original invoice should be provided. For used goods and vehicles, the donor must provide a third party appraisal of the merchandise to be donated prior to the donation being made. For more information, please contact the Business Development department at 416-397-3510 and leave a message, or email businessdevelopment@tdsb.on.ca.

Fundraising

Fundraising encompasses a broad range of activities, including charitable donations, grants, sponsorships, and sale of products and services. For more information about fundraising, please contact Business Development at 416-397-3510 and leave a message, or email businessdevelopment@tdsb.on.ca.

The Approved Fundraising and Fun Fair Vendors Directory provides a list of approved vendors for schools to work with, as well as the procedures schools must use when planning events and initiatives, and spending their raised funds.

If you are interested in becoming an approved Fundraising and Fun Fair Vendor, please complete the online Fundraising and Fun Fair Vendor Application Form.

Grants, Contests and Scholarships

Business Development supports schools and/or school councils as they consider applying for grants and move through the application process. Grants are reviewed to ensure they align with TDSB policies and procedures. For more information, please contact the Business Development department at 416-397-3510 and leave a message, or email businessdevelopment@tdsb.on.ca.

Sponsorships

Sponsorships often involve pre-determined benefits for the sponsor, including use of corporate logo and/or materials, joint use of corporate logo with the TDSB logo, media opportunities and other forms of recognition. All recognition given to a sponsor must adhere to the Advertising Policy and Procedures. If you are interested in sponsoring an event, or have more questions regarding sponsorship, please contact Business Development at 416-397-3510 and leave a message, or email businessdevelopment@tdsb.on.ca.

Approved Vendors

As an approved Employee Discount or Fundraising and Fun Fair Vendor, your company will be able to work with any one of our 581 schools and have opportunities to promote your product or service to all 42,000 staff.

Value: Our low cost annual fee contains no profit element and is used to recover our administrative costs, as well as make vendor selection more efficient for schools and vendors.
Compliance: Ensuring adherence with TDSB policies and procedures, as well as industry guidelines, such as the Technical Safety and Standards Association (TSSA).
Convenience: One-stop shopping for schools and staff for all approved vendors.

What information is required from approved vendors?

Completion of the online application form - either the Employee Discount Vendor Application Form or the Fundraising and Fun Fair Vendor Application Form .
Signed agreement between the vendor and the TDSB.
Submission of a certificate of insurance showing $5 million in liability coverage and naming the TDSB as an additional insured.
A copy of industry certifications, as is applicable, e.g., Dine Safe certificate, TSSA license.
Fee payment (by credit card or cheque)

Employee Discount Program

The TDSB actively recruits vendors to the TDSB Employee Discount Program. Many of our partner companies provide a variety of offers including preferred pricing, discounts and packages that are available to all TDSB staff. If you are interested in becoming a TDSB Employee Discount Program vendor, please complete the Employee Discount Vendor Application Form.

Business Development