Public Outreach Canada is a private business that provides paid fundraising services to charities in Canada, the United States and Australia.
The company was founded in 2002 by James Julien and Gary Kirk. The company hires students in their 20s mostly during summer breaks, drawing on students in political science, environmental studies, international development and theatre. Most of their fundraising is done by face-to-face soliciting on street-corners or by door-to-door canvassing.
Paid charity canvassing by private companies has proved controversial in some cities where it has led to complaints about aggressive soliciting in Victoria, British Columbia. A Public Outreach fundraiser Emily Smits, said many Canadians find those in her profession “annoying,” even “accosting.” However Public Outreach co-founder John Finlay said Public Outreach tries to alternate busy intersections, rotating “fallow zones” to “give each community a break from being solicited.” Some fundraising companies have raised controversy by paying solicitors by commission and taking a large share from monthly donations which take many months or a year to reach charities. Public Outreach says it does not take commissions and pays its employees by the hour, although they are given targets.
Public Outreach Canada has been hired to raise funds for charities such as Amnesty International and the Canadian Red Cross. Public Outreach Canada has its head offices in Vancouver with a national rescruitment centre in Toronto. It fundraises in Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto, Ottawa, Kitchener and Halifax. A branch in the United States, Public Outreach Fundraising operates in Boston, San Francisco, Oakland and Los Angeles. Public Outreach Fundraising Australia is based in Melbourne and operates in New South Wales, Victoria, Southern Australia and Western Australia.