Should we incorporate?

No.
There is no legal requirement to incorporate. Many community groups are able to pursue their mission without incorporating.

Ontario’s Incorporator’s Handbook (Section 1.3) discusses the pros and cons of incorporating.

There are over 58,000 nonprofits in Ontario. Joining one with a similar mission will avoid duplicating work and allow you to learn from its experience.

It takes time, energy and money to keep records, minutes of meetings, hold member and board meetings, and do what is required to maintain corporate status.

Yes.

If you’d like the benefits of having corporate status, but don’t have the resources, or don’t want to devote the resources needed to incorporate, you can consider using a shared platform. See Ontario Nonprofit Network’s Shared Platform Guidebook to learn more about what shared platforms are and when they are helpful.

There are many other ways nonprofit projects can be structured too. Learn more about the alternatives here.

If you’ve decided to incorporate, review this page on how to incorporate under Ontario’s Not-for-Profit Corporations Act.

If you’ve decided not to incorporate, you may like to learn about some of the rules that apply to unincorporated associations.