Ottawa Dragon Boat Foundation

What Ottawa Dragon Boat Foundation does

Ottawa Dragon Boat Foundation (ODBF) is a registered Canadian charity (Registered Charity #867660201 RR0001) that operates as a community fundraising channel in the National Capital Region. Established in 2003 around the Tim Hortons Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival (which has run annually since 1998), ODBF has distributed over $6 million across 80+ local charities, processing 69,412 lifetime donations. The foundation serves as a conduit between individual/community donors, corporate sponsors, and vetted recipient charities working in pediatric healthcare, youth development, food security, social services, and palliative care.

ODBF's product surface is built around five integrated programs: the Tim Hortons Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival (the flagship summer event at Mooney's Bay Park), the ODBF Pledge Challenge (a summer peer-to-peer fundraising campaign embedded in the festival), the ODBF Shiver 'N Giver Fundraising Drive (the winter counterpart), the ODBF 5050 Raffle (a licensed lottery run with the Senators Community Foundation and presented by Tim Hortons), and the Ottawa Fire Truck Pull (a competitive community event). Revenue mechanics combine direct donations (via odbf.ca, text-to-donate at 613-703-5852, and onsite event collections), raffle proceeds on a 50/50 winner/charity split, peer-to-peer pledges raised by paddling teams, and corporate sponsorship (notably Tim Hortons as presenting sponsor and Scotiabank as festival presenting sponsor). No technology platform, app, or proprietary software product is disclosed — operations run on a WordPress-based website, Constant Contact email, social media, and standard payment/raffle rails.

The foundation is governed by a board and led by a small staff team (11-50 employees, per firmographic inputs) including Director of Fundraising Shelley Freake (also reported as Shelley Freake-Smyth, Director – Fundraising & Sport) and Director of Operations, Marketing, Sponsorship & Artistic Programming Antony Cooper. There is no parent company, no institutional investor, and no venture or private equity involvement — ODBF is funded entirely through donations, event proceeds, and sponsor contributions. Its geographic footprint spans Ottawa, Eastern Ontario, and Western Quebec, and compliance with Canada's PIPEDA privacy framework is documented.

Name

Ottawa Dragon Boat Foundation

Legal name

Ottawa Dragon Boat Foundation

Website

https://odbf.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ottawa Dragon Boat Foundation is a registered Canadian charity that operates the annual Tim Hortons Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival, raffles, and seasonal fundraising campaigns to distribute donations to vetted local charities across the National Capital Region, supported by community events, peer-to-peer paddler pledges, and corporate sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Fundraising Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

akta.pro primary industry

Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) Sponsors (BPAGAKAF)

Keywords

• Community fundraising events
• Charity donation programs
• Dragon boat racing
• Nonprofit philanthropy
• Local charity grants

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: Individual donors contribute to ODBF campaigns supporting local Ottawa charities. The foundation operates annual fundraising campaigns including the ODBF Pledge Challenge (summer) and ODBF Shiver 'N Giver Fundraising Drive (winter).
2. 50/50 Raffle Proceeds: Annual 50/50 raffle held in partnership with Senators Community Foundation. Proceeds from ticket sales (50% goes to winner, 50% supports recipient charities). Ticket prices: 5 for $10, 50 for $25, 125 for $50, 350 for $100.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Ottawa Dragon Boat Foundation (ODBF) is a registered Canadian charity that raises funds through community events and structured fundraising campaigns and distributes the proceeds to local Ottawa-area registered charities. Its core offerings are the annual Tim Hortons Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival, the ODBF 5050 raffle, the summer ODBF Pledge Challenge, the winter Shiver 'N Giver Fundraising Drive, and the Ottawa Fire Truck Pull event.

Product overview

Ottawa Dragon Boat Foundation (ODBF) is a charitable foundation established in 2003 that operates as a unified product portfolio of fundraising campaigns and community events. The core offerings include the annual Tim Hortons Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival (the primary event platform), the ODBF 5050 Raffle (lottery fundraising program), the ODBF Pledge Challenge (summer fundraising campaign), the ODBF Shiver 'N Giver Fundraising Drive (winter campaign), and the Ottawa Fire Truck Pull event. These programs work together to raise funds for local Ottawa charities, with the dragon boat festival serving as the flagship event that anchors the summer fundraising activities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tim Hortons Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival Annual dragon boat racing festival held at Mooney's Bay Park, featuring teams competing in races while raising funds for local charities through the ODBF Pledge Challenge campaign.
• ODBF 5050 Raffle Charity raffle operated in partnership with the Senators Community Foundation and presented by Tim Hortons, offering participants a chance to win a growing cash jackpot while supporting local charities. Tickets sold online at 5050sens.com and onsite at Mooney's Bay Park.
• ODBF Pledge Challenge Annual summer fundraising campaign that raises critical funds for Ottawa-based charities delivering frontline services. Teams and individuals raise pledges while participating in dragon boat racing activities.
• ODBF Shiver 'N Giver Fundraising Drive Annual winter fundraising campaign conducted by the Ottawa Dragon Boat Foundation to support local partner charities providing essential programs and services in the Ottawa region.
• Ottawa Fire Truck Pull Community fundraising event organized by ODBF where teams compete in pulling a fire truck, raising funds for local charitable causes.

Quantifiable outcome

• $6 million+ distributed to 80+ local charities since 1998
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ScotiabankcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 19 June 2026Scotiabank is the presenting sponsor of the Tim Hortons Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival presented by Scotiabank. In past years (2021), Scotiabank has also matched donations to the ODBF Pledge Challenge up to $12,000.
• Mooney's Bay ParkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 June 2026Venue partner for the Tim Hortons Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival. The annual festival takes place at Mooney's Bay Park in Ottawa, hosting dragon boat races, 50/50 raffle ticket sales, and other fundraising activities.
• Senators Community FoundationcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 12 June 2026Partnership on annual ODBF 50/50 raffle. The raffle runs during the Tim Hortons Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival, with proceeds supporting recipient charities. The Senators Community Foundation provides co-branding and promotional support for the raffle, which is licensed under Lottery License #RAF1501050.
• Tim HortonscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 12 June 2026Tim Hortons is the presenting sponsor of the ODBF 50/50 raffle and the Tim Hortons Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival. Tim Hortons provides financial sponsorship, brand visibility, and promotional support for the annual festival and raffle events. Gift baskets are also provided as raffle prizes.
• Landshark LagerminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 July 2021Landshark Lager partnered with ODBF for the 2021 Pledge Challenge campaign. Supporters who raised or donated $250 or more had a chance to win the Ultimate Landshark Backyard Party Prize Pack. The partnership provided promotional incentives to boost fundraising participation.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Ottawa Food Bank: Ottawa-headquartered charity heavily reliant on community fundraising events and corporate sponsorships; one of ODBF's actual grant recipients, illustrating the same local donor ecosystem in which ODBF operates.
• Children's Foundation of Ottawa: Ottawa-based children's charity that relies on community events, raffles, and corporate sponsorships; comparable local fundraising-and-grant distribution model in the same National Capital Region.
• CHEO Foundation: Pediatric hospital foundation that organizes community fundraising events and corporate campaigns in Ottawa; a current ODBF grantee and a peer in running event-based, sponsor-backed giving in the same city.

Direct peers

• Community Foundation of Ottawa: Ottawa-based community foundation that aggregates donations and grants them to local charities and causes — direct functional parallel to ODBF, including donor-advised and pooled-fund activity in the same geography.
• United Way East Ontario: Regional community fundraising umbrella in the National Capital Region that pools donations and distributes to a portfolio of local charities — the same intermediary fundraising-and-distribution model ODBF operates, but at significantly larger scale.

Broad incumbents

• Rideau Hall Foundation: Canadian charitable foundation that channels donor and partner funds into community-impact projects, including in Ottawa; comparable as a regionally focused grantmaking vehicle, though with a national profile.
• Aga Khan Foundation Canada: National charitable foundation running community-driven programs and fundraising campaigns in Canada, including Ottawa-area initiatives; comparable as an event- and donor-driven grantmaking foundation with multi-cause portfolio.
• Calgary Foundation: Major Canadian community foundation operating a portfolio of funds supporting local charities; comparable as a community foundation model with grant distribution to multiple causes within a defined region.
• Toronto Foundation: Large multi-issue community foundation with pooled and donor-advised funds distributing to local charities; useful comparable for ODBF's pooled-giving and grantmaking operating model at a larger scale.

Emerging players

• Dragon Boat Canada: National governing body for dragon boat racing in Canada; not a charity but is the closest comparable sports-community connector and potential partnership channel for replicating ODBF's event-linked fundraising format in other markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ODBFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/odbf

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ottawa Dragon Boat Foundation