Be Claus Charity

What Be Claus Charity does

Be Claus Charity is a Kingston, Ontario-based non-profit founded in 2024 by Adam and Niki Ellis that coordinates the production and delivery of handmade gifts to children in need. The organization recruits volunteer makers via its website and social channels, collects donated gifts, and distributes them through a small set of partner agencies including the Salvation Army, Family and Children Services, Kingston General Hospital (KGH), and the Diocese of Ontario Refugee Support. In 2024 the organization also shipped a batch of gifts internationally to Guatemala, indicating an emerging cross-border distribution capability.

Operationally, the charity runs on a seasonal cadence anchored to Christmas, with a new Easter program added in April 2025, and operates with no disclosed paid headcount — delivery capacity in its first year scaled from roughly 20 gifts (April 2024) to more than 200 (December 2024) and is on track to exceed 600 in 2025. The technology footprint is minimal: a Squarespace website and a Facebook page, with no proprietary platform, no mobile application, and no documented automation.

Be Claus earns no commercial revenue. Income is sourced from individual donations, community fundraisers hosted at commercial venues (Five Guys, The Mansion Kingston), a January 2025 Christmas tree pickup fundraiser, and a community grant from the Rotary Club of Kingston. There are no subscription, membership, or contract revenue lines disclosed, no audited financials referenced, and no corporate or institutional donor of scale identified.

Name

Be Claus Charity

Legal name

Be Claus Charity

Website

https://beclauscharity.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Be Claus Charity is a Kingston, Ontario non-profit founded in 2024 by Adam and Niki Ellis that coordinates handmade gifts from a volunteer maker network to children in need via partner agencies. Revenue comes from donations, community fundraisers, and a Rotary Club grant.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Charity Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

SIC

Dolls & Stuffed Toys (3942), Games, Toys & Children's Vehicles (No Dolls & Bicycles) (3944)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHSACANAC

Personalized & Custom Gift Creation (Engraving/Monogramming/Photo Gifts)

Home & Personal Services/Event & Personal Concierge Services/Gift Planning, Wrapping & Delivery Services

SECONDARYHSACANAL

Group Gifting & Registry Fulfillment

Home & Personal Services/Event & Personal Concierge Services/Gift Planning, Wrapping & Delivery Services

SECONDARYHSACANAB

Gift Sourcing & Procurement (Local & Online)

Home & Personal Services/Event & Personal Concierge Services/Gift Planning, Wrapping & Delivery Services

Keywords

• Children's charity services
• Handmade gift programs
• Volunteer craft coordination
• Nonprofit gift distribution
• Community charity events

Headquarters

HQ city

Kingston

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: Accepts monetary donations through CanadaHelps platform. Runs fundraising events including trivia nights, charity fundraisers, and community events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Be Claus Charity coordinates a handmade gift program that recruits skilled volunteer makers and matches them with children in need to produce personalized, handmade gifts based on each child's interests and personality. Gifts are provided free of charge to recipients and distributed through partner organizations including The Salvation Army, Family and Children Services, Kingston Health Sciences Centre, and Diocese of Ontario Refugee Support. The charity supplements this core program with a public gift gallery, an online gift request form, a volunteer maker signup, community fundraising events, and an email newsletter.

Product overview

Be Claus Charity operates as a charitable gift-making organization that coordinates the creation and distribution of handmade gifts to children in need. The core offering consists of a handmade gift program connecting volunteer makers with children, supported by a gift request system, a volunteer maker recruitment initiative, and a public gift gallery showcasing handmade items. Additional offerings include newsletter updates, community fundraising events, and partnership coordination with organizations including The Salvation Army, Kingston Health Sciences Centre, Family and Children Services, Diocese of Ontario Refugee Support, and the Rotary Club of Cataraqui-Kingston. The organization does not operate as a software platform but rather as a coordination service for physical handmade goods.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Handmade Gift Program A charitable program that connects skilled volunteer makers with children in need to create personalized handmade gifts, including toys, stuffies, games, and crafts distributed free of charge through partner organizations such as The Salvation Army, Family and Children Services, Kingston Health Sciences Centre, and Diocese of Ontario Refugee Support.
• Be a Maker Volunteer Program A volunteer recruitment initiative that invites skilled makers and builders to donate their time creating handmade gifts for children, with the organization matching volunteers with children based on their crafting abilities in disciplines such as woodworking, sewing, crocheting, knitting, 3D printing, and painting.
• Request a Gift A gift request service allowing community members and partner organizations to submit information about children in need, including their interests and personality, to receive personalized handmade gifts accompanied by a handwritten note with the child's first name.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 600 gifts distributed in 2025, 3x growth from previous year

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Five GuysminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 May 2025Community fundraiser partner where they donated $1 for every burger, poutine, and hot dog purchased during a community night.
• The Mansion KingstonminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 April 2025Hosted a charity fundraiser event featuring trivia, silent auction, and games. Local businesses donated items including The Olive Oil Company, Improbable Escapes, Gino's Pizza, The Loaf N Ale, Nexus, COBS Bread, Tommy's, Shiva's Delight, The Mane Obsession, and Smoke N Barrel.
• Kevin MerrittminorOthers · 1 August 2024Local artist who donated his time and talents to create the new logo for Be Claus Charity.
• The Salvation ArmycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGift distribution partner providing handmade gifts to families and children they serve in the Kingston community.
• Family and Children ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial services partner that receives gift donations for children in their care.
• Kingston General Hospital (KGH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPediatric wing receives handmade gifts for children during holidays including Easter chicks and Christmas presents.
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day SaintsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization for gift distribution and community support.
• Diocese of Ontario Refugee SupportcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDistributes handmade gifts to refugee children and families in Ontario.
• Kingston WoodturnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVolunteer group of woodturners who created beautiful tops and yoyos for gift distribution.
• Lyndsay Schell ArtistminorOthersArtist who donated handmade cards for inclusion with gifts.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Starlight Children's Foundation Canada: A national charity providing entertainment and gifts to hospitalized children. Comparable focus on pediatric gift-giving but operates at substantially larger scale with corporate sponsorship and inpatient programs.
• Make-A-Wish Foundation Canada: A national charity granting wishes to children with critical illnesses. Comparable in children's-focus and personalized wish fulfillment, but operates at much larger scale, focuses on medically ill children, and provides experiences/grants rather than handmade gifts.
• Salvation Army (Kingston): A large established multi-service charity with child and family support programs. Be Claus is a distribution partner with The Salvation Army Kingston, providing an example of how large incumbents can be channel partners rather than direct competitors.

Direct peers

• Secret Santa Foundation: A charity dedicated to providing gifts to children in need during the holidays through corporate and individual sponsorship. Closely mirrors Be Claus's model of connecting donors and makers with specific children, though it operates via gift purchase rather than handmade creation.
• Toys for Tots (US Marine Corps Reserve): A US-based charity that distributes toys to children in need during the holiday season. The most direct functional peer to Be Claus in terms of mission (gift giving to disadvantaged children) though it operates via toy donation collection rather than volunteer handcrafting.
• Adopt-A-Family programs (Salvation Army): Salvation Army's Adopt-A-Family program matches donors with families during the holidays to provide personalized gifts and essentials. Be Claus already partners with The Salvation Army, making this a natural peer comparison at the recipient channel level.
• Operation Christmas Child (Samaritan's Purse): Samaritan's Purse's gift-box program delivers shoebox gifts to children worldwide. Highly comparable mission of distributing personalized gifts to children in need, though at much larger scale and through physical donation collection rather than volunteer hand-crafting.

Others

• Canadian Toy Library Association: A Canadian federation of toy lending libraries supporting children's play and access to toys. Related ecosystem player focused on toy access and play for children, though not a gift-giving charity; relevant as a complementary network in Canadian children's welfare.

Emerging players

• Spread the Joy Foundation (Jared Box Project): A smaller-scale charity that delivers handmade toys and gifts to hospitalized and trauma-affected children. Closely comparable in handmade toy distribution model and pediatric/hospital recipient focus.
• Ronald McDonald House Charities: Provides support to families of hospitalized children — partially comparable as Be Claus distributes gifts to children in KGH's pediatric wing. Both serve children connected to healthcare systems but Ronald McDonald House provides lodging and family support services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

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 Be Claus Charity