Good NewsCanadaHelps.org looks back at Canadians’ generosity in 2013
CanadaHelps.org, an online resource that allows Canadians to make secure donations to any of Canada's 86,000 registered charities, is looking back at this country's giving trends in 2013.
Canadians stepped up in times of crisis, donating in response to the Alberta floods, Typhoon Haiyan and on Canada's inaugural GivingTuesday earlier this month.
Security and mutual fund donations grew by 31 per cent. Charity gift card donations grew by 50 per cent. And out east, peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns helped boost charitable giving.
Torontonians donated the most of any city, nearly $6.5 million through CanadaHelps. Calgarians gave the second most, $4.6 million, and also hold the title of largest average donations on the site at $168.
In fact, a recent report by the Fraser Institute, titled Generosity in Canada and the United States — which measured donations to registered charities claimed on personal income tax returns — found that, overall, Albertans give the most money to charity. Manitobans, however, donate a greater percentage of their incomes.
Watch CBC's coverage of the report below.
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It's hard to measure generosity, mostly because much of what is given isn't trackable.
"People might be donating all kinds of things that we're not capturing," Katherine Van Kooy, executive director at the Calgary Chamber of Voluntary Organizations, told CBC News. "There are lots of people who are quite generous or donate quite regularly. For example, they buy food and put it in bins to donate at the Food Bank. You don't get a charitable donation [receipt] for that."
Still, we might not be giving enough.
"There's been a downward trend in the proportion of Canadians donating to registered charities and the share of income they donate. This decline in charitable giving limits the ability of Canada’s private charities to serve those in need," said Charles Lammam, study co-author.
Will you be adding "give more" to your 2014 resolutions?
