TORONTO, Dec. 15, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CanadaHelps, the country's largest platform for donating and fundraising online, released its annual year-end report card today, revealing ways Canadians have engaged in giving this year. As of November 29, 2022, donations through CanadaHelps’ online giving channels totalled $307 million, representing a 8% year-over-year increase so far this year.
For its 2022 year-end report card, CanadaHelps has identified several notable trends in charitable giving:
- Sustaining Donation Levels a Challenge for Ongoing Crisis Relief: In approximately the first 40 days of the war, $18.7 million was raised in support of relief efforts for Ukraine on CanadaHelps.org and through the Ukraine Emergency Relief Fund on Unite for Change, which is powered by CanadaHelps. While the war in Ukraine continues unabated and humanitarian efforts continue to support those impacted by the war, donations related to emergency relief in Ukraine have declined from April through September, with $6.7 million raised during this period.
- Galas and Events Making a Comeback: There has been a 16% increase in the number of events launched by charities on CanadaHelps, signaling a return to in-person galas and events that were largely cancelled due to COVID-19.
- GivingTuesday Fundraising Breaks Prior Year Records: CanadaHelps raised more than $13 million on GivingTuesday this year, up from $11.4 million last year.
- Securities Donations Decline Amid a Slumping Stock Market: Donations of securities, including stocks, bonds, and mutual funds, are down by -7% so far this year on CanadaHelps.org (compared to a year-over-year increase of 91% in 2021). While this decline is symptomatic of the overall economy and financial markets, including high inflation and rising interest rates, securities provide additional tax benefits and remain the most cost-effective way to give.
- Canadians Giving to Fewer Charities: Of the 86,000 registered charities in Canada, this year donations were made to 27,590 through CanadaHelps, a -1% decrease from the year prior.
- Giving Gifts that Give Back on the Rise: There has been a 38% increase in dollars donated through Charity Gift Cards this year, which aligns with the recent Ipsos poll undertaken by CanadaHelps, which revealed that nearly half of Canadians (47%) would prefer to receive a charitable gift that makes an impact such as a Charity Gift Card.
- Monthly Donations Rise: An increase of 9% in the number of monthly donations active. Monthly gifts represent approximately 21.6% of total donations made through CanadaHelps.
- Small Charities Are Seeing Rising Demand: In a survey conducted by CanadaHelps in August, 41% of small charities (with annual revenues less than $500,000) reported that they saw an increase in demand for services at the start of the pandemic, but demand has returned to pre-pandemic levels for only 5% of charities.
- More Canadians Turning to Charities: At the same time, a recent Ipsos poll conducted by CanadaHelps revealed that 2 in 10 Canadians are expecting to access essential charitable services such as food and shelter in the next six months. In January 2022, 14% of Canadians were expecting to access essential charitable services.
“We are heartened by the generous response from Canadians so far this year, however, with rising inflation and the resulting affordability crisis, charities are facing increased demand for services as well as rising costs of delivering those services,” said Jane Ricciardelli, Chief Operating Officer and Acting CEO of CanadaHelps. “With 22 percent of Canadians expecting to turn to charities in the coming months to meet their basic needs, we are calling on Canadians to give generously and support small, local charities.”
An infographic with further insights on online giving trends is available here, including insights on giving by provinces, territories, and top cities.
In addition to making an online one-time, monthly, or securities donation this holiday season, there are several other ways in which Canadians can support charities through CanadaHelps:
- Purchase Charity Gift Cards as a stocking stuffer that gives back and makes it easy to teach children about charitable giving.
- Donors can establish an annual giving goal, set up a monthly donation to a favourite cause, track their giving performance, and access their charitable receipts via a CanadaHelps account.
- Support several charities with a single donation to a Cause Fund through Unite for Change which is powered by CanadaHelps.
- Create a fundraiser on behalf of a charity to celebrate a milestone or special event.
- Donate bitcoin or ether cryptocurrencies on CanadaHelps and receive an instant tax receipt.
About CanadaHelps:
CanadaHelps is a public foundation advancing philanthropy through technology. For Canadians, it powers CanadaHelps.org, a safe and trusted destination for discovering and supporting any charity in Canada, and UniteforChange.com, where Canadians can learn about causes and easily support the collective work of charities addressing a cause they care about. CanadaHelps also develops affordable fundraising technology used by more than 26,000 charities, and free training and education so that, regardless of size, all charities have the capacity to increase their impact and succeed in the digital age. Since 2000, more than 3.6 million people have given more than $2.3 billion through CanadaHelps. Connect with CanadaHelps on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Media Contact: Nicole Danesi
Senior Manager, Public Relations & Unite for Change
CanadaHelps
media@canadahelps.org
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8aaf81d6-a52c-4666-b535-d100abac8499
