Canadian charities are facing “unprecedented strain” due to a projected decline in donations and an expected growth in demand due to the pandemic, according to a new report.
The Giving Report 2022, released on Tuesday by a group called CanadaHelps, says one in four Canadians, or 26 per cent, expect to use or are already using charitable services this year to meet basic needs. One in four Canadians, or 25 per cent, expect to give less this year than they did in last year, the report says.
This is the fifth annual report by CanadaHelps, a platform for online donations. It looked at the impact of COVID-19 on charities, as well as generational differences in giving, the rate of decline in giving and the growing need for charitable services, said Jacob O’Connor, the platform’s senior vice-president of charity engagement.
“We really honed in on the uncertainties that have come out of the pandemic and the unprecedented strain that this has put on Canada’s charitable sector,” O’Connor told CBC News.
“Giving has declined, the demand for service has increased and people’s propensity to give and ability to give has also decreased. It’s kind of a triple whammy there.”
Giving declined 12% from 2019 to 2021: projections
O’Connor said the pandemic had led to cancelled in-person fundraising events, including galas, runs, walkathons and shows.
CanadaHelps projected a 10 per cent decline in giving in 2020 and an additional two per cent decline the following year for a 12 per cent decrease from 2019 to 2021.
WATCH | Canadian charities stretched thin as donations drop, demand rises:
Canadian charities stretched thin as donations drop, demand rises
11 hours ago
Duration 2:42
A new report projects a 12 per cent decline in Canadians’ giving to charitable causes between 2019 and 2021. At the same time, one in four Canadians are using or expect to use charitable services in 2022. 2:42
O’Connor said the projections were based on tax filing data from the Canadian Revenue Agency and a projection model. He said there is a relationship, or strong correlation, between gross domestic product and aggregate giving in Canada. CanadaHelps used OECD numbers and the correlation to make the 12 per cent projection, he said.
“Canadians did give more online, but it didn’t make up for the tremendous decreases that we saw from those other avenues,” he said.
According to the report, four out of five Canadians expect inflation and the effects of the pandemic to have a negative impact on their financial situation.
The Daily Bread Food Bank saw about 55,000 client visits per month before the pandemic. The number has now grown to 130,000. The donations have not tripled to keep pace, according to Neil Hetherington, the food bank’s CEO. (Submitted by the Daily Bread Food Bank)
Neil Hetherington, CEO of Toronto’s Daily Bread Food Bank, said the findings are not a surprise. The food bank saw about 55,000 client visits per month before the pandemic. That monthly number has risen to about 130,000. The donations have not tripled, he said.
“Our biggest concern is actually two years out from now, when the need peaks in terms of usage and donations remain stagnant,” he said. “The need has increased much more so than donations.”
Inflationary pressures have led to an increase in the number of people who need the food bank, he added.
Younger generations give to social causes
O’Connor said the report also found a widening of what CanadaHelps calls a “giving gap,” the rate at which different age groups are giving. The researchers discovered Canadians aged 55 and older are now giving at double the rate of Canadians aged 25 to 54.
“That’s a real problem. It’s something that we have to address as a sector, to engage with these younger generations of donors, because that 55-plus, that propensity to give, is not going to last forever,” he said.
Younger generations, however, donate to social causes, as opposed to specific institutions or organizations, the report found. “This provides some hope for the future,” O’Connor said.
In a news release, CanadaHelps said: “When younger Canadians have the means, they donate. While some young Canadians don’t give financially today, many have the intention to give in the future.”
“New donors that are younger, urban, and diverse all showed a propensity to give in response to urgent needs, especially when related to social justice causes,” CanadaHelps added.
Other findings were as follows:
The percentage of Canadians who give has continued to decline, with 25 per cent of 2006 tax filers claiming donations versus 19 per cent in 2019.
The annual rate of decline in giving by higher income earners, people who make above $150,000, is more than double the rate for families with incomes between $20,000 and $99,000.
According to CanadaHelps, the report was developed using proprietary research and online giving data, which includes more than $465 million in donations from more than 968,000 Canadians in support of 31,700 charities in Canada in 2021.
The report was produced with the help of Environics Analytics, which provided analysis and insights into trends in CanadaHelps data.
EDMONTON – RCMP say a second suspect has been arrested in the killing of an Alberta county worker.
Mounties say 28-year-old Elijah Strawberry was taken into custody Friday at a house on O’Chiese First Nation.
Colin Hough, a worker with Rocky View County, was shot and killed while on the job on a rural road east of Calgary on Aug. 6.
Another man who worked for Fortis Alberta was shot and wounded, and RCMP said the suspects fled in a Rocky View County work truck.
Police later arrested Arthur Wayne Penner, 35, and charged him with first-degree murder and attempted murder, and a warrant was issued for Strawberry’s arrest.
RCMP also said there was a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Strawberry, describing him as armed and dangerous.
Chief Supt. Roberta McKale, told a news conference in Edmonton that officers had received tips and information over the last few weeks.
“I don’t know of many members that when were stopped, fuelling up our vehicles, we weren’t keeping an eye out, looking for him,” she said.
But officers had been investigating other cases when they found Strawberry.
“Our investigators were in O’Chiese First Nation at a residence on another matter and the major crimes unit was there working another file and ended up locating him hiding in the residence,” McKale said.
While an investigation is still underway, RCMP say they’re confident both suspects in the case are in police custody.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
RICHMOND, B.C. – The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 26-year-old son of a man found dead on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast has been charged with his murder.
Police say 58-year-old Henry Doyle was found badly injured on a forest service road in Egmont last September and died of his injuries.
The homicide team took over when the BC Coroners Service said the man’s death was suspicious.
It says in a statement that the BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of first-degree murder against the man’s son, Jackson Doyle.
Police say the accused will remain in custody until at least his next court appearance.
The homicide team says investigators remained committed to solving the case with the help of the community of Egmont, the RCMP on the Sunshine Coast and in Richmond, and the Vancouver Police Department.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, have broken off without an agreement following 15 hours of talks.
Joe McCann, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they stayed at the bargaining table with help from a mediator until 2 a.m. Friday and made “some progress.”
However, he says the union negotiators didn’t get an offer that they could recommend to the membership.
McCann says that in some ways they are close to an agreement, but in other areas they are “miles apart.”
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people who can’t navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last week, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
McCann asks HandyDART users to be “patient,” since they are trying to get not only a fair contract for workers but also a better service for customers.
He says it’s unclear when the talks will resume, but he hopes next week at the latest.
The employer, Transdev, didn’t reply to an interview request before publication.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
