Canadians are showing signs of generosity fatigue – The Globe and Mail
There is a lot to take in this holiday season thanks to the latest pandemic developments. Can I add to your burden just a bit?
Charities in our communities are facing a surge in demand, and there are many other worthy causes both here in Canada and abroad that could use your help. People have been donating more this year through CanadaHelps.org, a online portal for charitable giving. But the year-over-year 6.9 per cent increase for the first 11 months of the year is modest compared to the generosity explosion of 2020, when donations were up 116 per cent.
“Last December, we saw charities asking people for help, and people really stepped up,” said Marina Glogovac, CEO of CanadaHelps. And this year? “Maybe people are spooked with inflation,” she said. “Maybe a certain fatigue has set in.”
CanadaHelps is a registered charity that provides one-stop access to 86,000 Canadian charities. Ms. Glogovac said there are some encouraging things happening on CanadaHelps this year, starting with the fact that young people age 18 to 34 represent the biggest demographic among those giving more to charity this year. Also, the number of people starting monthly giving plans on CanadaHelps is up 23.6 per cent, with monthly donations now accounting for 10.3 per cent of the total. Finally, donations of securities like stocks and mutual funds have increased by 52 per cent.
December is big for charities – Ms. Glogovac said 30 per cent of donations come in then. One of the notable changes this year over last is that there are fewer donors supporting small charities. Overall, CanadaHelps says 42 per cent of charities can’t meet demand for their services right now.
A last-minute holiday gift idea: Charity gift cards available through CanadaHelps. More than 5,000 of them have been given this year, up 144 per cent from 2020.
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