Giving & Volunteering
Our research team tracks and analyzes the various ways Canadians engage with charities and nonprofit organizations.
This includes measuring the levels of charitable giving as well as how and why Canadians volunteer in their communities.
We do this in order to stimulate support and engagement in the nonprofit sector.
Key Findings
- Canadians donated nearly $9 billion in 2004
- 2 billion volunteer hours were given
- 65% of teenagers volunteer, representing the highest level of involvement of any age group
- Immigrants give larger annual donations on average
- 21% of Canadians provide 82% of the value of all donations
- Volunteers who benefit from some form of support from their employer contribute one-third more hours than other volunteers
- The Yukon and the Northwest Territories have the second and third highest rates of volunteering in the country; residents of Nunavut had the highest rates of helping each other directly on their own (unpaid babysitting, providing medical or personal care, helping with taxes or shopping)
Main Topics Covered by our Research
- Examples of great moments in Canadian philanthropy (pdf)
- Levels of giving, volunteering and participating
- Volunteers who serve on boards (pdf)
- Assessing the financial value of volunteering
- Those who volunteer the most hours (pdf)
- Business support for volunteering
- Summary of research on volunteers & volunteering
Did you know that there are 161,000 nonprofilts and charities in Canada?
Did you know that Canada’s nonprofit and voluntary sector is the 2nd largest in the world?
The sector represents 7.1% of the gross domestic product
The sector is larger than automotive and manufacturing. It generates $112 billion in revenues and employs 2 million people
Canadians donated $9 billion in 2004
Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island have the highest donor rates in the country at 93%
Canadians gave 2 billion volunteer hours in 2004
Teenagers volunteer more than any other age group
One percent of nonprofits command 60% of all revenues flowing to the sector
Canadians with the lowest household incomes give a greater percentage of their income than others
Saskatchewan has the highest volunteer rate in the country, followed by the Northwest Territories and the Yukon
Canadians give the most money to religious organizations, followed by health and social services
