- Although the average Canadian is wealthier than the average American, Canadians gives less than half as much to charity as Americans per person.
- About 80% of Canadians claim to have given something to charities. But just 1 in 4 tax returns have an attached tax receipt. And over the past 15 years, this level has declined.
- Most charity comes from just 10% of Canadians. They give 60% of all dollars, and 52% of all volunteered hours
- The median gift in Canada is just $120.
- The average level of total personal donations represents less than 1% of personal pre-tax salaries.
- Lower income groups give a higher percentage of their income (1.7%) than the higher income groups (just 0.5%).
- The vast majority of donations from the wealthy goes to education, the arts, religion, and other organizations which do actually not help the homeless, the hungry, and the deprived.
- The top 1% of non-profit organizations in Canada take in 60% of all funding. The bottom 40% of not-for-profits only receive 1% of the funding, and just 12% of the volunteers.
- Like donations, volunteering appears to be declining as our society becomes more self-centered.
As a nation of caring people, we have room to improve. We each need to pull our own weight, to be a part of the solution (not the problem). Philanthropy is a learned thing, and once done, we see that it feels good to be a charity hero.
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