Canadians donating to charity at lowest in two decades, according to survey

The holiday season is a time for charitable giving but a new report from the Fraser Institute shows Canadians are consistently becoming less generous.

It reveals the number of Canadians donating to charity as a percentage of all tax filers is at the lowest point in two decades, indicating fewer people are donating and the amounts being given are smaller.

The report said that nationally, the percentage of Canadian tax filers donating to charity has fallen over the last decade from 23.0 per cent in 2011 to 17.7 per cent in 2021.

“This year, we found that the donations have been less compared to other years,” said Major Danny Pinksen, executive director of the Salvation Army Windsor Centre for Hope.

“People who are normally donors, this year, find themselves struggling themselves and they are having to make some tough choices. And so now they find themselves, they're not the donors anymore. Probably they're just barely making ends meet and or they themselves may need support.”

Holiday toy and food bag distribution began on Tuesday, according to Pinksen who explained demand had doubled within the last year.

“Typically in the past, we've had about 1,200 people who request toy bags for their children at Christmas time. This year, we've seen that demand go up, double, by 100 per cent.”

Pinksen credited creative solutions and a network of resources across Canada for making the holiday season possible this year.

“We've secured enough toys this year to be able to meet the need for the 2,400 kids who we hope will have a smile on their face Christmas morning when they open up their gift,” he said.

Meanwhile, Salvation Army Windsor officials in charge of the 2023 Christmas Kettle Campaign are contending with fewer available volunteers at their 16 locations in Windsor and LaSalle.

“It has been a little more challenging to try and fill those spots,” Cpt. Nyree Bond told CTV News. “Sometimes people sign up for a shift and then for whatever reason can't do it. So we have open holes throughout the day.”

“We have raised $127,000 as of today. We're about four weeks in, so that's a great number that we're at. We have 10 days left of our campaign and our goal is $215,000. So we're hopeful that we'll reach that goal.”

“It's our only fundraising campaign that we do at Christmas, but it funds all the programs that help families throughout the year.”

Bond noted this year’s campaign will wrap up on Dec. 23, since Christmas Eve falls on a Sunday, suggesting donor fatigue is a regular concern.

“There's lots of places asking for money at Christmas and so we're grateful for every loonie, toonie, we still get pennies in that kettle and so we're grateful for all of that. So even if we don't meet our goal, we're grateful for every dollar that's in there,” Bond said.

Staff at Brentwood Recovery Home have also seen a slow down in sales for their annual Dream Lottery, hoping more tickets can be sold before the New Year.

Executive director Elizabeth Dulmage said $2.1 million was raised last year with a goal of surpassing that this year.

“Money is tight. Family budgets are really, really stretched and it's a challenge for people,” Dulmage said.

“The Windsor community has historically and always stepped up to support us and help us out. We're really hopeful that over the next few weeks until sales close on Dec. 31 that we’ll see an uptick in the number of tickets being purchased.”

“It’s a challenge,” she explained. “At the same time, the needs in our community have never been greater. We have people waiting to come for treatment. We have families that need our support. And all of the revenue that we generate from the lottery helps us to provide that to families and to people with substance use disorder.”