Giving Tuesday: As the Canada Post strike and inflation affect charities, here's how Edmontonians can help

Giving Tuesday in tough economic times With increased cost of living and a postal strike, Nav Sangha finds out how Edmontonians are giving back in 2024.

Across the country, charities are getting ready for the holidays, which is often a busy time for many of them, and are relying on the generosity of Canadians to help get them.

Dec. 3 is Giving Tuesday, the world's largest generosity movement.

It began in 2012 as a way to simply encourage people to do good, but quickly grew into a worldwide movement.

In Canada, the movement was co-founded by CanadaHelps, an organization that connects more than 85,000 Canadian charities.

"(We) allow Canadians to make a donation to any of those organizations, they instantly get a tax receipt, and we send the funds directly to the organization," said Nicole Danesi with Canada Helps.

Last year, CanadaHelps recorded $13.6 million in donations on Giving Tuesday.

The organization said the last two months of the year are critical for charities, who usually raise about 40 per cent of their yearly donations in that time.

Canada Post strike impacts

But the ongoing Canada Post strike has hurt Canadian charities that rely on the post for getting donations or sending out information.

"At the Canadian Cancer Society, for example, they told me that at this point they are seeing about a 60 per cent decrease in mail donations to their organization, which amounts to about a $2 million loss for the organization," Danesi said.

"That means that they are going to need to find other opportunities to raise funds to support vital cancer research and also programs and services for cancer patients and their families."

Donations to organizations like the Canadian Cancer Society and the Alberta Cancer Foundation (ACF) help patients during vulnerable times in their lives.

The ACF helps patients in various ways from financial assistance, providing nurse navigators and funding clinical trials.

"Clinical trials not only help to find what are the better treatments of tomorrow, in many cases they're also the last hope for someone facing cancer right now, when the traditional options have maybe failed," said ACF CEO Wendy Beauchesne.

"When you're donating to the More Hope movement, that's really what you're supporting."

Starting Tuesday until the end of December, all donations to the ACF up to $30,000 are being matched by Basecamp Resorts.

According to Beauchesne, one in two Albertans will have cancer at some point in their lives.

The ACF anticipates around 24,000 Albertans will be diagnosed with cancer next year.

"My first reaction when I was told by the doctor over the phone at nine o'clock at night, 'You have cancer,' was, 'Will I live to see my son graduate from high school?'" said cancer survivor Jocelyn Laidlaw.

"What we need is the very best research … we need the very best treatments, we need the very best supports, and we need Albertans to get into good clinical trials."

"Those are real foundational things that we need, that the system, without the help of the Alberta Cancer Foundation, without the money that is donated by Albertans, it just can't meet all those goals," added Laidlaw.

Inflation also impacting donations

Another hurdle Canadian charities are facing is inflation. CanadaHelps has seen donation numbers decline recently.

"In 2010, there were about 23 per cent of Canadians making a donation to a charity and claiming those donations on their income tax. By 2021, that number has dropped to about 17 per cent," Danesi said.

"It is a really important opportunity on Giving Tuesday to remind Canadians across the country, if they're in the position to do so, please give today."

A number of charities are running short of their fundraising goals for this year, including Hope Mission, which is looking to raise $100,000 on Tuesday.

"It'll be spent on meals and care for vulnerable neighbours who are experiencing homelessness here in Edmonton and … we have shelters in Wetaskiwin as well," said Kevin Wiebe, the donor relations manager with Hope Mission.

"The temperatures are dropping. Winter in Alberta is pretty brutal and … people die without a home. We are the kind of last safety net for people experiencing homelessness."

Anonymous donors are matching donations made to Hope Mission up to $70,000 on Tuesday.

The Holiday Hamper Foundation also said it was around $70,000 short of its goal earlier in the day.

"We're hoping to try to raise that if we can today, that would be awesome," said Chris Curtola, a founder of the foundation.

"I know that we've got a lot of people that love to make a large donation at the end of the year."

The organization provides food to families in need and their goal this year is to help out 2,000 families and 88 schools.

"There's a lot more need this year than ever before … we're seeing many different people from all different walks of life," Curtola said.

"Our record for giving Tuesday was about $20,000 a couple years ago. If we could beat that this year, that would be awesome."

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Nav Sangha