Online donations grew in 2025, but charities may be missing broader, local shift: CanadaHelps

A new report from CanadaHelps says that in 2025, online giving had its strongest year since the COVID-19 pandemic, but who is giving, and how much, indicates a broader shift that charities need to face.

Donations through the platform, which is Canada’s largest online donation website, reached $529 million in 2025, according to The Giving Report 2026. 

This is up by $47 million, or a 10 per cent increase, compared to 2024. That number is being driven by a spike in the gifts of securities (up 361 per cent), monthly giving (82 per cent) and corporate giving (22 per cent). 

@futureofgood Online donations saw a spike in Canada last year 📈 #nonprofitsoftiktok #donate #giveback ♬ original sound – Future of Good

However, fewer than 0.5 per cent of donors drove over 16 per cent of all giving with donations of securities, and large cash gifts increased significantly, with 100 per cent more donors giving $10,000 or more.

Donations under $100 declined by 17 per cent, said Duke Chang, president of CanadaHelps. 

“While the growth in online donations is a milestone, it masks a concerning trend: our charitable ecosystem is becoming increasingly top-heavy,” said Chang.

“As giving concentrates among a smaller group of wealthy donors, we risk losing the broad, community-wide participation that has historically sustained the work of charities and the Canadians who rely on them. 

“If the generosity gap continues to widen and everyday donors disappear, many charities will soon find themselves without the diverse base of support they need to remain resilient and responsive to local needs.”

The report shows that Atlantic Canada, rural communities and Canada’s north are outpacing growth in giving compared to major cities, which typically make up the bulk of donations, according to the report.

While the increase in giving was driven by Boomers and wealthy families, urban mix households – basically, Canadians living in the suburbs – drove a nine per cent increase in giving rates.

Typically, it’s households in downtown cores who give the most, the report said, but those rates are declining, likely due to affordability pressures. 

“The result is an early but notable shift: the donor base may be beginning to broaden again, but in different places and among different groups,” reads the report.

Other drivers of generosity

Affordability concerns may be driving some of the downward participation trend in charitable giving among households, but there are other considerations, according to a recent survey and report from Giv3 and Sector3 Insights in April. 

The report, Canadians’ Prosocial Behaviours Survey, says that multiple indicators suggest a long-term softening in activities such as donating to charities, volunteering, and other forms of giving.

The biggest: Lack of connection, according to the report authors. 

“Prosocial behaviour depends heavily on connectedness/community embeddedness (more so than on empathy and goodwill),” reads the report.

Canadians who belong to associations, clubs, religious communities, and other groups are more likely to give in various ways, the report said. 

Those involved in their communities are seeking to give money to local causes, said CanadaHelps.

“Local and regional organizations are now the largest cause area on CanadaHelps.org … In 2025 alone, giving to local causes reached $121.8 million, an 11% increase over the previous year.”

What non-profits need to know

The Giv3 survey findings suggest that governments and non-profits alike need to foster relationship-building, with governments funding more local associations and community efforts, innovative policies such as new tax breaks that encourage different types of giving and non-profits prioritizing community connections.

If the above doesn’t happen, “many charities will soon find themselves without the diverse base of support they need to remain resilient and responsive to local needs,” said Chang.

For local charities, centring relationships and meeting the younger generation where they are at is key to staying sustainable, the report added.

“Younger urban donors appear to be re-engaging with charitable giving, but often through different causes, platforms and participation styles than older donors.”

With the massive increase in securities giving and the trend towards major-gift fundraising online, charities should prioritize making it as easy as possible for their donors, new and recurring, to donate money digitally, they added.

“Reducing friction around complex gifts – such as securities donations – can unlock significant new revenue for charities.”