No noticeable impact of Canada Post strikes on half of non-profits, new research finds
Why It Matters
The end of the year is most charities’ major fundraising push, and the strike threatened to disrupt direct mail campaigns. Many charities chose to try new ways to connect with donors, while others stuck with the status quo.
A new study says just more than half of Canadian non-profits did not change the way they fundraise or deal with any noticeable impact from the Canada Post strike, but industry advocates say the survey does not provide the full picture.
Research published by the Charity Insights Canada Project (CICP) at Carleton University found that 53 per cent of respondents did not adjust their fundraising approach in response to the postal strike, while 51 per cent said the government’s charitable donation extension had no impact on their donations or operations.
Less than one in five reported that some donations had shifted from late 2024 to early 2025. Several respondents even said they were unaware that the tax extension had been implemented.
Bruce MacDonald, president and CEO of Imagine Canada, led much of the effort to extend the charitable donations deadline, which remained unaffected by the proroguing of Parliament in early January.
During the postal strike, he observed that many charities pivoted to calling donors directly, encouraging them to give online, and communicating with them about the extension – all of which helped them reach their original goals.
About a third focused their efforts on email fundraising campaigns as an alternative to reach their donors, according to the research.
“That being said, I’ve chatted with a number [of charities] who were definitely ‘down’ despite a range of efforts,” said MacDonald.
“Some of their donors were just very wedded to using the mail as their way of giving.”
Survey respondents also relied on text messaging services; others said they took out paid ads in local newspapers. Others turned to hand-delivering holiday and thank-you cards, focusing on their most regular supporters.
“Dedicated donors chose to drop off donations in person or online through our website,” said one survey respondent.
However, for others, direct mail remained a focal point of their fundraising strategy. A survey carried out by CanadaHelps and Ipsos in late 2024 found that nearly half of donors who traditionally donate through mail did not intend to switch to online giving.
“We are a very small organization and very low-tech, as are many of our donors,” said one respondent in the CICP survey. “We do a directed mail campaign only and adjusted this year by simply sending our solicitation letters after the strike / holidays.”
“It remains to be seen at this point if donations will remain low, rebound to normal levels, or perhaps increase due to our ask being timed outside of the busy holiday season.”
Risk of another postal strike looms
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers, representing around 55,000 postal staff, went on strike in mid-November, demanding wage increases and enhanced employment benefits, including coverage for fertility treatments and gender-affirming care.
The strike lasted one month, and the federal government eventually ordered workers back to work ahead of Christmas. Negotiations are ongoing.
During the strike, Imagine Canada and other organizations began advocating for a tax receipt deadline extension to allow donations received in early 2025 to count towards a donor’s 2024 income tax. They worked with CRA and Department of Finance representatives, seeking to protect charities that relied on mailed-in donations.
Certain types of donations remained exempt from this extension, including securities, ‘in-kind donations’, payroll deductions, and donation requests from people who had passed away.
To help mitigate the strike’s impacts, the federal government extended the tax claim deadline for Canadians who donate to a registered charity to Feb. 28, 2025.
The deadline is usually Dec. 31 of the same year.
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