Fewer Canadians donating to non-profits amid ongoing sector challenges: StatsCan
Why It Matters
Good information allows non-profits to anticipate change, adapt to shifting priorities, and ensure the communities they serve have the resources they need.
Canada’s charitable landscape underwent significant changes over the last five years, according to new data from Statistics Canada.
The shift reflects what many non-profit organizations say they have experienced firsthand: a significant decline in the number of Canadians making donations.
Data shows that, between 2018 and 2023, the number of Canadians aged 15 and older who donated fell from 68 per cent to just 54 per cent.
The decline in donations coincides with an increasing population.
The findings also highlight COVID-19’s impact on the charitable sector, which has long raised concerns about the pandemic’s continuing effects.
The charitable sector has long warned about the sustained impact of the pandemic’s toll on staffing, resources, and its capacity to meet rising demand.
Donor preference changes
Data also shows a shift in donor preferences between 2018 and 2023.
In 2023, religious organizations remained the largest recipients of charitable donations, receiving $4.9 billion, followed by health organizations at $1.8 billion and social service organizations at $1.7 billion.
However, despite being the largest recipients, religious organizations saw a 22 per cent drop during that time frame, collecting $1.4 billion less over the five-year period.
The drop coincides with the decline in religious participation, according to Statistics Canada’s latest information.
Only 37 per cent of Canadians reported involvement in religious activities in 2023, down from 45 per cent in 2018.
However, social service organizations saw a 20 per cent increase in donations over the same period, suggesting donor priorities have shifted towards more community-focused causes.
There were also fewer top donors, those who contribute the largest amounts of money to an organization, during that time frame. However, the total amount donated by top donors did not decrease significantly.
In 2023, top donors contributed $9.5 billion to charities or non-profit organizations, representing 71 per cent of the total value of financial donations made that year.
Volunteer rates drop
The pandemic years also impacted volunteerism.
In 2018, 79 per cent of Canadians described themselves as volunteers. By 2023, that number had dropped to 73 per cent.
The total number of volunteer hours also dropped by 18 per cent during that same interval, from 5.0 billion to 4.1 billion.
While men and women volunteered at similar rates, the average number of hours volunteered by women fell significantly by 21 per cent, a decline not seen among men.
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