MEDIA ADVISORY: CanadaHelps Looking to Exceed $11.4 Million Raised Last Year on GivingTuesday as it Celebrates the Movement’s 10th Anniversary in Canada

TORONTO, Nov. 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — CanadaHelps, Canada’s largest online donation and fundraising platform and co-founders of GivingTuesday in Canada, are available for media interviews to discuss the 10th anniversary of this annual day of giving in Canada. Taking place this year on November 29th, GivingTuesday is the world’s largest generosity movement, celebrating and encouraging Canadians to give in support of their favourite charities or causes. On GivingTuesday in 2021, more than $11.4 million was donated on CanadaHelps.org, which lists all 86,000 registered charities on its platform for Canadians to choose from.

French and English spokespersons from CanadaHelps are available to speak on the following topics:

• GivingTuesday’s history and impact: Co-founded by CanadaHelps, GIV3, and several other partners, GivingTuesday was originally founded in New York City in 2012 and came to Canada in 2013. Since then, an estimated six million Canadians have participated in GivingTuesday. In 2021, GivingTuesday raised an estimated $43.6 million in Canada to support registered charities, including $11.4 million raised on CanadaHelps.org.
• Ways Canadians can support GivingTuesday: Canadians are encouraged to get involved by choosing a cause they care about and supporting that cause by donating, volunteering, fundraising, helping to spread the word on social media, or choosing another way to give.
• Rising demand facing Canadian charities: A recent Ipsos poll commissioned by CanadaHelps revealed that 22 percent of Canadians are planning to access essential charitable services such as food and shelter in the next six months. This is up from 14 percent of Canadians who were already using charitable services for essential needs in January. Another survey conducted by CanadaHelps in August revealed that 41 percent of small charities saw an increase in demand at the start of the pandemic, but demand has only returned to pre-pandemic levels for 5 percent of charities.
• Ways Canadians can give on a budget while facing a rising cost of living: Monthly donations are one of the most strategic ways for Canadians to give, allowing Canadians to budget their giving, while allowing charities to count on sustainable funding throughout the year. Gifts of securities are also one of the most strategic and tax-efficient ways to give as it eliminates the capital gains tax. Plus, when Canadians give to a registered charity, they can get as much as 53 percent of their donation back.
• Canadian giving trends: Only 13 percent of Canadians are expecting to donate more to charity this year than they did last year, while 20 percent are expecting to donate less, and 45 percent are expecting to donate the same amount as last year.
• Popular causes for donations in 2022: From sending relief to Ukraine to supporting Indigenous charities, Canadians have given to a wide variety of causes in 2022.
• New and emerging online giving technologies: There are new and innovative ways Canadians can engage in charitable giving. This includes donations of cryptocurrency and Cause Funds which enable Canadians to donate once to their favourite cause, with the donation automatically divided among a group of registered charities.
• Holiday gift ideas that make an impact: Nearly half of Canadians (47 percent) would prefer to receive a charitable gift that makes an impact instead of receiving a traditional material gift this holiday season. Of the 47 percent, 23 percent would prefer to receive a Charity Gift Card, which allows the recipient to choose the charities that receive the funds. The remaining 24 percent would prefer to have a charitable gift donated in their honour, such as gifts that support children, enhance health, protect the environment, and so much more.
• Challenges facing small charities: Small charities with annual revenues of less than $500,000 have experienced the biggest drop in donations. From 2019 to 2020, small charities faced a decline of $1 billion in receipted annual revenue (or 25 percent), while large charities with annual revenues of more than $2.5 million gained $731 million (+6 percent) in receipted revenue. Also challenging small charities is the shrinking margin between revenue and expenses. Small charities are facing a -2 percent decline in this margin, while medium and large charities have been able to achieve positive margins of 5 percent.
• The impacts of inflation and pandemic recovery among charities: A survey of small charities revealed that 83 percent agree that inflation has increased the costs incurred for service delivery, and 65 percent agree that inflation has decreased the donations received from individuals. According to 51 percent of small charities, higher demand for services and/or reduced funding has caused higher levels of staff burnout, and 55 percent have seen a decline in volunteers since the start of the pandemic.
• Creative ways to give: CanadaHelps’ 12 Ways to Give campaign launched earlier this month. It highlights a range of ways Canadians can give in support of their favourite cause or charity in both monetary and non-monetary ways. From volunteering to launching a fundraiser, there are so many ways to give and bring together children, workplaces, friends, or families.
• How charities are making an impact: The average charity spends less than 10 percent on administration, and 90 percent on programs and services. Even while 78 percent of charities make less than $500,000 in revenue, and 58 percent of charities are fully volunteer-run, charities are offering support to communities in need, while also advancing and touching the lives of all Canadians.
• Digital transformation and digital skills among charities: Like businesses, schools, and other institutions, many charities were forced to pivot overnight during the pandemic to integrate technologies into their operations and programs. According to the 2021 Digital Skills Survey by CanadaHelps, one in three charities believe that they will soon find it harder to operate if they don’t advance their digital capabilities. CanadaHelps has helped charities advance their digital transformation journeys by providing free educational resources, robust and easy-to-use fundraising tools, and has further supported charities launching the Charity Growth Academy in partnership with Mastercard.

Resources:

• Media resources, including b-roll, Ipsos polling data, images, spokesperson bios, and recent press releases, are available here. These resources may be helpful for media looking for additional insights, or for those who are unable to conduct an interview but would still like to cover GivingTuesday.
• Phone, Zoom, Skype, or Facetime interviews can be booked with CanadaHelps. Interviews can also be conducted in-person in Toronto.
• CanadaHelps can arrange interviews with local or national registered Canadian charities to speak about their impact, challenges, and how Canadians can support them on GivingTuesday.

About CanadaHelps:
CanadaHelps is a public foundation advancing philanthropy through technology. For Canadians, it powers CanadaHelps.org, a safe and trusted destination for discovering and supporting any charity in Canada, and UniteforChange.com, where Canadians can learn about causes and easily support the collective work of charities addressing a cause they care about. CanadaHelps also develops affordable fundraising technology used by more than 26,000 charities, and free training and education so that, regardless of size, all charities have the capacity to increase their impact and succeed in the digital age. Since 2000, more than 3.6 million people have given more than $2.3 billion through CanadaHelps. Connect with CanadaHelps on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Media Contact:
Nicole Danesi
Senior Manager, Public Relations & Unite for Change
CanadaHelps
media@canadahelps.org

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/106ce52b-4c8b-41ae-b1b3-47702e7ba5d9