A Message from the Acting Executive Director, Bethany Care Foundation

How Do Canadians Give?

As we approach the end of the calendar year, many people’s thoughts turn to giving – to family and friends, to the causes we care about, and to those less fortunate among us who need a helping hand.

When it comes to giving to charities, there’s a recent study done by The Rideau Hall Foundation that looked at the past 30 years of charitable giving by Canadians. There’s some findings that we’re taking close note of at the Bethany Care Foundation.

It’s hard to believe but, in the last available data year, individual Canadians gave over $14 billion to the charities they care about. That’s good news for charities.

However, the number of donors that are giving that amount has been steadily shrinking over the last 30 years. There are fewer donors giving…but those that do give, are giving more.

There’s also a generational shift occurring. Baby Boomers (born 1946 to 1965) have been the biggest givers in the past 30 years. However, they are giving less, at their peak giving period, than the generations before them. It also appears the peak giving rate for GenX and GenY will be even lower.

It’s not all gloom and doom, though. There’s some trends that we can pay attention to at Bethany to expand our potential to invite donors into our mission.

1. As has been the case for over 30 years, the Top 4 causes that donors give to are religion (41%), health (13%), social services (12%) and international causes (10%). Bethany’s commitment to multifaithfulness, our expertise in care, our work to provide affordable housing options and support to people through challenging life circumstances, give us many opportunities to engage donors.
2. Baby Boomers, the mainstay of all Canadian charitable giving for the past 30 years, are very much our most important group to engage and involve in giving to Bethany. The Foundation’s primary focus (although not exclusively) will be to inspire donors aged 50 plus in our work.
3. While they don’t make up a significant percentage of donors right now, building relationships with new Canadians and younger generations is also important for all charities to pay attention to. We’ll be devoting some of our effort to grow our future base of support for Bethany by reaching out to diverse communities and expanding ways for potential donors to engage with us online.

Please share your thoughts and ideas with us as we work together to bring community support to Bethany.

Have a great week!

– Gail