Canadians are giving less to charity than previous generations, and the gap is widening along age and income lines. A recent survey from fundraising platform CanadaHelps shows that 27% of adults aged 18 to 35 have not donated to any charity in the past five years, while donors aged 65 and older provided roughly half of all donation dollars in 2023. These patterns point to a shift in charitable behavior that has implications for nonprofit funding, volunteering capacity and responses to growing community needs.
The CanadaHelps research, published ahead of Giving Tuesday on December 2, also highlights a pronounced income divide. Households earning $150,000 or more accounted for 49% of all donations in the survey period, indicating a concentration of philanthropic dollars among higher earners. At the same time, larger segments of the population are not giving at all: 31% of respondents said they had not made any charitable donations in the past 12 months, and about two-thirds of those non-donors cited affordability as the primary reason.
“This year, we’re talking directly to the millions of Canadians who haven’t donated in a while—or maybe have never donated at all—and reminding them that their first gift can make a real difference,” said CanadaHelps president and CEO Duke Chang. “Whether it’s $5 or $50, every donation starts something meaningful.” The organization, which supports giving through more than 86,000 registered Canadian charities, is using Giving Tuesday to encourage renewed and first-time giving.
Giving Tuesday, introduced a dozen years ago, falls the Tuesday after American Thanksgiving and has become a focal point for charities to promote philanthropy and community support. While Canadians often respond generously to acute crises such as wildfires or floods, this data suggests habitual, routine giving is in decline.
The CanadaHelps findings align with national trends captured by Statistics Canada. Its 2023 Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating showed a long-term drop in the share of Canadians reporting charitable donations, falling from historically higher levels to 54% from 82% over the referenced period. In absolute terms, the number of donors has declined by millions. Total dollars donated have fallen more gradually—from an inflation-adjusted $16.4 billion in 2013 to $13.4 billion in 2023—suggesting that a smaller pool of donors is contributing larger amounts on average.
Volunteering is also down, reinforcing concerns about reduced community support capacity. In 2013, 44% of Canadians reported volunteering; by 2023 that figure had fallen to 32%. Total volunteer hours dropped from roughly 2 billion to 1.2 billion over the same decade. The pandemic accelerated the decline in volunteer participation—especially among women—and participation levels have not fully rebounded.
Independent analysis from the Fraser Institute echoes these trends. Its 2024 commentary noted the share of Canadian tax filers reporting charitable donations decreased to 17.1% in 2022 from 25.1% in 2002, while the proportion of personal income given to charity also declined. Those shifts occur as socioeconomic needs—such as food insecurity and other social services—have continued to grow, creating greater demand for charitable resources even as the donor base shrinks.
These developments raise several practical questions for charities and policymakers: How can organizations broaden their donor base and re-engage younger Canadians? What role can smaller, recurring gifts play in sustaining essential services? And how might tax policy, workplace giving programs and community outreach be adapted to encourage more equitable giving across income groups?
For individual donors and prospective givers, the CanadaHelps message is simple: even modest contributions matter. Small, consistent donations can provide nonprofit organizations with predictable revenue streams, while volunteering and advocacy can multiply the impact of financial gifts. As philanthropy evolves, supporting a mix of emergency response and long-term community programs will be essential to meeting rising social needs.
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