Photo © Courtesy of CanadaHelps
By Marina Glogovac, President & CEO, CanadaHelps
In a typical year, a significant portion of all charitable giving happens in the few months leading up to the December 31st tax receipt deadline. At CanadaHelps, about 39 percent of all donations made through our website and tools for charities happen in November and December.
This funding is what many charities rely on to ride out the rest of the year. Of course, the last 20 months have been far from typical.
Throughout the pandemic, charities have faced drastically reduced revenues and increased demand for their services.
CanadaHelps projected overall giving dropped 10 percent in 2020 due to the pandemic. Advocating on behalf of Canada’s charitable sector, the latest research from Imagine Canada found that 56 percent of charities are struggling, and their recovery is at risk.
Thankfully, charities across the country have accepted the challenge of this last year to ensure they can continue to provide critical services to Canadians such as mental health counselling, senior care, food service, shelter, rescuing animals, and so much more.
Thankfully, charities across the country have accepted the challenge of this last year to ensure they can continue to provide critical services to Canadians such as mental health counselling, senior care, food service, shelter, rescuing animals, and so much more.
This holiday season, let’s support our communities. The great news is that you can easily integrate charitable donations into your gift giving this year—and your loved ones will thank you. Research from the Red Cross found that 59 percent of Canadians would rather receive a charitable gift than a traditional gift.
That statistic warms my heart, and makes sense, since many of us have the privilege of comfort and having far too much “stuff.” Instead, the holidays can be an opportunity to give even more meaningful gifts. Consider a Charity Gift Card or a virtual item from a charity’s gift guide for teacher and colleague gifts, hard to buy for family members or faraway loved ones. With a Charity Gift Card, the recipient chooses the charity to support, and the sender receives the charitable tax receipt.
In addition to gifts, I encourage all Canadians who are able to give generously this year. Many Canadians have saved a lot of money by working from home this year, so there is an opportunity to share some of that benefit with the broader community by setting up a monthly gift, finding a new charity to add to your giving plan, or stretching your giving budget.
This holiday season, let’s all make a point of including our broader community in our gift-giving plans and spread the spirit of generosity to others.
Find a charity to support, or send a Charity Gift Card, at www.CanadaHelps.org
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Free all-in-one solution for all your giving needs. 3,267,385 Canadians have donated $1,953,704,544 to Canadian charities using CanadaHelps.
