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NSGVP 2000 highlights more giving but a million fewer
volunteers
August 20, 2001
by Nicole Zummach
Canadians donated more than $5 billion to charities and nonprofits in 2000,
up 6% from 1997. During the same time, more than one million volunteers stopped
lending a handing -- a drop of 4% from 1997 participation rates. For many people
involved with the voluntary sector in Canada, the biggest finding from the second
National Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating (NSGVP) may
come as no surprise -- the base of real support for charities and nonprofits
across the country is precariously thin.
In 1997 the NSGVP, for the first time, provided an in-depth look at the money
and volunteer time that Canadians gave to one another. Using the same content
and methods, researchers repeated the survey in 2000, with federal funding from
the Voluntary Sector Initiative (VSI) in partnership with the Canadian
Centre for Philanthropy, Volunteer Canada, Statistics Canada and
several other federal government departments.
Benchmark provides assessment of changes
This second NSGVP is significant because it allows for the accurate assessment
of changes that may be occurring in the way Canadians contribute their time
and money, both locally and globally. The 1997 benchmark survey revealed that
Canadians donated almost $4.5 billion and 1.1 billion hours to charities and
nonprofits in that year. However, only about 11% of the population was responsible
for providing more than half the total dollar value of donations and 42% of
all volunteer hours, indicating a heavy reliance on a small percentage of the
population.
The 2000 survey finds that charitable and nonprofit organizations continue to
rely on a small core population from which to draw support. Less than 10% of
Canadians were responsible for 46% of the total dollar value of all donations
and 40% of all volunteer hours. Overall, there was a decline of approximately
one million volunteers, with 27% (6.5 million) of people over the age of 15
volunteering. This is down from 31% of the population who volunteered in 1997.
Large percentage of population active donors
Despite the decline in volunteers, Dr. Michael Hall, vice president of
research with the Canadian Centre for Philanthropy, states that Canadians still
provide "an impressive amount of support." Almost 22 million Canadians,
or 91% of the population over 15, made either monetary or in-kind donations
within a one-year period. The estimated total financial support for the year
was more than $5 billion, which is an 11% increase in giving since 1997. The
bulk of that amount, 4.9 billion, came from the 78% of Canadians who gave money
directly to organizations. In 2000, the number of donations in Canada averaged
200,000 a day. As Hall points out, "a lot of small donations can add up
to a large amount."
The majority of Canadians, almost eight out of ten, made a financial contribution
in response to a request or by approaching an organization. Forty-one percent
dropped money in cash boxes at stores and 4% left a bequest to a charitable
or religious organization as part of their will. The donation of food, clothing
and household goods was also common, with 69% of the population donating goods
to charity and 54% giving food to organizations such as food banks.
Religious organizations continue to get the lion’s share of money donated
in Canada, receiving 49% of the 4.9 billion collected in 2000. This figure is
relatively stable compared with the 51% given to these organizations in 1997.
More Canadians (18%) reported that they are planning their donations in advance,
deciding how much they will give and which organizations to support, while 20%
fewer are responding to door-to-door canvassing campaigns.
Shift in patterns of giving
The survey found that while the overall dollar amount donated by Canadians increased
since 1997, the patterns of giving among different age groups has shifted. Most
notably, people aged 15-24 showed an increase in average annual donations from
$79 in 1997 to $118 in 2000 and people aged 25-34 increased their average annual
donation from $159 to $229. For those over 65, the average annual donation dropped
from $328 to $308.
It is interesting to note that although the amount of money donated annually
by people over 65 has decreased, the amount of time spent volunteering has increased
by 67 hours since 1997. The average number of hours spent volunteering by seniors
is now 269, the highest of any age group. Those aged 55 to 64 also showed an
increase of 21 hours. The lowest number of hours spent volunteering was 130
hours for 15- to 24-year-olds. However, the rate of volunteering among this
age group increased to 29%, while there was a notable decline in the volunteer
rate of 35- to 44-year-olds, where the rate decreased from 37% to 30% in 2000.
Aside from contributing volunteer time and donating funds, Canadians are also
demonstrating their support for their communities and each other. Fifty one
percent of all Canadians over 15 years of age were members or participants in
a variety of organizations and activities, such as recreational, religious or
work-related groups.
Although the NSGVP reveals that there is always room for improvement, it also
demonstrates that giving continues to be an essential part of Canadian life.
Follow our coverage in the next few weeks to find out more about how these statistics
break down across the country and among different demographics.
To view the full report "Caring Canadians, involved Canadians: Highlights
from the 2000 National Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating"
visit www.nsgvp.org.
