Looking at trends together: Donating and Volunteering
National data shows that Canadian volunteering and charitable giving both declined significantly between 2018 and 2023. The Canadian Knowledge Hub for Giving and Volunteering has analyzed Statistics Canada’s 2023 Survey on Giving, Volunteering and Participating and turned it into an actionable report for the sector. Every major measure went down. The donor rate fell from […]
Fewer donors are carrying more of Canada’s giving. Here’s what the numbers actually say.
Accompanying the release of “Giving in Canada: Insights from the GSS-GVP & S-GVP, 2018 to 2023. When Statistics Canada released its latest giving and volunteering tables, the headline that travels fastest is usually the total: about $13.4 billion donated in 2023. In constant 2023 dollars, with inflation stripped out, real giving was essentially flat between […]
From Strategy to Impact: Innovative Approaches to Volunteer Engagement and Fundraising
Last week, our Data-Driven Engagement Webinar Series welcomed Michelle Del Carmen, Chief Executive Officer of Centre for Dreams, a York Region charity celebrating its 35th anniversary this year. Drawing on more than 25 years advocating for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (a commitment shaped by both her professional work and her lived experience as […]
StatsCan Report: Volunteering and Charitable Giving in Canada, 2018 to 2023
A sector holding steady on fewer shoulders Just over a year ago, Statistics Canada released Volunteering and charitable giving in Canada, 2018 to 2023, drawing on the 2023 Survey on Giving, Volunteering and Participating. After a long stretch of relative stability – from 2004 to 2013, participation and giving barely moved – the report captures […]
What Volunteering Is Worth: What the 2023 Data Tells Us About the Economic Value of Volunteering in Canada
Based on Statistics Canada’s Satellite Account of Non-Profit Institutions and Volunteering, Table 36-10-0618-01, released March 30, 2026 Volunteering is often described in terms of hours given, services delivered, and communities supported. All of those framings are accurate, but they leave out something that matters for advocacy, for planning, and for making the case to funders and governments: volunteering […]
StatsCan Report: The diverse volunteering contributions of racialized Canadians
A new lens on who volunteers and how In December 2025, Statistics Canada released The diverse volunteering contributions of racialized Canadians, a study by Maire Sinha and Christy Lenhardt drawing on the 2023 Survey on Giving, Volunteering and Participating. It marks the first time the survey has collected data on racialized population groups, giving the […]
Young Volunteers, Big Opportunity: What the 2023 Data Tells Us About Youth and Volunteering
Based on Statistics Canada’s Survey on Giving, Volunteering and Participating, 2023 (Tables 45-10-0039-01 and 45-10-0040-01) Young Canadians are the most likely age group to volunteer in Canada, and that fact deserves genuine recognition. At a moment when national volunteer rates have declined and total hours have fallen by nearly 900 million since 2018, the continued […]
More Than Half the Hours: What the 2023 Data Tells Us About Women and Volunteering
Based on Statistics Canada’s Survey on Giving, Volunteering and Participating, 2023 (Table 45-10-0040-01) Women are the majority contributors to volunteering in Canada, accounting for more than half of all volunteer hours despite representing roughly half the volunteer population. They have historically led men in participation rates, given more hours per volunteer, and anchored the organized, […]
Certificate of Completion in Data-Driven Engagement
Across the nonprofit and voluntary sector, organizations are being asked to use data more confidently to support planning, funding, evaluation, and community engagement. At the same time, many people working in volunteering, giving, and participation roles have limited opportunities to build practical data literacy in ways that feel relevant to their day-to-day work. The Certificate […]
