[Blog] New Results from Statistics Canada's Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating

Statistics Canada’s June 23 edition of The Daily released preliminary findings from the 2023 Survey of Giving, Volunteering, and Participating (GVP). These findings provide an important update on giving and volunteering trends in Canada, providing a snapshot of how Canadians are engaging with charities and nonprofits in the post-pandemic era.

Put simply, the results are sobering. Fewer Canadians are giving and volunteering, and they are contributing less of their time and money. These shifts look to be a combination of long-term trends and ongoing post-pandemic effects.

Key findings include:

• Continuing previous trends, the number of Canadians donating has declined by about 3 million since 2018. Since their peak in 2013, donor numbers have declined by nearly 6.3 million. Over the past decade, the percentage of Canadians donating has dropped from 82% to 54%.
• Total donations declined modestly to $13.4 billion in 2023 from $14.0 billion in 2018. This builds on a much more significant decline from $16.4 billion in 2013 (all figures inflation-adjusted).
• The percentage of Canadians volunteering for nonprofits and charities dropped significantly, from 41% in 2018 to 32% in 2023. This is an additional decline from 44% in 2013.
• Total volunteer hours dropped to 1.2 billion, down by over a quarter from 1.7 billion in 2018 and nearly four fifths from 2.0 billion in 2013. In total, this is equivalent to a decline of roughly 451,000 full-time jobs.

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