CanadaHelps, the largest platform in Canada for donating and fundraising for charities online, is celebrating 20 years of growth, innovation, and support for the charitable sector. The organization’s mission is to increase charitable giving in Canada by democratizing access to technology so charities can easily raise funds online. CanadaHelps is a charitable foundation and technology platform that is currently used by more than 23,000 charities to raise funds for their cause. It also serves as an online destination for Canadians to connect with and donate to any of Canada’s 86,000 registered charities. Since its inception, CanadaHelps has processed more than $1.7 billion in charitable donations through its platform, donated by almost 3 million Canadians. In honour of its anniversary and to celebrate the significant milestones achieved over the past 20 years, CanadaHelps has released a new video docuseries highlighting charities and their impact on communities in Canada.
“Over the past 20 years, CanadaHelps has become synonymous with charitable giving. We are incredibly proud of everything we have achieved and the role we have played in driving a significant transformation of the charitable sector – but our work is nowhere close to done,” says Marina Glogovac, CEO of CanadaHelps. “Charities play a critical role in ensuring Canadians have access to a strong safety net when facing challenging times. This is what inspires us to continue driving innovation, ensuring charities have what they need to support Canadians and their communities for generations to come.”
Charities Touch the Lives of Canadians Every Day, Often in Ways we Don’t Realize
The video docuseries released today by CanadaHelps reinforces how charities touch the lives of Canadians every day, often in ways people don’t realize. The short documentaries showcase the diversity and impact of Canada’s charitable sector by placing a spotlight on the environment, Indigenous culture and language, food security, community health, animal protection and rescue, and so much more.
Supporting Digital Transformation of the Charitable Sector
In 2000, CanadaHelps was launched to provide technology solutions that make it easier for Canadians to donate online and to simplify how charities connect with donors to raise critical funds and support for their causes. Today, CanadaHelps continues to innovate, playing an instrumental role in advancing digital transformation agendas for Canada’s registered charities. Examples of innovations over the past 20 years include the ability for Canadians to schedule monthly donations (2004); give the gift of giving by purchasing charity gift cards (2005); donate securities (2008); empowering charities to fundraise on their own websites (2012); enabling charities to launch peer-to-peer, team-based fundraising campaigns (2015); the first Giving Report, an authoritative guide on the status of Canada's charitable sector. (2017); and the ability to easily support a number of charities aligned with a cause through a single donation to a Cause Fund (2020).
“The charitable sector has undergone a significant transformation, but there is so much more that needs to be done,” says Glogovac. “Since the COVID-19 outbreak was declared a pandemic one year ago, CanadaHelps has focused its efforts and priorities on supporting charities, enabling them to raise funds online, and continue their critical work during the ongoing disruption. Today, the sector is at an inflection point as charities recognize that to keep their lights on, doors open, and ensure continuous service delivery will require an investment in their technology resources.”
While digital transformation strategies were being embraced by the charitable sector pre-pandemic, 2020 significantly accelerated the pace of digital fundraising adoption. Almost overnight, food and clothing drives, galas and silent auctions, and holiday fundraising activities were no longer possible in a socially distanced world. Many charities found themselves scrambling to replace lost revenue after cancelling in-person events and losing other forms of earned revenue. This shift to digital fundraising amid the pandemic drove significant milestones in online giving in 2020:
“Like brick-and-mortar for-profit businesses, the successful transition to a digital economy is key to the future survival of many charities,” said Glogovac. “Despite a long-standing hesitation to invest funds in their own digital technology infrastructure, now is the time for charities to invest in their future.”
Founded in 2000, CanadaHelps is a registered charity dedicated to increasing charitable giving across Canada. The organization develops effective and affordable fundraising technology and provides free training and education so that regardless of size, all charities have the capacity to increase their impact and succeed in the digital age. For Canadians, CanadaHelps.org, provides a safe and trusted one stop destination for making donations, fundraising, or learning about any charity in Canada. Over 2.9 million Canadians have donated over $1.7 billion to charities using CanadaHelps. For additional information, visit CanadaHelps.org or connect with CanadaHelps on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
