Every day, Canadians contribute both their money and time to improve the well-being of their communities.  In this latest report by Statistics Canada, data collected from the 2013 General Social Survey (GSS) provides current and comprehensive information about the individuals who volunteered in 2013.

Some of the interesting information for fundraisers includes the number of hours the volunteers provided, the age profile of volunteers and changes in both volunteer rates and hours.   This same report also focuses on changes in donation rates and in the amounts given by Canadians of all ages.

Selected highlights

Volunteering

• In 2013, 12.7 million Canadians or 44 percent of people aged 15 years and older did volunteer work. They devoted about 1.96 billion hours to their volunteer activities, a volume of work that is equivalent to about 1 million full-time jobs.
• The volunteer rate in 2013 (44 percent) was lower than that recorded in 2004 (45 percent), in 2007 (46 percent) and 2010 (47 percent). However, the total number of hours Canadians volunteered remained stable between 2010 and 2013.
• Just like the general population, the population of volunteers is aging. In 2013, 28 percent of all Canadian volunteers were aged 55 and older, compared to 23 percent in 2004.

Charitable Giving

• In 2013, the vast majority of Canadians (82 percent) made financial donations to a charitable or nonprofit organization.
• Between 2010 and 2013, the total amount donated by Canadians to charitable or nonprofit organizations increased by 14 percent to $12.8 billion.
• Older donors gave more on average. For example, donors aged 75 and over gave an average of $726 to nonprofit or charitable organizations, compared to $531 for all Canadian donors.
• In 2013, donations made to religious organizations represented $5.2 billion, or 41 percent, of all dollars given in that year.

Read the full report here.