‘2013 What Canadian Donors Want Survey’ reveals valuable fundraising insight

A wealth of fantastic nonprofit fundraising data has just been released by the AFP Foundation for Philanthropy – Canada in partnership with Ipsos Reid. The brand new ‘2013 What Canadian Donors Want Survey’ contains tangible information about fundraising in Canada including decisions about why donors give, how they reach that decision, attitudes about nonprofits plus how donors research charitable organizations.

We’ll break the data down and I’m sure you’ll find it interesting and worthy of consideration during your own fundraising activities. The previous survey was conducted two years earlier in 2011 so much of the data is bench-marked against that as a point of reference. As you may know Canada’s dedication to philanthropy is well documented with the nation ranking 2nd in the latest Global Giving Index.

The Giving Decision –

A remarkable 70% of Canadians made a financial donation to a nonprofit in 2013, a rate that is consistent with the previous poll. Rates as high as 77% (Alberta), 76% (Saskatchewan & Manitoba) and 73% (Ontario) were observed. Age also is a factor with those aged 55+ the most likely to have donated at 80%, meanwhile the same applies for 67% of those between 35-54 and 62% of the youngest group from 18-34. Those ratios based on age groups are in keeping with what is observed in many nations but the overall rates of giving are very high.

So who are Canadians donating to? The vast majority support multiple charities with 65% giving to between 2 and 5 organizations and 16% donate to more than six in total which leaves just 19% who support a single charity. What the charity does also plays a part; organizations that support the local community receiving 49% of donor support, those that benefit on a national scale 35% while international charities receive the remaining 16%.

Data that I’m sure you’ll find revealing is the perception from donors about how often they were approached by donors. 26% felt they were approached ‘far too much’ and 29% answered ‘a little too much’ – both numbers suggest that some nonprofits can look at better calibrating their methods. On the other hand 38% felt they were approached ‘just the right amount’. What is also revealing is that on the whole (all but one province) the incidence of being asked to donate is lower than the actual rate of giving. In some ways it would seem that this statistic is counter-intuitive if most (55%,  see above) feel they were being approached too frequently however that could mean certain organizations are spiking the rates upward or new donors are changing the ratios.

Why Donors Give –

The survey asked the key question ‘Why do donors give?’ and received an interesting set of replies many of which I’m sure have applied to us at different times. 35% said it is the desire to help those in need, 19% to give back to the community, 20% personal impact by the charity’s activities or have been helped and want to give back. In addition the perfectly good answers of  ‘It’s the right thing to do’ and ‘It feels good’ account for 24%. All of which demonstrates that people will give for very different reasons and often for different reasons at different times.

Involvement is also key with 54% saying that volunteering for a nonprofit makes them much more/somewhat more likely to donate to that specific charity. I found it interesting that only 16% said they would increase the amount they give with greater tax incentives.

Traditional mail remains the preferred method of contact for encouraging donor interest at 38%, especially with those aged 35 and above while the younger generation prefer email or social media. Important to note if your database allows you to make that distinction in your demographic data.

Data courtesy of AFP Canada

Attitudes toward nonprofits –

Very revealing data here also suggests 77% of Canadians feel that charities play an important role by meeting/assisting needs that are not always met by the private sector or the state. In tandem with that 75% are confident in the nonprofit sector overall which is significantly higher than the confidence shown in the private or public sectors. In fact some 81% feel that the government should provide additional funding to medical and educational organization to reduce the reliance on charitable funding.

Overall about 60% of those surveyed answered that they feel responsible and trustworthy decisions are made by nonprofits and funding is well-managed.

I’d be interested to learn if your experiences tend to match with the survey results. Next week we’ll take a look at some of the other results from the survey.
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Miratel Solutions is a Toronto call centre, eBusiness, and letter shop mail house specializing in professional fundraising services including telephone fundraising, online fundraising, lottery services, donation caging, donation processing and other donor management services. We are committed to our CSR business values in all contact centre services and mail house operations and advancing the missions of the nonprofits we proudly serve.