The Giving Report: What’s Shaping Canadian Philanthropy in 2026

The Giving Report, from CanadaHelps and Environics, has just been released – and it’s packed with important data about the Canadian charitable sector from 2025.

This year there are new and exciting reasons to celebrate: 2026 marked the strongest year for online charitable giving since the pandemic! 

Digital donations processed through CanadaHelps’ reached $529 million – a remarkable $47 million increase from the previous year and a signal that Canadian generosity is not just recovering, but gaining steady momentum.

Whether you’re looking to benchmark your fundraising campaign performance, curious about broader sector trends, or planning your strategy for the year ahead, The Giving Report is essential reading for charity professionals and non-profit leaders. 

As we highlight the important insights and trends that have emerged for charity professionals over the past year, one thing is certain: digital fundraising is adapting in real time – and so are the values and priorities of Canadian donors. Charities who thrive in this climate must stay informed about who makes up the donor landscape, be willing to pivot strategically and remain nimble.

Keep reading and uncover the latest research into:

• Why online giving is growing 📈
• How donors are giving 💰
• What charities and causes donors are giving too 🏥
• Where online giving is concentrated across Canada 📍

Online Giving is Growing – Strongest Year This Decade

There’s a reason to celebrate – one of the biggest breakthroughs in The Giving Report is this: last year online donations that came in through CanadaHelps reached $529 million, a $47 million increase from the previous year! 

This makes 2025 the strongest year Canada has experienced for charitable giving since the pandemic.

What’s driving the growth in online giving?

The increase in online donations has been driven primarily by an increase in large gifts. In fact, the smaller ‘bread and butter’ gifts of $25 or $50 are consistently declining – something for fundraisers to note as they look ahead.

Highlighted in The Giving Report, the uptick of donations is fuelled by more large donations – especially in the form of securities donations like stocks and mutual funds. But large donations are no longer only coming in from wealthy donors.

Online giving is essential any modern fundraising program

Giving is becoming increasingly digital and online platforms are playing a key role – another key highlight from The Giving Report is that even small charities need to be digitally enabled to compete in the new charitable landscape.

 

The methods individuals give through are expanding

The era of small, one-time charitable donations is over. Modern donors want the flexibility to give to charities through non-traditional avenues – let’s explore some of the giving methods that saw the most significant growth over the last year.

Securities donations are up 200% since 2020

One of the most remarkable shifts in Canada’s giving landscape is the growth of charitable donations of securities. At our current moment, securities donations are rapidly reshaping the online giving landscape across Canada. 

Securities represent financial equities or investments – such stocks, mutual funds or exchange traded funds. In 2025, the median securities donation was $9,500 – but securities gifts can range from under $1,000 on the lower end to over $2 million at the highest peak.

At any donation level, one thing is certain: gifts of securities represent an extremely high-value donation channel – and one that is not just limited to the ultra-wealthy.

CanadaHelps processes gifts of securities for charities. If your organization is not digitally enabled to accept donations of securities, learn more about how to set up securities giving here.

Monthly donations have increased 82% since 2020

The growth of monthly giving is one of the most important shifts in charitable giving that has taken place over the last decade.

The increase in monthly donations, opposed to one-time gifts, offers charities a predictable and ongoing source of revenue. Monthly giving is the most stable form of donor support, one that – alongside proper stewardship – fosters long-term, sustainable donor relationships.

For charities using CanadaHelps multistep donation form, turn on the monthly prompt to increase monthly giving transactions.

Corporate giving is growing moderately

The Giving Report outlines how corporate donations continue to show steady growth for charities. As companies of all sizes continue to engage with charitable giving across Canada, it’s time for charities to think more strategically about partnerships with the private sector.

Big events like GivingTuesday continue to drive one-time giving

Event-specific campaigns, such as GivingTuesday, continue to fuel single-time donations for Canadian charities.

Donations through CanadaHelps reached approximately $16.2 million in 2025, continuing a steady upward trend that has shown a 59% increase since 2020. The average gift size has also been increasing since 2019, in 2025 the average gift size rose by a steady 3.5%.

Charities must get strategic about how they leverage these important days, and about campaign specific moments. The best formula to drive fundraising on specific days includes defining a clear moment to give and pushing a coordinated effort behind it.

What causes are donors giving to?

While total donations through CanadaHelps grew 10% in 2025 and the overall landscape of charitable giving shows encouraging growth, not all causes are sharing equally in these gains. Beneath the numbers, the trends – especially related to the specific causes donors give to – are more nuanced, let’s unpack some key insights.

Donations are concentrated to specific causes

Together, donations to one of these three cause types accounted for roughly 60% of all donations received through CanadaHelps in 2025:

• • Local and regional charities
  • Health organizations
  • Education charities

Local and regional charities received the most donations

The numbers speak for themselves: Canadian donors want to make a firsthand impact in their own backyards. In 2025, donations to local and regional based charities reached nearly $122 million – representing an 11% year-over-year increase.

What charitable causes saw the most donation growth?

Understanding which causes saw the strongest growth in 2025 offers charity professionals a valuable window into the minds of Canadian donors – what they care about, what they’re prioritizing, and why.

While current events and major disasters often influence which causes experience donation growth, the causes gaining solid ground over time underscore broader generational shifts and evolving needs and values of Canadian society.

Environment charities stand out as one of the fastest-growing cause areas, with donations climbing 13% in 2025 to $11.7 million and donor participation surging 19% – this represents the highest growth rate of any cause area.

Animal Welfare charities have experienced sustained growth over the past decade and in 2025, with donations increasing 13% to $35.7 million last year alone.

Social service charities regained momentum last year, with donations increasing 12% to $24.5 million. This likely speaks to social concerns around housing, affordability and food security – encouraging Canadians to support charities that offer social services to these communities.

Arts and cultural charities continued their surge in growth over the past two years. In 2025, donations increased 12% to $39.3 million – demonstrating a strong recovery after slowed growth during the pandemic.

For a full breakdown of all the causes donors continue to support, download The Giving Report. Inside, you will also find a robust list of which organizations have shown declining or slower-than-average financial support over the past year.

Where are donors giving from?

One of the most compelling storylines in The Giving Report this year is where donations are coming from – and the answers may surprise you.

Charitable giving is no longer concentrated in Canada’s major cities

While Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal still lead the way in terms of total donation volume, growth in these urban centres has slowed and given way to a much broader and more diverse donor landscape.

Growth in northern and rural communities

The Giving Report shows strong donation growth in both northern and rural communities – especially the Yukon Territory and Northern Ontario, which have begun to outpace the national giving trends.

Atlantic Canada emerges as the fastest growing region

Nova Scotia emerges as the frontrunner for fundraising growth in the Atlantic region – outpacing national trends 58 points faster. Newfoundland and Labrador also demonstrated steady regional growth rates.

For Canadian charities, the message is clear: opportunity is no longer just where the population is densest – it’s everywhere.

Who are Canada’s donors?

In 2026, let’s unpack who the families and individuals that make up Canada’s landscape of charity donors are. As you can see, Wealthy Families still account for the largest segment (22.3%) of Canada’s overall donor landscape.

Canada’s Donor Landscape

However, Wealthy Families are by no means the only donor segment charities should be appealing to for fundraising. As you can see in the eight segments in the chart below, Canada’s donors are made up of individuals and families from diverse locations, age ranges, languages and backgrounds.

Total Donations by Donor Segment

Get a full, in-depth picture of Canada’s charitable landscape

The 2025 Giving Report from CanadaHelps and Environics offers a crucial look into the evolving values, priorities, and generosity trends of Canadians.

For charity leaders and professionals, understanding generosity and giving trends is the foundation of building philanthropic strategies that resonate with today’s donors. 

From which causes donation dollars are flowing into, to what the demographic breakdown of the individuals and families that make up Canada’s donor landscape are – The Giving Report reveals an important story: what do Canadians care about most at this moment, and how are our values shifting over time?

Download CanadaHelps full Giving Report now for a comprehensive look at how online fundraising is evolving across Canada – or watch the playback of the webinar we hosted on The Giving Report, with a special guest speaker from Environics.