In these  civically stressed days I’m thinking more and more about Canada from my perch here in Massachusetts. Not just because my Canadian wife is visiting north of the border real estate sites with increasing frequency…nor because I think more frequently about Tom Belford, my Agitator sidekick who’s now safe and sound in New Zealand.

Instead, I’ve put aside thoughts of asylum in favor of wondering how Canadian donors and fundraisers who live above this political meth lab called the U.S. are faring in the midst of the pandemic.

That’s why a just-released survey by the folks at Good Works  is such a welcome addition to our understanding of what’s happening with fundraising elsewhere as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Titled, Is Annual Giving Immune to COVID-19? the study, conducted in July,  surveyed a demographically weighted sample of 1,600 Canadians with a margin of error of +/- 2.5%. Good Works contracted Environics Research, a nationally known polling firm, to conduct the interviews. Research was designed and analyzed by Fraser Green in consultation with the Good Works team.

The study’s goal? To provide some guidance to fundraisers and nonprofit leaders in what is basically uncharted territory.  With some charities nervous and wary and others far more bullish,  Good Works set out to determine whether Canadian donors do or don’t intend to continue giving in the months ahead.

In addition, the study looked at giving via direct mail and digital—two channels that the pandemic has not restricted.

[The report’s authors have one caveat: “We don’t yet know what the fall will look like with respect to the pandemic. In the worst case, we could have a second wave with wide-scale social and economic impact. And, while we’re presenting national aggregate numbers here for the most part, we know from experience that the pandemic will probably affect different regions, provinces/territories and communities differently. We encourage you to view this report through the lens of what your part of the country is experiencing in real time. “]

Topline

Here’re the topline findings.  You can download the full report free right here.

• Pre-Pandemic: 70% of Canadians reported giving to charities; 30% did not give.
• So far in the pandemic almost 7 in 10 Canadians have maintained or increased their income despite Covid-19 and lockdowns. ) Significantly more respondents age 60+ maintained or grew their incomes than those below 60. (See full report for geographic and employment breakdowns.)
• 75% of respondents, looking ahead over the next 12 months, intend to maintain or increase their pre-pandemic giving behavior.
• 70% of those reporting “stable” incomes (that’s about 18 million Canadians overall) intend to maintain their pre-pandemic giving. Within that group 18% will give more; 68% will give the same; and 14% will give less.
• 30% of respondents reported decreased income (7.7 million Canadians overall) but indicated they will keep giving despite their reduced income. Over the next 12 months the survey found that of “income-unstable” folks 55% are going to keep giving while 45% won’t be able to give.
• So, who intends to give more? Younger people—millennials (age 22-37) twice as likely to give more compared to their Boomer parents…higher-earning and best-educated Canadians will give at twice the rate as lower income and education groups.

The good news for Canadian fundraisers is that the “income-stable” group who intends to give more is greater than the group intending to give less.

Channels

In terms of the direct mail and digital channels the report’s authors conclude:

• “Direct mail is a very good bet for Canadian charities in late 2020 and early 2021” as last year’s special event and canvass donors are good bets to give more by mail.
• “Digital Giving is also a very good bet for Canadian charities in late 2020 and early 2021. Direct mail donors, phone-responsive doors, event donors and canvass donors are more likely to give more digitally next year.

There are 6.1 million Canadian direct mail donors and 6.1 million Canadian digital donors among these two groups there is an overlap of 1.8 million donors who give through both the online and direct mail channels.

There’s a lot in the study beyond this brief summary.  Differences in geography (those in Ontario and Alberta intend to give less) and language (English speaking intend to give more than French speaking) and much more.  Dive deeper here.

The authors’ advice in a nutshell: “Keep fundraising!!!  Your donor constituency is still there and still willing to give.  This is not a time for stalling your program in the name of caution.”

Roger