Fraser Institute’s 2018 Generosity Index finds Manitobans are once again most generous in Canada; fewer Canadians are giving overall

Reinforces findings in The Foundation’s Stressed, Stretched and Still Standing report which examined Winnipeg’s charitable sector.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE. According to the Fraser Institute’s 2018 Generosity Index released yesterday, Manitoba once again had the highest percentage of tax filers donating to charity and we donated the highest percentage of our aggregate income to charity during the 2016 tax year. However, fewer Canadian tax filers are donating to charities overall, and they are donating less as a percentage of their income. Read the complete report: fraserinstitute.org.

This data reinforces findings in The Winnipeg Foundation’s Stressed, Stretched and Still Standing report. Released April 2018, the report examines Winnipeg’s charitable sector and finds that while commitment and passion are strong, Winnipeg’s charitable sector as a whole is stressed and stretched. Read the complete report: wpgfdn.org/Publications.

“While Manitobans can be proud we maintained the title of the most generous province in Canada, the charitable sector needs more support,” says Rick Frost, CEO of The Winnipeg Foundation. “You’d be hard pressed to find someone who isn’t impacted by the incredible work done by our charitable sector. Yet while we all rely on the sector, it is extremely vulnerable to situations outside of its control. As our report finds, Winnipeg’s charitable sector is Stressed, Stress and Still Standing.”

The Foundation’s report examines data from 439 Manitoba-based charities. It takes a closer look at data from Canada Revenue Agency tax filings, and includes findings from an online/telephone survey of Winnipeg charitable organizations and from three focus groups held with Executive Directors. The report points out that while Manitobans are still the most generous in Canada, the overall number of people making a charitable gift has declined over the past 30 years.

The report includes findings about charities’ service fulfilment, volunteers and staff, Boards of Directors, funding, and partnerships and mergers. It draws several conclusions including:

• Most organizations are vulnerable to changes in government funding levels.
• Larger organizations are able to compensate their employees at a more competitive rate than smaller organizations.
• It is very challenging for organizations of all sizes to establish a meaningful operating reserve.
• Organizations, particularly smaller ones, struggle with recruitment and retention of qualified staff.
• Uncertain funding arrangements make planning difficult and have a negative impact on organizational effectiveness.

The Winnipeg Foundation’s 2019-2021 Strategic Plan attempts to address some of these issues by strengthening the sector by providing more capacity-building grants, supporting Agency Fund development, introducing youth to the sector, and sharing stories about the sector. Read the full report: wpgfdn.org/Publications