This text is part of the special Philanthropy section
After an extraordinary year marked by the pandemic, the philanthropy and investment consulting firm Épisode wanted to examine the altruism of Quebecers and Canadians. Even if donors have not quite returned to their pre-pandemic habits, the indicators are encouraging.
Since 2009, the Léger polling firm has been polling Quebecers and Canadians on behalf of Episode to find out about their philanthropic habits, creating the generosity index to do so. This aims to understand donation habits and assess their evolution. “We look and compare the generations of donors; it improves our outlook on philanthropy in Quebec, ”explains the president of the firm, Laetitia Shaigetz.
This probe is conducted every two years in the general population, with a section that focuses on large companies and SMEs. Even though the last survey only dated from 2020, we wanted to measure the index this year, because of the exceptional conditions brought about by the pandemic.
“Last year, we experienced a historic low in the donor pool, that is to say the percentage of the population that made donations,” says Christian Bourque, executive vice-president of Léger. “Several organizations had questions, especially in relation to individual donors,” adds Mr.me Shaigetz. The 2021 report is therefore only interested in the general population. More than 1,500 Quebecers and 1,000 Canadians responded to the survey.
The return of donors
Experts feared that 2021 would be even more difficult than 2020. A happy surprise, the survey reveals that the number of donors has rebounded in 2021. “We are seeing more donors than last year, and an increase in the average amount. », Summarizes Mme Shaigetz.
While 46% of Quebecers donated in 2020, 55% had done so or were planning to do so in 2021. The same rise is observed across Canada. “We have not found the prepandemic percentages, but we tend to return to a larger donor base. This is good news for the community, ”reports Mr. Bourque.
While the average amount of declared and unreported donations has increased slightly compared to 2020 in Quebec ($ 226.90 to $ 240.40), Canadians remain more generous than Quebecers. In Canada, the average total of donations in 2021 stands at $ 391.50, a slight decrease compared to 2020 ($ 412.50) “We have closed the gap a little with Canada since our first surveys in 2009 , but it continues for historical and cultural reasons ”, specifies Mr. Bourque.
In the end, the Quebecers’ generosity index stands at 0.0004 ($ 0.40 per $ 100 of gross income), and is up from last year (0.0003, or $ 0.30 per $ 100 in 2020). The Canadian generosity index is also up slightly ($ 0.56 per $ 100 in 2021, compared to $ 0.50 in 2020).
Respond to the emergency
Another trend has emerged since the pandemic: we give more, but to more organizations, and in the form of small spontaneous donations. “Quebecers have responded to emergency situations. What is in the field of planned, recurring donation has decreased a bit during the pandemic, ”notes Mr. Bourque. The causes supported vary: the health crisis has indeed brought to light certain social problems, such as violence against women, poverty or social exclusion. Other sectors strongly affected by the pandemic – culture, education – remain the poor relations.
“Health still occupies the first place in the causes supported, but we are scattered more,” notes Mr. Bourque. The divided philanthropic dollar is distributed among lesser known causes, which can be used to acquire new donors. “The challenge is going to be to retain them”, underlines Mme Shaigetz.
Intergenerational differences
In Quebec as in Canada, the oldest remain the most generous. Baby boomers and middle-aged people are also the ones who indicated that they had changed the way they gave the least the least with the pandemic. Let us not forget that this age category has been less affected economically by the pandemic, unlike young people who work in weakened sectors (tourism, catering, precarious jobs). “There are still a quarter of Quebecers who experienced loss of income during the pandemic,” contextualizes Mr. Bourque.
Despite this intergenerational gap, the report notes that the average Gen Z giving is on the rise this year, encouraging data for the future of philanthropy. “Organizations will have to learn new ways of giving,” says Mr. Bourque. Indeed, young people follow the causes on social media, and wish to publicly support the causes. Organizations will need to take this digital shift and integrate technology into fundraising, while continuing to run traditional canvassing campaigns (direct mail) for older generations.
Challenges for the community
“We have to find a way to get people to better plan their donations in the future,” says Christian Bourque. “There is a lot of work to be done in this area,” continues M.me Shaigetz. There is a small growth in testamentary giving, but not as fast as the philanthropic world would like. Planned giving facilitates planning and improves the efficiency of organizations in the field. “It is not easy in a time when there is a lot of spontaneity and urgency,” said Mr. Bourque.
Still, the outlook for 2022 is good: “The intentions are clearer: people want to give as much or more. Last year, people had difficulty projecting themselves into the future, ”concludes M.me Shaigetz.