TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CanadaHelps, the country's largest platform for donating and fundraising online, today announced the return of its annual Great Canadian Giving Challenge for the 7th year. From June 1st through June 30th, every dollar donated via CanadaHelps automatically gives the receiving charity a chance to win $20,000.* The winning charity is drawn at random on Canada Day.
For Canadian charities, the summer months are historically one of the slowest periods for fundraising. Summer donations are critically important – especially for small charities that are the backbone of the charitable sector and part of the social fabric of our communities. Although Canada's small charities with less than $500,000 in annual revenue make up 79 per cent of the country's charitable sector, statistics show that they only receive 15 percent of all annual donations.
This year, charities need more support than ever. Recent projections published in the 2021 Giving Report by CanadaHelps estimate a -10% decline in overall charitable giving in 2020, falling to 2016 giving levels. Charities continue to respond to unprecedented needs while faced with the challenge of making up for these losses, and some charities are struggling to survive.
“The Great Canadian Giving Challenge was created as a national contest to help counter the cyclical summer-time donation drought,” said Marina Glogovac, President and CEO of CanadaHelps. “Building awareness among Canadians of the needs charities have year-round, the contest has had a tremendous impact on participating charities. This year, as the pandemic continues, many charities urgently need support while managing increased demand and a significant decline in donations.”
In 2020, Canadians across the country broke the record for the Great Canadian Giving Challenge, helping to raise more than $27 million for 15,306 qualifying Canadian charities from 221,676 generous donors. This represents a 406% increase in dollars raised in June for charities across Canada through CanadaHelps from 2014, the year before the annual campaign was launched.
How to participate
- Canadians are encouraged to donate to any charity during the month of June on CanadaHelps. Every $1 donated through CanadaHelps is an automatic entry for the chosen charity to win the $20,000 grand prize.* For example, a $20 donation will provide a charity with 20 chances to win the grand prize.
- Charities are encouraged to promote the Great Canadian Giving Challenge to their donors using their social media channels, by sending emails, and calling on their supporters to give. Tips, toolkits, and graphics to help charities make the most of the Great Canadian Giving Challenge are available here.
*Donations must be made via canadahelps.org. Minimum $3 donation required. Contest runs from June 1, 2021 at midnight Newfoundland Daylight Time (NDT) to June 30, 2021 at 11:59:59 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT). See full rules at: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/givingchallenge-rules.
About CanadaHelps
CanadaHelps is a charitable foundation working to increase giving in Canada through technology. CanadaHelps.org, provides a safe and trusted one stop destination for making donations, fundraising, or learning about any charity in Canada. The organization also develops affordable fundraising technology and provides free training and education for charities so that, regardless of size, all charities have the capacity to increase their impact and succeed in the digital age. More than 3 million Canadians have donated over $1.9 billion to charities using CanadaHelps since its founding in 2000. For additional information, visit CanadaHelps.org or connect with CanadaHelps on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
