What are the giving and volunteering behaviours of newcomers to Canada and second-generation Canadians?
How can charities and nonprofits better engage this growing demographic of Canadians?
The Multicultural and Newcomer Charitable Giving Study -- one of the first in Canada to explore the influence of ethnicity on supporting charities -- offers a glimpse into the enormous giving potential that resides with newcomers to Canada and second-generation Canadians.
The study’s conclusion: the communities surveyed – South Asian, Chinese, Filipino, Black (Afro-Caribbean/African), Arab and Iranian – share a strong willingness to embrace community service, showing that newcomers to Canada and second-generation citizens are driven to give and volunteer out of a strong sense of duty to advance the well-being of their communities and Canadian society generally.
Read this report to find out about:
- The attitudes of newcomers to Canada and second-generation Canadians toward charities and giving, including motivations and barriers to giving;
- What charitable causes these populations support, how much they give, and how giving patterns change in relation to time lived in Canada;
- The relationship between giving abroad and giving domestically;
- The effectiveness of various fundraising and marketing strategies in engaging this audience, including the importance of multicultural media;
- The estimated giving potential of the communities represented in this study;
- The impact of COVID-19 on giving and volunteering by newcomers to Canada and second-generation Canadians.
Why it matters
Currently, 1 in 5 Canadians are immigrants and this is projected to grow to 1 in 3 by 2036. Over 320,000 newcomers are arriving in Canada annually, which is projected to surpass one million in the next three years.
Understanding and engaging with Canada’s growing immigrant mosaic is therefore no longer a luxury – it’s a business imperative for charities and nonprofits. This study acts as a playbook, providing updated and insightful information to charities, foundations and nonprofits looking to maximize opportunities amongst this growing population segment.
About this report
This report presents the major findings from what we believe to be the largest study of the giving habits of newcomers to Canada and second-generation Canadians ever conducted. This study focuses on the experiences of people from six major population groups that have accounted for large proportions of recent newcomers to Canada. Collectively, we surveyed over 3,000 people from South Asian, Chinese, Afro-Caribbean / African, Filipino, Arab, and Iranian backgrounds. Roughly two thirds of survey respondents were newcomers to Canada and the remainder were second-generation Canadians.
The report builds on previous research, including 30 Years of Giving in Canada: Who gives, how, and why?, providing much more detailed insight into the experiences of newcomers in supporting charitable organizations and how their experiences relate to those of the subsequent generation born in Canada.
This research was conducted by Imagine Canada in collaboration with Ethnicity Matters and CulturaliQ International.
Acknowledgements
On behalf of all the partners associated with this study, Imagine Canada wishes to acknowledge the contributions of our corporate partner:
Imagine Canada would also like to acknowledge the following organizations for their financial support and active participation in shaping this study: Calgary Foundation, CanadaHelps, Canadian Cancer Society, Canadian Red Cross, Children Believe, Diabetes Canada, Edmonton Community Foundation, Plan International Canada, Progress Career Planning Institute (PCPI), St. Michael's Hospital Foundation, Toronto Foundation, Vancouver Foundation, and The Winnipeg Foundation.
