Despite a challenging year, many Canadians say they plan to be more generous with their time and money, according to an Investor's Group survey.
About 29% of poll respondents said they would donate more time to worthwhile causes in 2010. About 19% said they plan to increase the size of their donations next year.
Richard Irish, Investors Group's vice-president of community affairs, said, "In a year when demand has increased among non-profit organizations of all stripes, it's good to see Canadians are giving what they can, even if it's not as much as they would like."
The survey found that, on average, Canadians contributed 13 hours a month to volunteer work and donated $10.41 to non-profit organizations in 2009. Financial contributions were constrained this year by economic conditions, with 63% of survey respondents saying they were unable to give as much as they wanted, although Canadians gave more to non-profits than they spent on Christmas gifts this year ($607).
Almost 70% of Canadians said volunteering their time to a cause was more fulfilling, but 80% said they donated money this year compared with 52% who said they had volunteered.