There was a fairly fluffy article last week in the Globe and Mail on philanthropy in the Life section. It was a follow-up on the story of the Gates and Buffet’s pledge to give away half of their wealth and it compares Canadian’s giving to that of our southern neighbors. The stats the Globe and Mail cite are that 84% of Canadians over the age of 15 gave an average of $437 in 2007, with the top 25% being responsable for 82% of donations. The journalist uses quotes from Benefaction Canada and Community Foundations Canada to support the assertion that philanthropy is changing and “those who give are no longer content to simply give funds to their favorite charity”. I’ve seen this remark in a few places. I don’t work with philanthropists, so I can’t support or deny the idea, but I am interested to know to what extent it is happening or why that change would be happening.
16
Aug
2010
