36 Fred Rogers and neighborhood trolley I It’s a beautiful day in this neighbourhood, a beautiful day for a neighbour. Would you be mine?” A classic singsong etched in the minds of generations is more than just a catchy tune; it also acts as a lesson that is fundamental to the existence of Canadian charities. Mr. Rogers encour- aged us to build relationships with our neighbours, and that is exactly what we need to do to ensure that communities thrive. It’s more than just a nicety: data has indicated a correlation between how connected we are with one anoth- er and our levels of generosity within our communities – and that includes donations to charities. In this year’s edition of The Giving Report from CanadaHelps, we intro- duced readers to Jessica, a 32-year-old millennial who lives in a small condo, which she shares with her roommate, in the heart of a bustling city. Jessica works from home and joined her cur- rent company in the midst of the pan- demic, so she has had very few oppor- tunities to meet her colleagues in per- son to build bonds and get to know them on a personal level. When it comes to causes that Jessica cares about, she is passionate and concerned about the devastating effects of climate change, but she doesn’t do much to turn anxiety into action. She doesn’t attend protests, she doesn’t give to environmental charities, and she doesn’t volunteer. Our connections and social bonds with one another are contracting, which is affecting how we engage with the world around us. Jessica is a composite of a wide swath of Canadians in our research and is highlighted in The Giving Report this year because she is a symptom of a greater trend that is taking place across the country: our connections and social bonds with one another are contract- ing, which is affecting how we engage with the world around us. From 2013 to 2022, there was a 40% drop in the number of Canadians who reported having six or more close friends. There was also a drop in the number of Canadians who have a strong sense of belonging to their com- munities, as well as a decline in the number of Canadians who report knowing their neighbours. Where things get interesting is when we merge this data with giving pat- terns. Among Canadians who report having zero or one close friend, 53% report making a financial donation to charities, while those who report hav- ing two to 10 close friends all give at a higher rate. Sixty-one percent of those with two to four friends, 76% of those with five to six close friends, and 84% of those with seven to 10 friends all report making financial donations to charities. The only anomaly is among Canadians who report having more than 10 close friends, who gave at a lower rate (69%) than those with five or six (76%) close friends or seven to 10 close friends (84%), but at a higher rate than those with zero to one close friends (53%) or two to four close friends (61%). Among overall giving trends, charities are seeing fewer and fewer Canadians give. Tax-filer data from 2010 reported that 23.4% of Canadians gave to chari- ties. By 2021, the number of Canadians claiming charitable tax receipts on their income tax dropped to 17.7%. Although there are limitations to the use of tax-filer data, it points to a wor- risome decline that needs to be put into reverse. The overreliance on fewer Canadians to open up their pocket- books, write hefty cheques – or in 2024 terms, tap their phones – is a threat to the nation’s charities, and by extension, the entire social fabric of communities across the country. While our connections to one another are an important factor in this decline, it’s not the only reason behind these trends. Other reasons include eco- nomic uncertainty and the ongoing affordability crisis, in addition to declining religiosity, changing giving patterns among young Canadians, and donors not feeling that their gifts are making an impact due to a lack of information. These are broad issues that are beyond the control of any individual person or charity, but there are steps we can take to drive change. Here are four ways that your charity can take action: Lessons Charities Can Learn From Mr. Rogers OPINION
