REGINA – This holiday season it seems Canadians are more likely to donate their time than their money.
According to a new Ledger survey commissioned by Imagine Canada, people are becoming more concerned about charities’ overhead costs.
Two-thirds of those polled plan to support a charity this winter season in one form or another, but more than 65 per cent surveyed believed charities spent too much on administrative costs.
The CEO of the Regina Food Bank, Steve Compton said it’s a troubling trend for non-profits.
“We use the dollars very efficiently, but we’re still subject to the same costs. A mile is a mile. Gas costs what gas costs. Lights, telephone all those things – and the ability to deliver on your work relies exclusively on financial support,” he added.
Weary of how charities are spending donors’ dollars, 33 per cent of people surveyed said they plan to volunteer their time this holiday season instead of giving financial aid.
Beth Bilson sits on Imagine Canada’s national advisory council and said while volunteers are crucial, they don’t pay the bills.
She said donor concern about overhead spending raises serious questions about how charities can deliver value if there is little appetite to support infrastructure.
“Charities like other organizations have an interest in being efficient,” she explained. “They want to make sure they are spending money wisely, but I think the idea of cutting down administrative costs to zero is unrealistic.”
Compton encourages donors to ask where their money is going and said he believes a discussion will help people better understand how charities spend donated dollars.
Saskatchewan and Manitoba had the highest number of people planning to make some form of contribution to a charity over the holiday season, at 70 per cent.
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