Four Calgary organizations have made Charity Intelligence’s (CI) Top 10 list of the most effective Canadian charities.
CI describes itself as a group of objective analysts of Canadian charities.
The organization has chosen Inn From the Cold, Children’s Cottage Society, the Calgary Food Bank and the Fresh Start Recovery Centre to be a part of the 2016 Canadian Charity Impact Fund (CCIF). This distinction identifies these charities as being most effective when it comes to a Social Return on Investment (SROI).
At a press conference Monday, Kate Bahen from CI said Canadians donate $16 billion a year to charities, yet their research shows “at least 15 per cent of those donations are wasted by going to inefficient charities.”
On its website, CI explains the criteria for the CCIF as being more than looking into what percentage of dollars donated goes to the cause. They look at “how much good is my donation doing?”
According to the Fresh Start Recovery Centre’s executive director, Stacey Petersen, for every dollar people give to Fresh Start, the return on investment is $17. He also said for every person treated, the community saves $100,000 per year. However, Petersen said he believes the value to people’s lives is immeasurable.
Petersen expressed gratitude for the support of the community.
“We couldn’t do what we do without the support of the community. We just couldn’t do it. And we don’t charge huge amounts on a daily basis to come to treatment. Because families have paid enough and community has paid enough.”
Bahen said she believes giving for impact matters more now than ever before, especially considering the current state of the economy.
Of the 10 charities that were recognized, four were from Calgary, one was from British Columbia, one was from Quebec and four were from Ontario.
For a full list of the charities and the criteria for the CCIF, click here.