Deciding where to donate your hard-earned dollars is easier when you know how they’ll be used
By Katrina Caruso
If you’re looking for a place to give back this holiday, you might consider donating to one of the charities below. Financial donations are a crucial part of a charity’s budget for their annual and long-term programming, but it can be difficult to discern whether a charity is using your money in a way that aligns with your values and if the organization is financially accountable and transparent. Charity Intelligence Canada (Ci) rates charities using those and other criteria, including administrative and fundraising costs. Based on those ratings, here are 10 charities worth looking at, along with links to Ci’s reviews.
Photo: iStock/Nastco.
Fresh Start Recovery Centre
Cause: Homelessness & Addiction
Location: Calgary (local programming)
Founded: 1992
Website: freshstartrecovery.ca
Impact: Very High
Cents towards cause: $0.89 of every dollar donated
Fresh Start Recovery Centre is a treatment facility for men with addictions to alcohol and drugs. Patients follow a program structured to follow the 12-step method, with progress testing and counselling. Patients can take part in supplementary programs on health and mental wellness.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada
Cause: Youth
Headquarters: Burlington, ON (Canada-wide programming)
Founded: 1912
Website: bigbrothersbigsisters.ca
Impact: Good
Cents towards cause: $0.85 of every dollar donated
Big Brothers Big Sisters Canada offers individualized, group, and in-school mentorship programs for children without role models in their lives. The organization has 108 Canadian offices.
Ecotrust Canada
Cause: Environment
Headquarters: Vancouver (52 projects total, 42 of them in British Columbia)
Founded: 1995
Website: ecotrust.ca
Impact: N/A
Cents towards cause: $0.82 of every dollar donated
Ecotrust Canada is a sustainable development charity that builds solutions for environmental and economic concerns in four main areas: community development, business innovation, information democracy, and social finance.
Food for Life Canada
Cause: Food Security
Headquarters: Burlington, ON (Local programming: Acton, Burlington, Georgetown, Milton, and Oakville)
Founded: 1995
Website: stophungerpains.ca
Impact: Good–High
Cents towards cause: $0.82 of every dollar donated
Food for Life Canada is an Ontario-based food bank that primarily collects dairy, meat, and produce from grocery stores and restaurants and redistributes the food to local organizations and citizens in need.
Doctors Without Borders Canada
Cause: International Aid
Headquarters: Toronto (International programming)
Founded: 1991
Website: msf.ca
Impact: High
Cents towards cause: $0.81 of every dollar donated
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières Canada (MSF) sends doctors and others with medical experience to 60 countries worldwide, particularly in areas stricken by disasters, wars, and other emergencies.
Indspire
Cause: Indigenous Students
Headquarters: Ohsweken, ON (Canada-wide programming)
Founded: 1985
Website: indspire.ca
Impact: High
Cents towards cause: $0.76 of every dollar donated
Indspire supports Canadian Indigenous post-secondary students, helping them to get to graduation; only 10% of Indigenous students complete post-secondary degrees, while 27% of non-Indigenous students do.
World Animal Protection
Cause: Protecting Animals
Headquarters: Toronto (International programming: Africa; Asia; Europe; North and Latin America)
Founded: 1980
Website: worldanimalprotection.ca
Impact: N/A
Cents towards cause: $0.74 of every dollar donated
World Animal Protection’s programs include education and awareness campaigns.
Coast to Coast Against Cancer Foundation
Cause: Childhood Cancer
Headquarters: Toronto (Canada-wide programming)
Founded: 2003
Website: ctcacf.org
Impact: N/A
Cents towards cause: $0.74 of every dollar donated
Coast to Coast Against Cancer Foundation is public foundation that fundraises for charities that support children with cancer and their familes.
Aunt Leah’s
Cause: At-Risk Youth
Location: New Westminster, BC (Local programming)
Founded: 1988
Website: auntleahs.org
Impact: High
Cents towards cause: $0.71 of every dollar donated
Aunt Leah’s focuses on foster-care children at risk of becoming homeless as they age out of the system, as well as mothers at risk of losing custody of their children. The organization offers four main programs: education and employment, food security and health, housing, and life skills.
JUMP Math
Cause: Education
Headquarters: Toronto (Canada-wide programming)
Founded: 2002
Website: jumpmath.org
Impact: Very High
Cents towards cause: $0.62 of every dollar donated
JUMP Math teaches math to children (Kindergarten to Grade 8) using creative approaches to education and cognitive science. The organization also offers training programs for teachers and provide research for math education.
