What motivates people to give? An editorial in the Globe and Mail reveals that Canadians are donating less. "According to Statistics Canada "just 23.1 per cent claimed a donation on their tax returns last year, a thirty year low. In 1990, 30 % of Canadians claimed a donation.
The editorial explores possible reasons for the decline including the recession, a stagnation in incomes, people being turned off by one too many fund raising phone calls, or being alienated by high administrative costs, etc.
I wonder also if there might be a gradual shift in societal values.
One suggestion the editor provides is that the government should provide more incentives to give. "A larger tax credit could go to donors who donate more in a given year than the previous year."
It's interesting to think about how one creates a culture of giving. One article referred to the popularity of the Polar Bear Dip for the Downtown Mission in Windsor, Ontario. 100 daring bathers braved the freezing temperatures to wade into the Detroit River. One raised $67. "It's for a good cause. You've got to do it."
