Charity Village®NewsWeek: Cover Story

Charity Village®NewsWeek: Cover Story: "In god we trust...and give
Elisa Birnbaum By Elisa Birnbaum
July 16, 2007

When Professor Ida Berger of Ryerson University’s Centre for Voluntary Sector Studies published a study in Voluntas last summer, the nonprofit sector received some additional discourse for their boardroom tables. The report, The Influence of Religion on Philanthropy in Canada, compared and contrasted the philanthropic behaviours of Canadians across religious groups. Using data from the Statistics Canada 2000 National Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating, the study focused not only on philanthropic activities, but also examined the motivations for and against such behaviour.

Berger found a huge divergence in giving between the affiliated and unaffiliated, with the former - particularly conservative Protestants - demonstrating a higher than average propensity for giving. “Within the overall framework of this research, the evidence clearly shows that religious affiliation is an important determinant of Canadian philanthropy,” Berger concluded, adding, “people who identify strongly with their faith have more access to activities through their church, synagogue or temple to engage in volunteer and fundraising activities than individuals who aren’t religious.”"