FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Peg tells us…

Over a ten-year period, the median amount that Winnipeggers donated increased $130 — from $240 in 2002 to $370 in 2012. 

The facts are:

• The median amount that Winnipeggers donated in 2012 was $100 more than the national amount ($370 for Winnipeg and $270 for Canada).
• Since 1997, Winnipeggers have consistently donated more per year than the average Canadian.
• Between 2002 and 2012, the median amount donated by Winnipeggers per year has increased at a rate that is approximately double that of the Canadian rate – 54% increase for Winnipeg vs. 29% increase for Canada.
• This indicator measures the median charitable donation: the “median amount” means half of Winnipeggers who donated to charitable organizations donated more than this amount, and half donated less than this amount.

Why does this matter?

Charitable donations make a significant difference in the community, supporting organizations, causes and values Canadians believe in as well as contributing to well-being. To support this giving, the Government of Canada provides income tax credits. Some research has also indicated that the act of giving may be emotionally beneficial to donors, resulting in increases to self-esteem, social status and psychological well-being. How much an individual donates has been found to reflect a number of factors, including awareness of need, level of disposable income and the strength of one’s altruistic values, among others.

*More detail and source data for the above facts are available at http://www.mypeg.ca/more-info, under the Charitable Donations tab.

More facts on this subject available at:   http://tinyurl.com/PegCharitable

Peg Experts available for interviews:

On how to understand the data:

Charles Thrift

IISD Project Manager

(204) 958-7752 

cthrift@iisd.ca

About us:

Regularly, the team at Peg releases data and facts that help us understand our city better. This is one of those regular reports. Others can be found at http://www.mypeg.ca/blog.

Peg measures the health of our community year over year – in ways that count. It is the starting place for Winnipeg citizens, educators, policy makers, and many others to learn more about our city so we can lead change to create a better city for our children and their children.

At Peg we can all learn how our lives, our neighbourhood and our city is changing – for the good and the bad. Learn more at www.mypeg.ca.