How We Give: Philanthropy Insights from Globe Insiders

After several years of declining donations, 2025 marked a small increase, suggesting that the state of giving could be shifting. Still, donor fatigue looms large, and with a host of worthy causes to give to, we wanted to understand Globe Readers’ philanthropy. We asked them about their donation habits, who they have supported in the past, their approach to charitable giving, whether they discuss philanthropy with family, and more. 

Globe readers give back in more ways than one.

91% of readers have made at least one monetary donation within the past twelve months. Beyond donations, our study results indicated readers are passionate about giving back to the causes they care about by also donating their time. 54% have volunteered, 32% have given in-kind donations, and 26% have participated in a charitable event. And this state of giving isn’t going away: 93% of readers intend to donate again in the next twelve months, with 20% planning to give more.  

Donations are consistent and generous.

Globe readers are committed donors. Nearly three-quarters have donated consistently for the last twenty years or more. Most respondents (57%) donate monthly or more often, with only 3% donating just once per year. A majority (66%) of monetary donations were over $1,000, with 29% of readers giving over $5,000. Looking ahead, 64% plan to donate at least $1,000 in the next twelve months.

Planning to give: donation strategies vary. 

Readers are thoughtful in their approach to donations. Just over half plan their donations year-to-year, 37% give spontaneously when an opportunity arises, 24% have a defined philanthropic strategy, and 19% have integrated donations into their financial planning.  

Readers support a wide range of charities.

With thousands of charities to choose from, we wanted to understand which charity categories were the most popular. The results demonstrated a wide and diverse range of charities. Among the most supported were health, hospitals, and medical research organizations (63%), followed by local community organizations (48%), social services (48%), international aid (38%), environmental causes (34%), and the arts & culture sector (34%).  

Most readers support multiple types of charity: 68% supported between two and six types. Only 8% chose to support a single type of charity. The most-listed charitable organizations by Globe readers were the Red Cross, Salvation Army, MSF/Doctors Without Borders, United Way, UNICEF, Plan Canada/Plan International, Covenant House, Food Banks, Canadian Cancer Society, Nature Conservancy of Canada, War Amps, and SickKids. 

Charitable giving is seen as an important family value.  

74% of Globe readers view charitable giving as an important family value, and 63% want to pass on those values to younger generations. Over half (52%) stated charitable giving plays a role in their financial planning.  

The importance of philanthropy to family values directly translates into the kinds of discussions readers are having with their loved ones. 77% of readers discuss philanthropy with their family, and a majority (46%) have these discussions multiple times a year. Readers are most likely to discuss charitable giving with their spouse or partner (78%) and adult children (45%). 

The financial advisor paradox. 

Despite viewing charitable giving as a family value and part of the legacy they hope to leave behind, a majority of readers have not discussed philanthropic strategies with a professional advisor.  

Among those with interest in any topic, our readers demonstrated a clear interest in learning more about charitable topics, an area in which professional advisors could be particularly helpful. Topics of interest included: tax benefits of charitable giving (35%), bequests in a will (28%), charitable trusts (26%), and planned giving (22%).  

Summary  

Globe readers are deeply committed to charitable giving. Their philanthropy is significant, with the majority giving $1,000 or more per year. Though charitable giving is part of their regular discussions with loved ones, few seek professional help. Readers give to a diversity of causes, with health, hospitals, and medical research organizations representing the largest share of donations.