Growing need, shrinking budgets: The state of charitable giving

With the holidays just about here, people's minds aren’t just on buying gifts. They’re also thinking about charitable giving. That’s especially true this year with many feeling the strain of high interest rates and inflation. Nation Cheong, Vice President of Community Opportunities & Mobilization at the United Way of Greater Toronto, and Malcolm Burrows, Head of Philanthropic Advisory Services at Scotia Global Wealth Management, are our guests today. They’ll break down the state of giving as they see it, tell us how trends and technology are affecting philanthropy and even share some advice on how to give effectively this holiday season. 

Key moments this episode: 

1:33 — Nation gives us a bird's eye view of the giving landscape in Canada right now 

2:17 — Did people step up in terms of giving during initial COVID lockdowns? 

4:00 — Malcolm explains his role as Head of Philanthropic Advisory Services 

4:57 — Malcolm weighs in on what he’s seen since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic 

6:24 — Nation gives some surprising stats on the increased need for giving 

8:24 — What trends Nation has seen in terms of fundraising over the course of the pandemic 

10:02 — How does a charity or non-profit stand out when there are so many places to give? 

11:03 — An answer to a question Malcolm frequently gets: “Which one charity should I give to?” 

12:22 — Malcolm's experience on how technology and the pandemic have shaped how we give 

14:02 — Nation on why he’s noticed it’s tougher to get volunteers post-pandemic 

15:07 — What role big companies play in generating volunteers 

16:13 — Advice for people who want to give their money or time this holiday season but might be overwhelmed by the options 

19:29 — What motivates Nation and Malcolm to keep doing the work they do