07 Sep Volunteer & Charitable Activity in Saskatchewan

Insightrix recently ran an OnTopic survey to determine the state of philanthropy in Saskatchewan.

Saskatchewan residents are a pretty charitable bunch, with 95% of Saskatchewan residents reporting they have donated money to a charitable organization at one point or another.

Those charitable contributions add up – and the organizations Sask. residents are donating to and the amounts they are donating haven’t changed much over the last year.

Where are they donating?

When comes to the percentage of their charitable donations, residents still donate as much as they did last year to organizations in the field of healthcare – 40% this year and 40% in 2017.

For those who report that they have donated to a charity, a similar story can be seen in donations to hospitals (36% in 2017 and 34% in 2018), pet shelters (32% in 2017 and 34% in 2018) and to food banks (41% in 2017 and 39% in 2018). The only real fluctuation occurs in donations to religious organizations, whose donations have increased from 34% of the monies donated by residents who donated to charities in 2017 to 41% in 2018.

Where are they volunteering?

In 2018, Saskatchewan volunteers participated in a wide range of activities, such as fundraising, event organizing, participating as a board member and many more activities.

In fact, in the past 12 months, 55% of Saskatchewan residents participated in volunteer activities at some time or another.

For some activities, volunteerism in Saskatchewan has increased to some degree. While 64% of Saskatchewan residents who volunteered engaged in fundraising activities in 2017, that number grew to 77% in 2018. A similar situation emerges when looking at organizing and coordinating (66% in 2017, 75% in the last 12 months) and maintenance volunteering (37% in 2017 and 51% in the last 12 months).

Acting as a board or committee member, on the other hand, is something just as many Saskatchewan volunteers got up to in 2017 as they did in the past 12 months – 59% of Saskatchewan volunteers.

Why did they do it?

According to those who were involved in volunteering in Saskatchewan, for the most part, being a volunteer was something they benefited from.

Beyond a feeling of having done something worthwhile, some volunteers stated they benefited physically through their activity – 55% of those who volunteered in the past 12 months said they feel healthier, and 77% stated it improved their mood.

It wasn’t just physical benefits for volunteering, though. Of those who volunteered in the past 12 months, 40% stated they benefited through increased time management skills, and a whopping 74% said they now enjoy improved people and teamwork skills.

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