Alberta doesn’t skimp when it comes to donating money to charities according to some 2007 statistics.
Statistics Canada figures showed that Albertans gave an average of $596 to charities in 2007 — the highest in Canada.
Local charities have noticed that Albertans do dig deep when it comes to helping out.
“Calgary is one of the highest per capita gifts in Canada for the United Way,” said Heather MacDonald, vice-president of United Way of Calgary and area.
“In 2008 (donations) went down slightly, people were really hit by the market in October and November.”
Fewer donors giving more is a trend the United Way sees across North America, said MacDonald.
“I think the reason behind that is because lower and middle income Canadians have a higher debt level, and more and more people just don’t see their way to being contributors to non-profits or charities because of their own personal situations,” said MacDonald.
However MacDonald still notices the fact that Calgarians will give a lot when they do give.
“Our average gift I would say is even high for North America,” said MacDonald.
