Editor’s Note (May 2025) 

In earlier drafts of this article, we included comparisons between 2024 and 2025 multicultural giving trends. However, Imagine Canada has since clarified that those two data sets are not directly comparable due to methodological differences. We have removed all year-over-year comparisons and revised our insights to reflect only 2025 findings. We remain committed to transparency, cultural accountability, and sector-wide learning. 

From Insight to Action 

At AdvanceU, we’ve helped Canadian charities raise over $500 million by aligning people, purpose, and potential. But in today’s philanthropic environment, success demands more than inclusion. If our goal is trust and relevance, we must rethink how we engage multicultural communities — not by inviting people to the table, but by redesigning the table entirely. 

What the 2025 Data Shows 

According to Imagine Canada’s latest report: 

The top reasons multicultural Canadians give include compassion (83%), doing the right thing (81%), and personal belief in the cause (81%). 

• Top causes supported are hospitals (34%) and religious organizations (32%), followed by international aid, mental health, and social services. 

• Place-based giving (51%) remains the most common method, while online/technology-based giving accounts for 32%. 

• Financial capacity is the biggest barrier to giving more (46%), followed by satisfaction with current contributions and lack of clarity on where funds go. 

• Giving increases significantly with time in Canada, especially after 5–10 years. 

• Multicultural donors are most interested in helping their local communities (75%) and people in Canada more broadly (70%). 

 

Key Insight: 

Multicultural Canadians aren’t disengaging — they’re navigating financial and cultural complexity. Our job isn’t to fix that; it’s to meet it with empathy, clarity, and real connection. 

 From Observation to Action: 5 Shifts for 2025 

1. Representation ≠ Relationship

Diversity in marketing doesn’t equal trust. 

Invite multicultural community members to co-create fundraising strategy — not just review it. 

2. Translation ≠ Trust

Language access helps, but cultural fluency builds relationships. 

Partner with cultural leaders to shape meaningful messaging and stewardship. 

3. Tech ≠ Connection

Digital giving is rising, but place-based giving still dominates. 

Use mobile tools to facilitate giving, not replace relationship-building. 

4. Inclusion ≠ Indigenization

Indigenous and newcomer communities require distinct strategies. 

Centre Indigenous engagement on sovereignty and truth-telling; design multicultural outreach around access and lived experience. 

5. Stakeholder ≠ Community Member

“Stakeholder” can signal extraction. 

Use terms like “partner,” “constituent,” or “collaborator” that honour mutual investment. 

What Boards and Fundraisers Can Do Now 

• Audit your language: words shape trust and signal intent. 

• Diversify who’s at your planning table — not just in your materials. 

• Invest in relationships, not just platforms. 

• Track trust, not just transactions. 

• Let community partners lead — and follow their guidance. 

“Are you building with communities — or just marketing to them?” — Pommashea Noel-Bentley 

“Generosity follows values, not just vision. When you align, you build lasting trust.” — Scott Blythe 

📎 Download our infographic here to share these insights with your board or team.