National Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating, 2000 [Canada]: Main File

The National Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating (NSGVP) is one component of the Voluntary Sector Initiative, a collaborative program of the federal government and the voluntary sector. The 2000 NSGVP was conducted by Statistics Canada in October, November and early December of 2000 on behalf of the Voluntary Sector Initiative and in partnership with federal policy departments and voluntary organizations. The content of the 2000 NSGVP and its methodology are, for the most part,identical to that of the 1997 Survey. The 2000 survey is based on a representative sample of 14,724 Canadians aged 15 and over who were asked how they gave money and other resources to individuals and to organizations, volunteered time to help others and to enhance their communities, and participated in the practices of active citizenship. The survey, given its scale, provides the most comprehensive assessment of giving, volunteering and participating ever undertaken in Canada or, to the best of our knowledge, in the world. The 2000 survey replicates the 1997 survey and enables us to begin to track both changes in contributory behaviours and changes in the characteristics of those Canadians making contributions. Any trend in these behaviours has important implications for Canadian society. The results from the survey allow this report to paint a portrait of the ways Canadians contribute to society through their monetary and voluntary support of others. Charitable giving encompasses the following types of charitable giving which were measured in this survey: cash donations, in-kind donations and indirect financial support.