Fact Sheet

Edmonton Statistics

-There are 8,000 in the Edmonton and area region; 4,000 in Edmonton alone
Edmonton Chamber of Voluntary Organizations 2007
 
-About 46% of Edmontonians have volunteered in the past 12 months.
 
Top reasons why people volunteer:
- To be involved in the community: 36%
- Believed in the cause: 24%
- Personally affected by the cause: 19%
- Have friends or family who volunteer: 11%
- Enjoy helping: 10%
 
Where are people volunteering?:
- Religious: 28%
- Sports: 27%
- Social Services: 26%
- Health: 23%
- Cultural, arts or historical: 15%
- Schools: 11%
City of Edmonton September 2007
 

Alberta Statistics
 
-There are 19,000 charities and nonprofit organizations which are supported by 2.5 million volunteers, equivalent to 449 million hours of time.
A Workforce Strategy for Alberta’s Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector. Government of Alberta. Department of Employment and Immigration 2007.
 
-Nearly 58% of the nonprofit and charitable groups in Alberta are completely volunteer-run, having no paid staff
Canadian Centre for Philanthropy 2004
 
-Roughly 1.2 million Albertans (48%) volunteer 214 million hours to charitable and nonprofit organizations in 2004. 
Canada Survey of Giving, Volunteering, and Participating in Alberta - Imagine Canada 2004
 
-The sector annually generates at least $9.65 billion of activity in Alberta’s economy
Alberta Government 2007, based on Statistics Canada research 2003
 
 
Canada Statistics
 
-In 2004, 45% of Canadians 15 years of age or older volunteered. Their contribution totaled almost two billion hours.
 
-11% of Canadians contributed 77% of volunteer hours
 
-20% of volunteers cited using the Internet in some way during their volunteer work while 8% said they used the Internet to seek out volunteer opportunities.
 
-Immigrants were slightly less likely to volunteer than native-born Canadians at 41% and 44% respectively.
 
-89% of volunteers began volunteering because someone asked them.
 
-69% of those asked to volunteer were asked by an organization. 
 
-Employer support for employee volunteer activities is 57%, with 29% having a program/policy in place to encourage volunteerism.
Canada Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating. Statistics Canada 2004
 
-Canada’s core nonprofit sector accounted for an estimated 2.4% of the nation’s economic activity, as measured by gross domestic product. This is almost three times the contribution of the motor vehicle manufacturing industry, 50% more than the agricultural industry, and about the same as the accommodation and food service industry.
Statistics Canada 2007

 

Last updated: September 30, 2008