Canada’s long tradition of supporting charities is showing signs of change.

A recent report by Statistics Canada examined philanthropic behavior between immigrants and other Canadians. Key findings include:

• Immigrant donors give more on average than Canadian-born donors, a pattern consistent with that found in 2007.
• Immigrants are more likely to be religiously active, which may explain the larger charitable donations given by immigrants compared to Canadian-born.
• Immigrants who have lived in Canada longer, give a smaller percentage of their total annual donations to religious organizations than those who arrived more recently.
• Immigrants are more likely to mention a tax credit as their reason for giving to charities.

The report also indicated that all donors, both immigrant and other Canadians, are motivated to give for the same top three reasons: compassion for those in need; personal belief in the cause of the organization; and a desire to contribute to the community.