(Oct. 16, 2004) According to a recent survey, Canadians remain extremely confident in the charities that serve them, although a large majority feels that a national charity watchdog organization should be created.

In contrast, a recent study by Paul Light, senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, shows American confidence in charities quite low, as AFP reported on in a previous eWire ("Confidence in U.S. Charltable Organizations remains Unimproved")

Talking about Charities 2004, produced by the Edmonton-based Muttart Foundation, found that 79 percent of Canadians have a lot or some trust in charities (a similar study in 2000 found that 77 percent of Canadians felt the same way). Eighty-three percent reported that their high level of trust has remained the same over the past year. In addition, 79 percent of respondents think that charities understand the needs of Canadians better than government, and 72 percent feel that charities do a better job of actually meeting the needs of Canadian citizens.

In the American study, however, only 15 percent of American respondents expressed a great deal of trust in charities. Seventy percent thought that U.S. charities were inefficient, and only 11 percent said charities spend their money wisely. Even of those respondents who had a great deal of trust in charities, 41 percent were still worried if charities budgeted their money effectively.

Regulatory, Fundraising Concerns Still Exist

Despite the positive feelings most Canadians have towards charities, nearly 70 percent still believe that there are too many charities trying to raise money for the same cause. And 58 percent believe that there is no national organization watching over and regulating charities.

In addition, 95 percent of respondents felt that more attention should be paid to how charities spend their money, and 91 percent said that more attention should be focused on how much they spend on program costs.

These feelings were summed up when nearly two-thirds of all respondents (66 percent) said that there should be an independent agency or organization monitoring charitable activity.

Respondents were split on whether there should be a limit on how much charities can spend on fundraising. Forty seven percent indicated a limit should be created and enforced, while 52 percent said charities should be able to decide for themselves how much they should spend on fundraising.

Responses were also mixed on what donations should be used for. Forty-three percent indicated that all of a contribution should be used for a charity's cause, while 57 percent said that it was okay for a reasonable amount to be used on operating costs.

A surprisingly large number of respondents understood the issues of percentage-based compensation, with 60 percent saying that charities should not be allowed to pay fundraisers in such a manner.

The results of the Talking about Charities 2004 survey were based on telephone surveys conducted with 3,863 Canadians, age 18 or older, between May and July 2004. The overall data was weighted by province to provide a representative sample of the entire Canadian population.

For the complete report and an executive summary, as well as charts and tables outlining specific responses, go to the Muttart Foundation website.

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