Charitable giving is a deeply personal act. Your individual interests and lived experience shape what touches you and where you want to make an impact. So, here we’ve presented the top-rated charities by category to help you find the ones that match your interests and beliefs. Each list is top 10, except where the scoring resulted in a tie.
Environment
Charity name
Total points
Transparency
Financial efficiency
Social results transparency
Administration costs as
a % of revenue
Fundraising costs as a %
of donations
Need for donations
Salary of highest-paid employee
Bruce Trail Conservancy
97.0
92%
100%
A
11.3%
11.1%
High funding need
Top salary within expected range
Alberta Conservation Association
95.5
89%
100%
A-
6.5%
0.0%
High funding need
Top salary within expected range
Nature Canada
94.0
85%
100%
B+
3.5%
10.0%
High funding need
Top salary within expected range
Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society
92.5
81%
100%
B
12.3%
7.3%
High funding need
Top salary within expected range
Evergreen
92.5
81%
100%
B
6.5%
3.8%
High funding need
Top salary within expected range
Nature Conservancy Canada
92.0
92%
92%
A
11.3%
21.0%
High funding need
Top salary within expected range
David Suzuki Foundation
91.5
85%
97%
B+
4.6%
17.8%
High funding need
Top salary within expected range
Jane Goodall Institute
90.5
89%
94%
A-
7.0%
22.0%
High funding need
Top salary within expected range
World Wildlife Fund
90.5
89%
94%
A-
4.4%
25.0%
High funding need
Top salary within expected range
Bird Studies Canada
87.7
69%
100%
B-
8.9%
11.0%
High funding need
Top salary within expected range
Fundraisers
Charity name
Total points
Transparency
Financial efficiency
Social results transparency
Administration costs as
a % of revenue
Fundraising costs as a %
of donations
Need for donations
Salary of highest-paid employee
United Way of Calgary and Area
97.0
92%
100%
A
9.1%
7.0%
High funding need
Top salary within expected range
United Way of the Alberta Capital Region
97.0
92%
100%
A
7.8%
10.4%
High funding need
Top salary within expected range
United Way Ottawa
97.0
92%
100%
A
10.9%
11.6%
High funding need
Top salary within expected range
Centraide of Greater Montreal (United Way Montreal)
95.5
89%
100%
A-
6.8%
7.1%
High funding need
Top salary within expected range
United Way of Fort McMurray and Wood Buffalo
95.5
89%
100%
A-
7.0%
8.5%
High funding need
Top salary within expected range
United Way of Greater Moncton and Southeastern New Brunswick Region
Chalice, Canada – an International Charitable Organization is rated as top charitable organization in Canada . I feel proud and congratulate the staff work under Chalice, Canada. Your service to the people made a great and a positive impact on the lives of the poor and marginalized people in India. May God continue to bless you.
Hello …. I live in Lambton County, Ontario. Are the charitable organizations (Rebound, Inn of the Good Shepherd, Petrolia Food Bank, St, Joseph’s Hospice, etc.) here also evaluated? If so, where would I access your rating?
I love this resource. Good to know which charities maximize my donation dollar instead of eating it up in salary. I like to know exactly what portion of my dollar gets to the ground.
I prefer your past years stays, where you actually listed the CEO salary. I can’t stomach high paid CEO’s for charities and so this info is important to me.
Have you evaluated any of the following organizations:
1/ War Amps Ontario
2/ Veterans Transition Network
3/ Plan International Canada Gifts of Hope
I have donated to each of these organizations for a few to several years..but I see no reference to any of them in your rankings…. I would like to know why they are absent from your evaluations.
Would it be possible to name organizations to avoid or do legal concerns, for doing so, make that unrealistic?
Due to the large volume of comments we receive, we regret that we are unable to respond directly to each one. We invite you to email your question to [email protected], where it will be considered for a future response by one of our expert columnists. For personal advice, we suggest consulting with your financial institution or a qualified advisor.
Chalice, Canada – an International Charitable Organization is rated as top charitable organization in Canada . I feel proud and congratulate the staff work under Chalice, Canada. Your service to the people made a great and a positive impact on the lives of the poor and marginalized people in India. May God continue to bless you.
Hello …. I live in Lambton County, Ontario. Are the charitable organizations (Rebound, Inn of the Good Shepherd, Petrolia Food Bank, St, Joseph’s Hospice, etc.) here also evaluated? If so, where would I access your rating?
Thank you,
Tara Jessop
Where is the Heart & Stroke or the Cancer Society the main donor organizations?
I love this resource. Good to know which charities maximize my donation dollar instead of eating it up in salary. I like to know exactly what portion of my dollar gets to the ground.
I prefer your past years stays, where you actually listed the CEO salary. I can’t stomach high paid CEO’s for charities and so this info is important to me.
Very surprised to see WE Charity make this list considering that it is mired in controversy.
What’s the Cdn equivalent of St Jude’s Children’s Fund & how does it rate?
Have you evaluated any of the following organizations:
1/ War Amps Ontario
2/ Veterans Transition Network
3/ Plan International Canada Gifts of Hope
I have donated to each of these organizations for a few to several years..but I see no reference to any of them in your rankings…. I would like to know why they are absent from your evaluations.
Would it be possible to name organizations to avoid or do legal concerns, for doing so, make that unrealistic?
Due to the large volume of comments we receive, we regret that we are unable to respond directly to each one. We invite you to email your question to [email protected], where it will be considered for a future response by one of our expert columnists. For personal advice, we suggest consulting with your financial institution or a qualified advisor.
Is there a rating for FINCA Canada? Their activities would seem to be in the area of International aid.