Interested in learning more? We partnered with PayPal Giving Fund Canada to host a free webinar. Watch the webinar recording!
Meeting donors where they are
The way Canadians support the causes they care about continues to evolve. Increasingly, people are looking for ways to give while using the digital tools and platforms that are already part of their daily lives. 32% of Canadians who donate online say that social media is the channel that most inspires them to give, outpacing traditional email campaigns and direct visits to charity websites.[1]
For charities, this shift may present both challenges and new opportunities. While adapting to new donor expectations can feel overwhelming, a number of digital platforms offer tools that charities can leverage to expand their reach and connect with supporters where they already are. With the holiday season and Giving Tuesday on the horizon, now is a good time to set up your digital tools so your charity is ready to connect with Canadians who are especially motivated to give during this time of year.
To help charities navigate this landscape, PayPal Giving Fund Canada has developed a free Digital Fundraising Guide. It provides insights to leverage some of today’s most widely used online platforms, including PayPal, Facebook, Instagram, Twitch, and GoFundMe, to grow your organization’s support.
👉 Access the Guide here – it’s available in English and French!
Added value for your charity
Digital fundraising does not need to replace traditional methods – it can complement them. Yet as donor habits shift, it’s clear that online engagement and digital readiness is no longer optional. Blackbaud’s Status of Canadian Fundraising 2025 report found that organizations with greater digital maturity (those with integrated digital tools, online fundraising options, and strong data practices) were better able to sustain donor support and even grow revenue during periods of disruption.[2]
The Digital Fundraising Guide helps you act on this shift by translating trends into practical strategies you can put to work right away:
- Digital-first engagement. Millennials and Gen Z are most likely to connect with causes online, with Facebook and Instagram being their top platforms for acts of generosity.[3] This makes it essential for charities to build a presence on platforms where these supporters already spend their time.
- Ease of giving matters. Donors expect an online donation experience to have easy payment flows and a user-friendly design, with the same convenience as platforms like Amazon and Netflix.[4] The Guide walks through how to activate integrated giving tools on PayPal, Facebook, Instagram, Twitch, and GoFundMe, so supporters can give more seamlessly.
- Visibility builds trust. A consistent presence across digital platforms makes it easier for donors to find your charity, recognize your brand, and feel confident supporting your mission. PayPal Giving Fund helps reduce the administrative burden by enabling enrolled charities to manage one profile that syncs across multiple partner platforms.
Building confidence with digital tools now will help to position your charity to connect with more donors and make the most of upcoming fundraising opportunities.
Supporting charities with free resources
Every charity approaches fundraising differently, but all share a common challenge: how to do more with limited time and resources, while building or maintaining donor confidence. PayPal Giving Fund Canada helps by providing digital fundraising tools, access to millions of potential supporters, and the security of PayPal’s trusted platform. We also maximize impact by distributing 100% of funds we receive to charities, and issuing tax receipts to donors for all donation amounts.
For smaller organizations, digital fundraising can often feel out of reach. Limited staff or budget may mean there isn’t capacity to manage complex tech systems and/or CRA-compliant receipting. Through our partnerships with platforms millions of people already use every day, even the smallest charity can start raising funds online while we take care of integrating a seamless experience for donors and issuing donation receipts. Meanwhile, larger organizations can leverage their existing social media activity by offering in-app donation opportunities, turning moments of engagement into moments of giving.
Across the board, this combination of access, trust, and ease helps connect more Canadians with charities serving their communities and the causes they care about. Our free Digital Fundraising Guide was designed with these realities in mind, providing practical steps any charity can take – whether you’re just starting out in digital fundraising or you want to enhance your existing strategies to maximize your reach.
👉 Access the guide here, available in both English and French.
Key insights in this guide
- Understand how PayPal Giving Fund works as a registered charity and its role in enabling donations through PayPal, Facebook, Instagram, Twitch, and GoFundMe.
- Identify the fundraising tools available on each platform, learn how supporters can use them to give to your organization and discover how digital tools can help expand your donor base and amplify your message.
- Learn how to activate and optimize your charity’s presence across multiple platforms to expand reach, leveraging social media to connect with the next generation of donors.
- Discover top tips to drive donor engagement and maximize impact on these platforms, especially during peak moments like Giving Tuesday.
Interested in learning more? We partnered with PayPal Giving Fund Canada to host a free webinar. Watch the webinar recording!
About the author
Wen-Chih O’Connell is the Executive Director and President of PayPal Giving Fund Canada, a CRA-registered charity that helps reimagine everyday giving through enabling charitable giving opportunities on some of the world’s leading online platforms like PayPal, Facebook, Instagram, Twitch, and GoFundMe. With over 20 years of experience in the charitable sector, Wen-Chih is passionate about bridging the gap between the nonprofit and corporate worlds to create opportunities for lasting community impact.
[1] https://360matchpro.com/fundraising-statistics/
[2] https://www.blackbaud.ca/industry-insights/resources/the-status-of-canadian-fundraising-a-benchmarking-report-for-the-ai-era
[4] https://forcharities.canadahelps.org/charity-life-blog/the-2024-giving-report-insights-for-charites
The views expressed in this article are the author’s alone and do not necessarily represent those of CharityVillage.com or any other individual or entity with whom the authors or website may be affiliated. CharityVillage.com is not liable for any content that may be considered offensive, inappropriate, defamatory, or inaccurate or in breach of third-party rights of privacy, copyright, or trademark.
