KCI Turns 30

To say that a lot has changed since 1984 feels like an understatement.

To illustrate just how different the world is today, consider that in 1984 the average house price in Toronto was $96,000, the first Apple computer was going on the market and Sony and Phillips were introducing the very latest in audio technology – the CD player!

The world of fundraising and philanthropy, too, has changed significantly. In numeric terms, there were about 60,000 registered charities in Canada in 1984 compared with well over 85,000 today, an increase of 42%. And according to Statistics Canada, 3.9 million Canadian taxfilers (25.7%) claimed charitable donations in 1984 totalling $1.8 billion with an average donation of $458.

Fast forward to 2012, the latest year for which data is available, and we see that total giving has increased to $8.3 billion, the number of donors has grown to 5.7 million and the average gift sits at $1,482. And we see evidence of change not only in terms of numbers but also in terms of how the sector and organizations in it have evolved, becoming more sophisticated and mature in response to what is an increasingly competitive landscape when it comes to fundraising.