From coast to coast to coast, Canadians rose to the challenge making this year’s Great Canadian Giving Challenge a record breaking year! Last month, our team at CanadaHelps called on Canadians to celebrate the 6th annual Great Canadian Giving Challenge, a national contest that gives Canadians the chance to win $20,000 for their favourite charity. Together, we raised over $27 MILLION for charities across Canada which is a 92% increase from last year — incredible!

Also making it an even bigger year was the prize up for grabs! We doubled this year’s grand prize to $20,000 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of CanadaHelps and to provide charities with extra support in the wake of COVID-19. At CanadaHelps, we know charities are currently facing challenging times with some even at risk of permanently closing their doors. Now more than ever, charities need our support and generous Canadians certainly answered that call.

So, how does the Great Canadian Giving Challenge work? Every $1 donated on CanadaHelps or GivingChallenge.ca in June entered their chosen charity to win the $20,000 grand prize which was randomly drawn on July 1st! Donations made through a charity’s website using CanadaHelps tools were also eligible for the draw. Charities went above and beyond all month long to encourage their supporters to donate. They launched campaigns, used their social media platforms, sent emails, and called on their supporters to give. The competition was high!

Our 2020 Winner: Sistering-A Woman’s Place

Congratulations to Sistering-A Woman’s Place for winning the 2020 Great Canadian Giving Challenge!

Sistering-A Woman’s Place is a 24/7 safe drop-in centre located in Toronto that offers practical and emotional support to women and trans people. The centre has been around for almost 40 years and helps hundreds of people every week. The situations they deal with on a daily basis are challenging including homelessness, poverty, domestic violence, and more. The centre helps participants cope with these situations through programs which enable them to take greater control over their lives.

“Sistering is thrilled to be the recipient of this prize. Not only will it allow us to continue to support our participants during this incredibly challenging time, CanadaHelps allows us a national platform to connect with our supporters and increase the impact we have in our community. Thank you!” — Donna Wawzonek, Fund Development Coordinator at Sistering-A Woman’s Place

During COVID-19, the team at Sistering’s have been able to reach out to centre participants virtually and in-person to make sure they have the financial and food access support that they need. With $20,000, Sistering’s will be able to continue to make sure their participants are safe during COVID-19 and have everything they need to thrive. They will also be able to develop new and creative ways to reach out and make sure participants are staying safe.

We would also like to thank and congratulate Andrew S., the lucky donor who made the winning donation to Sistering-A Woman’s Place! Hear what they had to say about the exciting news:

“We are beyond delighted to hear that our donation was able to secure Sistering an additional $20,000 through the Great Canadian Giving Challenge. As a neighbor of ours in Dovercourt, we feel strongly about the importance and criticality of the work they do helping women in need. We felt it particularly important to contribute to a cause such as this during these difficult times and think this contest is such a great reminder that one small act can yield much greater impact through our community.” — Andrew S. 

Our 6th annual Great Canadian Giving Challenge was a record breaking year! Check out this year’s incredible results made possible by generous donors all across Canada.

Updated on November 4, 2024