Canadians believe charities can do better than government, survey shows.

EDMONTON -- Charities not only understand the needs of Canadians better than government but also do a better job than government in meeting those needs and "should be expected to deliver the programs and services the government stops funding" said a majority of Canadians recently surveyed by Ipsos-Reid for the Muttart Foundation.

Talking About Charities 2004, which resulted from a month-long telephone survey of more than 3,500 Canadians, 18 years or older, also found that eight out of ten Canadians trusted leaders of charities more than business and religious leaders and government employees. Only nurses and medical doctors gained more approval than charity leaders.

Most Canadians by far believe charities have an important role to play in improving the quality of life for everyone despite being cash strapped with too few resources to meet their objectives. However, about 60 per cent feel it is unacceptable to pay fundraisers a percentage of the donations raised while almost 94 per cent think charities should be required to disclose how donor contributions are spent on each fund raising request.

In order to raise money, 84 per cent of Canadians believe charities should be allowed to run businesses, such as selling second-hand clothing, cookies, calendars and chocolates door to door or renting space in buildings that they own or selling their knowledge and skills. The majority also believe the money raised from such business activities should not be taxable.

Further, 78 per cent surveyed think the laws governing charities should be changed to allow them to advocate more freely for their causes, particularly on issues such as the environment, poverty, health care, but 83 per cent say that charities should also be obligated to provide information on both sides of a controversy or issue.