Religion and charity go together.

People who have strong religious beliefs tend to volunteer their time to organizations and donate more than those who aren't religious, says Ryerson University Professor, Ida Berger, who recently published a study on the influence of religion on philanthropy in Canada. Professor Berger presents this conclusion in the article, The Influence of Religion on Philanthropy in Canada, published in the Journal Voluntas, Oct. 2006.

"People who identify strongly with their faith have more access to activities through their church, synagogue or temple to engage in volunteer and fundraising activities, than individuals who aren't religious," says Professor Berger, author of the study.

Data from a 2000 Statistics Canada survey shows that over 14,000 Canadians engaged in philanthropic activity and their religious affiliation. The religious groups include Christians, Jews, Eastern religions, other religions and non-religious groups.

The professor who teaches Ryerson's Centre for Voluntary Sector Studies found that:

* conservative Protestants are more likely to donate and volunteer than people not affiliated with a religion, or those who identify themselves with other religions;

* seventy-five per cent of the money conservative Protestants donate goes to religious causes compared, on average, to 46 per cent with other religions and those not affiliated with a religion;

* seventy-two per cent of Jews give to non-religious causes, making this group the highest group who donate to causes not tied to a religion.

"The evidence clearly shows that religious affiliation is an important determinant of Canadian philanthropy," says Berger. When creating a fundraising campaign or recruiting volunteers, she recommends a targeted approach. "Mass one-size-fits-all recruitment or management strategies are unlikely to be the most effective," she says. "Recruiters should identify behaviourally relevant bases of segmentation and develop communication, training and management methods targeted at the most promising segments. This research suggests that religious affiliation may be a very fruitful segmentation criterion."

The study was funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

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