How do I choose a charity to donate to in Canada?
Start with the change you want to see, not with a ranking. Then confirm the charity is registered, read what it says it does in its own filing, look at its figures next to charities of similar size and kind, and give directly through the charity or a platform that issues receipts.
1. Name the change, in your own words
"Youth mental health in Hamilton" or "clean water projects" is a better starting point than "best charity." Charity Compass matches your sentence against what 72,356 operating charities say they do in their own filings, so you see organizations doing that work, including ones no rating agency has looked at.
2. Confirm it is real and registered
Match the registration number on the CRA List of Charities, linked from every profile. Registration means it files annually and can issue receipts. It is not a quality rating.
3. Read its own words and its own site
Every profile shows the program description the charity filed, verbatim. Then read the charity's website and most recent annual report. Filings lag a year or more; the website is today.
4. Read the figures in context, not as grades
Cents to the cause (median 89¢), overhead (median 12%) and reserves (median 0.8 yr) each come with the sector distribution and the same-size-band figure on Charity Compass. A number far from the median is a question to ask, not an answer. Compare like with like: a food bank and a research institute spend differently.
5. Give directly, and keep the receipt
Give on the charity's own site or through a platform such as CanadaHelps that issues official receipts. Charity Compass never handles your money and takes no fee. Monthly gifts help charities plan; a single gift in December is when most Canadians give.
Common questions
- Should I only give to big, well-known charities?
- No. Large charities are easier to research, but the same public filings exist for small ones. Charity Compass computes the same figures for every charity that files enough detail.
- How many charities should I support?
- Fewer, larger gifts are generally more useful to a charity than many small ones, because each gift has a processing and receipting cost. That is a preference, not a rule.
Start with what you care about
Figures: CRA List of Charities open data, F2024 release, computed across 72,356 operating charities where the lines exist · self-reported by each charity · last reviewed 2026-09-15. Charity Compass is not affiliated with the CRA or Charity Intelligence.