New Westminster has made it into the Top 10 of GoFundMe’s Most Generous Communities in Canada.
The annual list highlights the communities that have gone above and beyond in support of Canadians. It is measured by the highest number of donors per capita on the GoFundMe platform.
New Westminster ranked Number 10 on the list of GoFundMe’s Top 20 most generous communities in Canada in 2024.
“GoFundMe recorded over 4,100 donors in New Westminster in 2024. With a population of more than 78,900, that results in a per capita donor rate of 5.24 per cent,” said a statement from GoFundMe. “This community has emerged as a beacon of generosity, demonstrating the incredible power of Canadians helping one another.
According to a GoFundMe news release, Canadians raised $280 million through the online service in 2024.
“From small acts of kindness to major community efforts, Canadians are consistently committed to lending a helping hand,” GoFundMe chief executive officer Tim Cadogan said in the news release. “People across Canada have exhibited unprecedented kindness and compassion, exemplified by the generosity shown—from supporting a young girl in North Vancouver hoping to train her service dog or donating dollars to keep the beloved Toronto Santa Claus Parade alive, an unbreakable spirit of solidarity defines Canadians.”
New Westminster resident Kat Ingraham set up a GoFundMe for her father, Kevin, to help with medical bills and travel expenses after a tragic accident abroad. That campaign has raised more than $27,000 – supporting Kevin with medical treatment in the United States.
“When we launched our GoFundMe, we were desperate to raise funds to afford an airlift for Kevin to receive care at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, along with pending hospital bills,” she said in a statement to the Record. “We were far away from our friends and family in The Bahamas, as Kevin’s accident happened while he was travelling abroad, which made navigating next steps difficult.”
One of those next steps involved the establishment of a GoFundMe campaign.
“Being able to share his story, inform others of what happened, and receive support helped us in our greatest time of need,” Ingraham said. “We received access to funds quickly, which allowed us to travel to Atlanta, pay for his custom electric wheelchair, and purchase his hospital bed and other essential medical equipment and supplies. It gave us some relief knowing we’d be able to get him everything he needed after his accident.”
Ingraham’s father, was in North Carolina on the evening of Feb. 18 when he fell; alone and unable to move his arms or legs, he could not get to the phone in his room and was not found until 10 hours later. He had suffered a C3 spinal injury.
To date, Ingraham’s GoFundMe campaign has raised $27,340 of its $200,000 goal to assist her father, who has long-term medical needs.
“We weren’t sure at first what to expect when we launched our GoFundMe. We were pleasantly surprised by how quickly friends and family shared our fundraiser with people they knew and on social media. It really showed us what a strong community we have,” she said. “Overall, our GoFundMe fundraiser continues to be extremely beneficial, and it’s why we’ve kept the campaign up and running because Kevin’s recovery journey is still ongoing. It has enabled us to reach a wider audience and raise funds for our cause.”
According to GoFundMe, a “remarkable one in 13 Canadian adults” made donations through the platform in 2024, supporting a wide variety of causes including local businesses and urgent health-care needs.
“In the face of a cost-of-living crisis, communities have shown extraordinary resilience and kindness,” said the news release. “This year, GoFundMe recorded $280 million CAD raised in Canada for people, causes, and organizations around the world. This compares to almost $259 million raised over the same period in 2023, reflecting an eight per cent increase.”
With more than 19,500 donors contributing to GoFundMe in 2024, Victoria was the Most Generous Community in Canada – for the second year in a row. With a population of nearly 92,000, that results in a per capita-donation rate of 21.3 per cent.
This year, GoFundMe’s top 20 most generous communities in Canada are:
- Victoria, British Columbia
- North Vancouver, British Columbia
- St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
- Vancouver, British Columbia
- Milton, Ontario
- Brampton, Ontario
- Kelowna, British Columbia
- Thunder Bay, Ontario
- Moncton, New Brunswick
- New Westminster, British Columbia
- Guelph, Ontario
- Whitby, Ontario
- Prince George, British Columbia
- Kitchener, Ontario
- Regina, Saskatchewan
- Calgary, Alberta
- Pickering, Ontario
- Waterloo, Ontario
- Toronto, Ontario
- Kamloops, British Columbia
GoFundMe, which provides a platform for individuals and communities to come together and share their stories, has helped raise more than $30 billion globally for people and charities since 2010.
