For the third consecutive year, Victoria has been named the most generous community in Canada by crowdfunding platform GoFundMe, which recorded over 18,500 donors through 2025 despite economic strain and international tensions.
With a population of 102,856 according to a 2024 estimate, almost 18 per cent of the city’s population – or nearly one in five Victorians – made a donation this past year.
“Every donation is powered by a deeply human story. We see it in a neighbourhood rallying to save a beloved children’s bookstore or a community uniting to keep a local farm open and its animals cared for,” said Tim Cadogan, CEO of GoFundMe, in a news release. “This year’s top communities showcase the very best of us; they prove that help is inherently human, with friends uniting, strangers stepping in, and entire cities answering the call. What we’re seeing, year after year, is that when needs grow, Canadians respond swiftly and emphatically.”
One local campaign, held by Adam Trimm, raised just over $101,000 for the family of his friend Derek, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2024, with $25,000 of those funds going to the ALS Society of B.C.
“That money has made a huge impact and has granted him the freedom to be with his family as long as possible,” said Trimm. “The generosity of this community is definitely alleviating that stress on him in his final years, and stress on his family.”
He started the campaign with a goal of raising $2,500, but “once it got steam, there was no stopping it.”
“I just want to personally say thank you to everyone, from the top donations of $10,000 to the donations of $20. Derek and I really appreciate the generosity of this community, and it’s warmed our hearts immensely,” said Trimm, adding that residents can continue to donate to further support Derek and his family.
The entire province of B.C. proved to be very generous this year, with seven of GoFundMe’s top 1o most generous communities in Canada being B.C. cities, with North Vancouver, Vancouver and New Westminster taking the second, third and fifth spots respectively.
Have more to add to this story? Email Bailey.Seymour@vicnews.com