GIV3

What GIV3 does

GIV3 is a Canadian registered charity and non-profit advocacy organization founded in 2009 and headquartered in Knowlton, Quebec. It works to strengthen Canada's charitable sector through systemic policy advocacy and a portfolio of grassroots initiatives. Its current focus is on reversing what it describes as a growing "charity gap" — the widening mismatch between rising demand for charitable services and declining sector resources — by pushing for federal policy reforms including a higher Disbursement Quota (DQ) for grant-making foundations and the creation of a new Social Sector Fund.

GIV3's offering is structured as six initiatives rather than a unified product or technology platform: GivingTuesday Canada (a global day of giving co-founded with CanadaHelps that engages 7,000+ charities and millions of Canadians), The Great Canadian Giving Challenge (an annual June charity contest with a $10,000 grant prize), the Mutare Initiative (policy advocacy for sector reform), Increase the Grants (a lobbying campaign for a higher DQ, currently targeting 6.5%–7.0%), the Social Sector Fund proposal, and Sector3Insights (a social enterprise survey firm providing research on generosity and donor behavior). The technology footprint is minimal; the organization's value is delivered through advocacy, coalition-building, content marketing (website, blog, newsletter), and earned media.

GIV3 is funded primarily through Sector3Insights profits (which flow exclusively to registered charities and sector research) and supplementary advocacy/grant funding. It does not sell products or services in a traditional commercial sense. Its largest verifiable outcome is the successful federal DQ increase from 3.5% to 5.0% on assets above $1 million, effective January 1, 2023, which is estimated to have unlocked $1.75 billion for charitable purposes in 2023. The organization is led by President John Hallward and operates with 1–10 employees.

Name

GIV3

Legal name

GIV3

Website

https://giv3.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

GIV3 is a Canadian registered charity that advocates for systemic policy reform of the charitable sector through initiatives including GivingTuesday Canada, the Great Canadian Giving Challenge, and Sector3Insights, a self-funding social enterprise research firm.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Montreal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Sector3Insights Social Enterprise: Sector3Insights is a social enterprise survey firm operated by GIV3 that provides research insights for the success of non-profits and the charitable sector. Prices are low and profits are exclusively directed to registered charities and sector research. It serves as a primary funder of GIV3 and provides a steady revenue stream.
2. Advocacy and Grant Funding: GIV3 receives funding through advocacy activities and may access grant funding for specific initiatives focused on strengthening the charitable sector.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

GIV3 is a registered Canadian nonprofit charity that advocates for systemic policy improvements to strengthen the Canadian charitable sector. It operates a portfolio of initiatives including GivingTuesday Canada, The Great Canadian Giving Challenge, the Mutare Initiative, Increase the Grants campaign, Sector3Insights (a social enterprise research firm), and advocacy for a new Social Sector Fund. The organization's core work centers on lobbying for federal reforms — particularly higher Disbursement Quotas for grant-making foundations — and mobilizing charities, donors, and policymakers to address the growing charity gap in Canada.

Product overview

GIV3 operates as a charity sector advocacy organization offering a portfolio of initiatives and programs rather than a unified technology product. The portfolio includes six core initiatives: GivingTuesday (a global giving day movement co-founded with CanadaHelps), The Great Canadian Giving Challenge (a June charity contest), Mutare Initiative (policy advocacy for sector reform), Increase the Grants (lobbying for disbursement quota changes), Sector3Insights (a social enterprise research firm), and The Social Sector Fund (advocacy for a new sector fund entity). These are advocacy and campaign programs, not technology products or software platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sector3Insights: A social enterprise research firm providing insights for the success of non-profits and the charitable sector. Prices are low, and profits are exclusively directed to registered charities and sector research. It is a primary funder of GIV3.
• GivingTuesday Canada
• The Great Canadian Giving Challenge
• Mutare Initiative
• The Social Sector Fund
• Increase the Grants

Products and services

• GivingTuesday Canada A global day of giving that occurs annually after Black Friday, Shop-Local-Saturday, and Cyber Monday. GIV3 and CanadaHelps are co-founders of GivingTuesday in Canada, engaging 7,000+ charities and millions of Canadians, generating tens of millions of additional donation dollars annually.
• The Great Canadian Giving Challenge A public charity contest benefiting registered Canadian charities that runs throughout June each year. Donations made to charities on CanadaHelps.org in June enter the charity to win a $10,000 grant, selected on Canada Day.
• Mutare Initiative A policy advocacy initiative advocating for new policies to address current problems in the charity sector, empower a stronger sector, and develop the emerging social-purpose sector.
• Increase the Grants A movement to lobby the federal government to increase the required minimum amount that grant-making foundations must disburse on charitable purposes each year (the Disbursement Quota or DQ), advocating for 6.5% to 7.0% DQ.
• Sector3Insights A social enterprise survey research firm providing free and paid insights for the success of non-profits and the charitable sector. Specializes in tracking generosity, understanding drivers of generosity, profiling target segments, and donor perspectives. Provides primary funding to GIV3.
• The Social Sector Fund An initiative to create a new independent, sustainable, and sufficiently-sized sector fund to empower and build capacity for the charity/social sector. Requires creation of a fit-for-purpose sector fund entity/agency with a strategic plan.

Quantifiable outcome

• Tens of millions of additional donation dollars generated annually through GivingTuesday and The Great Canadian Giving Challenge programs
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• CanadaHelpscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGIV3 and CanadaHelps are co-founders of GivingTuesday in Canada. The movement engages over 7,000 charities and millions of Canadians. The Great Canadian Giving Challenge operates in partnership with CanadaHelps, where donations on the platform during June enter a ballot for a chance to win a $10,000 grant for the charity.
• Sector3InsightscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSector3Insights is a social enterprise research firm that is a primary funder of GIV3 and provides a steady revenue stream. The firm specializes in measuring insights and best practices for the Third Sector, including tracking generosity, understanding drivers of generosity, profiling key target segments, and providing donor perspectives for charities.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Imagine Canada: National umbrella organization for Canada's charitable and nonprofit sector, focused on sector advocacy, standards, and research. Highly comparable to GIV3's sector-advocacy mission.
• CanadaHelps: Canada's largest online donation platform and GIV3's co-founder of GivingTuesday Canada. Directly comparable as a charitable-sector intermediary focused on enabling Canadian giving through technology and programs.
• Ontario Nonprofit Network (ONN): Provincial network advocating for Ontario's nonprofit sector through policy reform and capacity building. Comparable as a regional nonprofit-sector advocacy organization with similar policy focus.
• Philanthropic Foundations Canada: Canadian association of grantmaking foundations that GIV3 directly engages through its DQ advocacy. Comparable as a peer organization working at the foundation-grantmaking-policy interface.
• Charity Village (Community Employment Council): Canadian nonprofit hub providing jobs, resources, and sector news for charities and nonprofits. Comparable as a sector-supporting platform serving the same Canadian charity ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• Independent Sector (US): Leading US national membership organization that advocates for the nonprofit sector and conducts sector-wide research. Comparable as a larger, more established peer operating in the same sector-advocacy category.
• National Council of Nonprofits (US): Largest network of nonprofits in the US, focused on policy advocacy and capacity building. Comparable as a sector-advocacy network serving similar mission-driven organizations, though at much larger scale and in the US market.

Others

• CFC (Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services style funder): Adjacent Canadian charity-sector funder. Connected thematically as part of the broader Canadian charitable ecosystem GIV3 serves and advocates for, though not a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/GIV3Canada
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/giv3

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about GIV3