Plan International Canada

About Plan International Canada:

Founded in 1968, Plan International Canada (PIC) is the Canadian branch and fundraising arm of Plan International. Plan International works to advance the rights of children and equality for girls around the world. PIC raises money in Canada for its own international programs and for Plan International’s worldwide programs. Plan International Canada supports work that helps poor children around the world in eight core areas: education, healthcare, water and sanitation, child protection, child participation, economic empowerment, and disaster responses.

Child sponsorships are Plan International Canada’s largest source of donations ($75.7m - 32% of total revenues in F2018). PIC says that it directs these donations to community development projects that benefit all the children and families living in the community, rather than sponsoring an individual child. Of total program spending in F2018, Plan International Canada spent 37% on maternal and child health projects, 17% on emergencies and food assistance, 15% on sexual and reproductive health projects, 14% on education projects, 5% on economic security, 5% on child protection, 3% on water sanitation, and 2% on child participation, engagement and advocacy.

 In maternal and child health programs, Plan Canada trained 1,200 clinic and 61,000 health workers in community health care. This provided maternal health care to more than 250,000 women. In disaster response, (17% of international spending) in partnership with World Food Programme, Plan Canada distributed 6,500 tonnes of food to more than 45,000 internally displaced refugees living in 6 camps inside Myanmar in Rakhine State. In sexual and reproductive health (15% of international spending), Plan Canada highlights Fathers Clubs that raises awareness of barriers women face accessing birth control. In its education program (14% of international spending), Plan International Canada funded specially trained teachers to help 13,000 children in rural Cambodia who have fallen behind in school catch up.

Canadian donors and governments supported 163,963 children around the world. In addition to this, 15,342 Canadian youths engaged in PIC’s initiatives across the country.

Plan International Canada reports that Plan International’s work funded 1,749 projects in over 54,000 communities and 70 countries in F2018. This works out to $3,242 spent in each community for F2018. It reached more than 73 million girls, boys, women, and men in F2018. Its goal is to reach 20 million children in 2020.

Results and Impact:

Plan International reports that global supporters helped more than 34.2 million children to unleash their potential. Based on one-year results from its maternal and child health programs in five countries, PIC reports seeing significant improvements. The number of children vaccinated against measles is up from 41% to 66%. The number of women who received care from a skilled health provider at least four times during pregnancy is up from 46% to 63%.

While Ci highlights these key results Plan International Canada has reported, these results may not be a complete representation of Plan International Canada’s results and impact.

Financial Review:

Plan International Canada is a Major 100 charity, meaning that it is one of Canada’s 100 largest charities in terms of donations. In F2018, Plan Canada received $104.9m in donations, up from $100.3m in F2017. Donations to child sponsorship in F2018 were $75.7m, increasing from $74.7m in F2016. Plan Canada received $41.9m from Global Affairs Canada and other provincial governments in F2018. In addition, Plan Canada received $65.6m from the UN, Plan International and other multilateral organizations for its international programs. Plan Canada also receives donated goods-in-kind ($8.8m in donated food and $14.2m in donated anti-malaria bed nets).

Plan International Canada's administrative costs are 7% of revenues, and fundraising costs are 24% of donations. Plan International Canada’s overhead costs are 31%. For every dollar donated, 68 cents go to the cause. This is within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending. Plan Canada’s annual report shows its overhead costs are 19% as a portion of total spending which is different than donors’ question of how much of donations go to the cause.

Plan International Canada has funding reserves of $56.5m, including a $3m endowment fund. Excluding endowed funds, the charity’s reserves can cover under four months of program costs.

Plan International Canada paid external fundraisers $13.7m in F2018 to raise $38.8m at a cost of 35 cents per dollar raised. 

This charity report is an update that has been sent to Plan International Canada for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on June 6, 2019 by Lauren Chin.