How Nonprofits Are Shaping the Future of Our Planet

“Small charities make a vast difference in support of countless causes across the country, including environmental causes,” says Nicole Danesi, senior manager of strategic communications and brand at CanadaHelps, a charitable online donation and fundraising platform.

CanadaHelps’ The Giving Report, published in 2025, states that approximately 77 percent of charities in Canada are small, making less than $500,000 in annual revenue, and only 1 percent of donations support environmental organizations.

Danesi adds that many of these small initiatives are running community gardens, doing environmental preservation work, and offering educational programs to teach kids about the importance of recycling and the impacts of climate change.

Small versus big―some of the benefits

When local individuals get involved in grassroots projects, they become active participants in positive change in their own communities. Smaller nonprofits can begin to mobilize the community long before larger organizations may be able to act and reach that local, hands-on level.

“Small charities can help Canadians become their own agents of change,” Danesi says, “by providing volunteer roles and ways to learn about the challenges and opportunities related to their cause area of focus.”

Small nonprofits also tend to put their funding to tangible use, whereas larger organizations may use donation dollars for things like administration or advertising.

There’s less red tape and bureaucracy with smaller ventures, allowing them to use funds to address issues directly and enabling them to have a more immediate impact than might be possible with a big charity.

Providing diverse contributions

Direct environmental efforts by nonprofits can include areas like carbon sequestration, ocean protection, clean energy advocacy, sustainable travel initiatives, and beyond.

Smaller environmental nonprofits often focus on hands-on projects, such as wildlife conservation, urban tree planting, waste reduction, and shoreline cleanups, helping to create a sense of environmental responsibility in the community.

Their grassroots initiatives can lead to tangible changes, whether it’s reducing carbon footprints or preserving green spaces that provide important habitats for wildlife. Community involvement is crucial for a sustainable future. With smaller nonprofits, donors can see their dollars at work and track a project’s progress on a regular basis.

UrbaNature Education

“We do have impact because we’re local,” says Lisa Mintz, executive director of UrbaNature Education. The Montreal-based organization teaches environmental education and facilitates human connection with nature, particularly targeting youth, young adults, and marginalized populations.

As a small local charity, “You can really get your hands on something, doing things that people really care about when it’s in their neighbourhood,” Mintz says. She adds that a big organization with a large payroll and overhead costs “might have to make financial decisions you don’t agree with.”

UrbaNature Education has a section on its website called 10 steps to changing your world. Mintz says, “I think environmental education is the most important thing we can be doing right now.”

The Starfish Canada

A Victoria-based organization, The Starfish Canada champions youth changemakers, lifting up their voices about climate action. It provides education, resources, communities, and more for young people to become leaders in the collective effort for a sustainable future.

The story behind The Starfish Canada’s name is a fitting example of how small organizations can have a big impact. “A young boy throws stranded starfish back into the ocean one at a time, and even if he does not manage to throw all of them back, there’s a change in the tides of the starfish’s life for those he manages to rescue,” explains Shaniqua Mayers, the organization’s senior manager of learning and development.

“Small organizations create that kind of impact through the lives they change, creating a network of individuals unified by a common purpose and cause. It only takes one person to educate and impact thousands.

“Small organizations may not have the immediate reach that larger organizations do, yet through fostering a strong sense of community and working to amplify the voices of many marginalized folks, we inspire others who may have once felt unheard,” Mayers says. “That ripple effect creates lasting and meaningful change.”

Danesi notes, “Canadians can get engaged by participating in petitions, participating in park clean-ups, reducing waste, and taking many small steps to protect the planet that will all add up to make a big difference.”

Get to know other local nonprofit initiatives that are reducing waste for a better planet. Clothing drives, thrift stores, and food banks, for example, promote the reuse of clothes and household items and the sharing of food that might otherwise be thrown out, encouraging a shift from “cheap and fast” consumption habits to “thoughtful and sustainable” ones.

This article was originally published in the January 2026 issue of alive magazine.