The dawning of the New Year will bring larger donations and more volunteer hours to Canada’s non-profit organizations according to Canadians who responded to a new poll released Monday by Investors Group.

Volunteer efforts are expected to see the largest increase with 29% of respondents saying they plan to donate more time to worthwhile causes in 2010. But financial contributions are also expected to enjoy an upswing, with 19% saying they plan to increase the size of their donations next year.

On average, Canadians contributed 13 hours a month to volunteer work and donated $1,041 to non-profit organizations in 2009. While financial contributions to charity were constrained by economic conditions in the past year (63% said they were not able to give as much as they wanted), the average estimated annual donation still compares well with Canadians’ estimated spending on holiday gifts — $607 this year.

“In a year when demand has increased among non-profit organizations of all stripes, it’s good to see Canadians are giving what they can, even if it’s not as much as they would like,” says Richard Irish, vice-President of Community Affairs for Investors Group.

While volunteering provided the most personal satisfaction, more Canadians chose to make a financial contribution than provide their personal time. Giving time was seen as most satisfying by 69% of survey respondents, but 80% said they donated money this year compared to 52% who said they volunteered.

For most Canadians, a cause that matters to them was seen as stronger motivation to volunteer time or donate money than tax breaks or receiving personal recognition. Ninety per cent of survey respondents said the cause was a key factor in their decision, while 34% cited tax credits and just three percent indicated they were motivated by the chance to receive public recognition.

Local initiatives are the favourite choice among Canadians, with 89% indicating they usually volunteer locally and 82% saying they donate to local organizations and causes. And Canadians appear to be taking a planned approach to their “good works” rather than leaving it to the end of the year or the holiday season. Only seven per cent said they made most of their charitable donations in December and just three per cent said they volunteered mainly in the final month of the year.

The Harris/Decima data was gathered between December 1 and 14, through Harris/Decima’s national online panel.