Early CNOY 2025 Insights

The Blue Sea Way of doing peer-to-peer fundraising includes measuring just about everything under the sun. We track teams, walkers, donations, sponsorships, challenge registrations, social media engagement, hurry hoodies, cups of coffee (countless), momentum, and a whole lot more. Because simply counting dollars doesn’t tell the whole story. 

Throughout the campaign we ask: What’s happening? What’s not? What’s changing? What’s trending? How is the campaign responding to world events and weather? How are our new initiatives performing? How are we doing at the national and individual location levels? Even though we’ve done this countless times, we are looking to learn and improve every day by being curious, paying attention, and taking action where required.  

I’m writing this with just over a week to go before CNOY 2025 takes to the streets and the data is starting to tell a story: generosity is rising, corporate partners are stepping up, and giving is stronger than ever. This year’s event theme is “Change the Tune” and the numbers support just that: in the face of uncertainty and negative press, people are banding together to make a difference, imagine better, and release a song of hope into their community. Let’s unpack how we got here:

Charities Need Support More Than Ever

Charities in Canada are facing skyrocketing demand as are their counterparts in the USA. The result? More charities than ever are signing up for Coldest Night of the Year. This year 53 news charities signed on to host CNOY: 28 in the USA and 25 in Canada. This is up 36% over last year’s event. Charities across North America are getting creative with their fundraising and including p2p fundraising events, the Blue Sea Way, in response to this mounting pressure for services.

Awaiting The Big Push 

Heading into the final week of the campaign, participation is already strong, with a solid base of walkers signed up. Based on past trends, we expect a late surge, potentially increasing total registrations by up to 65%. This final push will likely bring in a significant number of team captains, making up around 5-6% of last-minute sign-ups. If the weather remains cold, participation could climb even higher.

This keeps us on the edge of our seat and refreshing that fundraising scoreboard, as the average participant raises $193 and a Team Captain, on average, raises more than double that. 

What’s interesting for 2025 is that donors are giving more generously than ever….

Donations Are Up 

Giving isn’t just holding steady—it’s climbing. In Canada, the average individual donation has jumped from $85 last year to $93 this year—an almost 10% increase, far surpassing inflation. The trend continues in the US, where the average donation has risen from $80 to $87. That’s not just a small bump; it tells us more: Yes, times are tough for many, but those who can give are stepping up more purposefully than ever, making every dollar count.

Corporations and Community Organizations Are Stepping Up—Big Time

Challenge Partners are up! The 2025 campaign currently has 105 Corporate Challenge Partners and Community Challenge Partners up 12% from last year. National corporations, small businesses, hockey teams, church groups, and everyone in between are stepping up and stepping out on behalf of local charities across Canada and the US. 

And they’re not just donating money—they’re showing up in person. Challenge teams now make up 52% of all teams, proving that businesses and community organizations are putting their people behind their giving. 

Sponsorships are up too—by 10%—a massive increase when talking about millions of dollars.

Coming Together for Good

At its core, this is a story about community—about looking out for one another and taking pride in coming together for a common cause. With a national goal of $14 million in Canada and $1.5 million in the U.S., there’s still work to do, but history tells us we could see over 100,000 individual donations in the next 10 days.

This isn’t just about numbers—it’s about neighbours rallying to make sure no one is left without food or a place to stay. Walkers, donors, businesses, and volunteers are stepping up, putting differences aside to support those who need it most. Time and again, we’re reminded that when a community comes together for good, the impact goes far beyond dollars raised—it’s about ensuring everyone has a place to belong.