LiveDifferent is a 3-star rated charity, with below-average results reporting and reasonable overhead costs. It has Fair demonstrated impact. With its current reserves the charity can cover less than one month of annual program costs. 

Founded in 2000, LiveDifferent aims to empower and engage youth in a lifestyle of care and service. LiveDifferent organizes trips for teens to developing countries. The charity also hosts presentations at Canadian schools. 

LiveDifferent was reviewed for update June 2024, but no new information was found. The report was written using the 2022 annual report and audited financial statements. 

The charity had three main programs in F2022: LiveDifferent Builds, Presentation and school assemblies, and LiveDifferent Projects. 

LiveDifferent Builds was 38% of LiveDifferent’s program spending in F2022. Volunteers spend eight to ten days building homes or schools in the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Haiti, or Thailand. In F2022, LiveDifferent built ten homes. The beneficiaries were 16 adults and 15 children. 

Presentations and school assemblies represented 32% of LiveDifferent’s program spending in F2022.  Presentations are one hour long and include a team of youth speakers and mentors, as well as a live band. LiveDifferent reports that it has presented to over 1.8 million students at 4,116 schools since 2000. This program includes the Circles Program, which was created to reach students remotely through online programming. In F2022, 193 Circles Programs were facilitated. This led to 36,976 hours of meaningful conversations. The charity reports that 1,162 student leaders were trained to facilitate Circle Programs. 

LiveDifferent Projects were 28% of LiveDifferent’s program spending in F2022. LiveDifferent Projects improve communities where LiveDifferent Builds take place. Past projects include building schools, playgrounds, and medical clinics. One of the main projects for F2022 is the Freedom Village in Haiti which is currently under construction. The Freedom Village will be a safe home for girls who have experienced abuse through Haiti’s Restavek system 

LiveDifferent received donations of $1.8m in F2022. LiveDifferent also received $193k in government funding (8% of revenues) and $148k in fees for service.  

Administrative costs are 8% of total revenue (excluding investment income), and fundraising costs are 10% of donations and special events fundraising. This results in a total overhead of 18%. For every dollar donated, 82 cents are available for programs. This is within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending. 

In F2022, LiveDifferent spent $1.7m on its programs, which is 70% of total revenues. The charity had an operating surplus of $450k, and capital expenditures of $241k (down 75% from F2021) 

LiveDifferent has net reserve funds of $89k ($260k in cash and investments less $170k in interest-bearing debts). The charity has less than one month covered by its existing reserve funds.  

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

Updated on June 27, 2024 by Alessandra Castino.