How Wellingtonians are making charitable gifts last forever.
Originally published on www.stuff.co.nz.
We all have a cause that tugs at our heart. Maybe it's the local animal shelter, the hospice down the road, or the food bank keeping families fed. And when we give, we want that gift to count, not just today, but tomorrow and for generations to come.
That's where Community Foundations come in. Organisations like Wellington's Nīkau Foundation help everyday locals leave a charitable legacy with real staying power. So, the causes you love now keep getting supported every single year, forever.
The beginning of a movement
A hundred years ago, Cleveland local Frederick Harris Goff had a lightbulb moment. What if, through one gift, you could support the causes you love, forever*? And, what if you could give a gift today that would move with the times and continue to give back in 50, 100 or 200 years?
The answer was a new model of giving that was intended to futureproof generosity and make local giving go further. From Goff’s bright idea came the Cleveland Foundation – the world’s first-ever community foundation. Now a century on, there are now over 2,000 community foundations globally, operating everywhere from South Korea to South Africa.
Locally, we have Nīkau Foundation – Te Upoko-o-te-Ika-a-Māui, the Greater Wellington region’s community foundation. Founded in 1991 by a group of passionate, community-focused Wellingtonians, Nīkau has a mission to grow local generosity to support local causes, long-term.
Over its 35-year history, it has given over $11 million in grants and is the kaitiaki of over $40.5 million in generous local donations that are being invested, grown and protected to support the people and places of our region, long-term.
Wellingtonian Adrienne Bushell established her Nīkau Fund to support the arts - a cause her late husband, Laurie held close to his heart.
Giving that grows
At a time when charitable organisations are struggling, our communities are facing complex challenges, and funding sources are dwindling, maximising the impact of a charitable donation is important. Offering an alternative way of giving to a charitable trust, a Nīkau fund is a streamlined and future-proofed way to give back, which minimises administration and maximises impact.
Locals like Barbara Blake set up The Blake Fund with Nīkau Foundation to provide a lasting source of support to youth organisations – a cause close to Barbara’s heart. Every year, Nīkau connects The Blake Fund with organisations helping our region’s young people to reach their potential.
Since it was set up in 2018, the fund has given out over $160,000 in grants to organisations such as InsideOUT and Te Ara Moana Trust. Because the Foundation is designed to exist in perpetuity, with all donations invested, grown and protected, Barbara’s donation will continue to make a difference, with grants being distributed to youth causes every year, forever.
Similarly, the Kāpiti Disability Support Fund (formerly the Kāpiti Welcome Trust) was established to create a powerful, practical succession plan for the trust. In line with the trust’s original charitable intent, the fund is designed to support the wellbeing and welfare of people with disabilities.
To date, the Foundation has connected the fund with organisations making a positive difference in the community (including The Shed Project, L’Arche Kāpiti and People First NZ), it has given out over $300,000 and will continue to grow and support people with disabilities for generations to come.
The Foundation now has over 100 funds that have been established by individuals, couples, families, charitable organisations and charitable trustees to pass down a better future to our communities.
Whether you establish a fund during your lifetime or via a gift in your will, we can all make a lasting difference to the causes we care about.
For an example of how giving through Nikau works, please click here.
*Once the fund balance reaches $75,000.
For the causes you love, forever.
There is no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to giving through Nikau. While some choose to establish a fund during their lifetime, others choose to leave a gift in their will or transfer a charitable trust. However you wish to give, we’ll make sure the causes you love are supported today, tomorrow and long into the future. To find out more, please click below:
