ANZ New ZealandANZ New Zealand is one of the country's leaders in payroll giving, with more than 1,300 staff members contributing regular amounts from their after tax salaries and wages. These contributions are matched dollar for dollar by ANZ and go to their charitable trust, the Staff Foundation New Zealand. Since it's inception in 2002, the Staff Foundation has been involved in the distribution of more than $1.4 million in community grants to over 300 charities and community projects Corporate Responsibility & Community Manager Nadene Hawley says the scheme works extremely well as it’s a great way for staff to support their local community. Members are encouraged to nominate local community initiatives for grants. As each application for funding must be supported by a member, staff have a say in which projects are considered. It’s also an easy way to give. By giving through the Staff Foundation, people are able to support a variety of causes in communities throughout New Zealand. A staff elected advisory board meets quarterly to assess applications and determine funding outcomes, and gives out around 80 grants a year of mostly between $1,000 and $10,000. “Staff members nominate groups they are involved in or have contact with so every grant is staff driven. All applications to the Staff Foundation must have the support of an ANZ New Zealand staff member to be eligible for consideration,” says Nadene. The focus tends to be on local projects that meet the objectives of the foundation and benefit a broad sector of the community, such as funding an activity day for the elderly, training phone based volunteers on youth help lines, youth camps, etc. Currently the donations are deducted from after tax income and staff members can claim the tax credits annually. ANZ New Zealand is exploring options to develop systems and processes to reflect the new payroll giving changes and enable donations to be taken from pre-tax income. CanTeenCanTeen supports young people in New Zealand aged 13-24 living with cancer, and has strong relationships with a number of corporate partners and individual donors. The organisation does not receive any government funding and is totally reliant on the generosity of individuals, the community and its fundraising partners. Brad Clark, CanTeen’s general manager, marketing and fundraising, said that CanTeen’s corporate partners found there were major benefits to having a tangible link with a high profile charitable brand. The organisation’s major corporate partner is Pams and, particularly for the iconic Bandanna Challenge, Foodstuffs retailers New World, PakNSave and Four Square. It also has relationships with ASB Bank, Burger King, BP, Farmers, Repco and Radius Pharmacies. “Our philosophy is that we are in boots and all. We don’t just have our hands out. We want these organisations to get benefits from these projects,” he said. “The potential of increased income streams from the lifting of tax caps for business and payroll giving schemes could have profound effects on the work we are able to do.” cbmcbm www.cbm-nz.org.nz is an international Christian organisation whose primary purpose is to improve the lives of the world’s poorest people with disabilities.It undertakes several projects in the Pacific, including Project HEAVEN (HEaring And Vision ENhancement), located Tamavua Hospital in the Suva District in Fiji. The project conducts ear and eye screening for students in primary and secondary schools throughout Fiji. The project also assists in provision of eye glasses and hearing aids. As part of the worldwide Christian Fellowship, cbm places emphasis on its role in the Christian social ministry and works with Pacific churches wherever possible. Any donations made by New Zealand tax payers to cbm New Zealand are eligible for the 33.33 per cent tax credit. National Director Darren Ward says the organisation is currently undertaking a concerted effort to get partnered with New Zealand businesses so it can help more Pacific peoples, with support of their local churches.
| The New Zealand Arts ShowThe NZ Arts Show is a great example of how regular and effective contact with supporters can generate a close donor community.The general day to day running costs of The NZ Arts Show are funded solely out of donations and sponsorships and so organisers need to ensure supporters are kept informed and involved to ensure their support continues. Over the past six years, the show has returned over $3.5 million into the pockets of New Zealand artists, making the NZAAT a significant arts organisation. Executive director Carla Russell says the key to the show’s success is asking first what sponsors and supporters want then making sure she and her team delivers it. “No-one wants to give and receive nothing back at all. At the very least, people want acknowledgement and information so they know for sure they’re doing something for the good of the community. We always keep in contact with sponsors and donors so they know how their money is being spent and they feel part of the arts community we’ve created.” Sponsors also receive raised awareness of their support, networking opportunities and events invitations. The Show team regularly holds small exhibitions and gatherings for donors and supporters as a way of saying thank you. The support is now so great that would-be volunteers have to be turned away because so many people put their hands up. Carla recognises that the tax changes have created another opportunity to communicate with supporters to ensure they’re aware of the lifting of the caps on the tax credits for donations and the introduction of payroll giving. “Anecdotally I know that some of our donors aren’t aware of the lifting of the donations limit so this is a good time to let people know about that. I’ve also look forward to seeing employers offering payroll giving to their staff as that will provide another great fundraising tool for us.” SignifyRegular giving is something many small to medium enterprises do well in New Zealand but not all do it in a planned way or fully recognise the value giving can have for reputation and staff morale and retention.Wellington-based company web and software development company, Signify, which employs 25 people, has built giving – or being ‘good’ – into its strategic plan to guide the way the business is run. Over the seven years since the company was launched, being good has grown to encompass supporting a number of organisations and individuals in practical and financial ways. Signify has a formal budget for monthly donations, including support for the Wellington City Mission. Staff members are also given the opportunity to support World Vision through voluntary deductions from salaries. Management then matches the amount donated $1 for $1. The company also does pro bono work for organisations such as the Employers’ Disability Network and the Drug Foundation. The company is currently speaking to its payroll provider about changing over to the new tax relief system for payroll giving and intends to introduce a new scheme soon, which will allow employees to donate to a charity of their choice. TableSide Community TrustTableSide Community Trust started out as a small group of people from different areas of Auckland who started to see each other talk about what mattered to them; giving time and raising funds for community causes.Through networking and dedication to relationship building, the Trust has grown into a large band of dedicated volunteers from all walks of life who pool their skills and talents to work in partnership with charitable and non-profit organisations. The group helps out in a wide variety of ways, wherever there is a need in the community. Projects include cleaning up graffiti, volunteering with ESOL support, raising funds for a sick child, organising a gardening project for a disabled couple or doing painting jobs. TableSide’s quiet contribution was recently recognised in the Auckland City Council’s 2009 Community Safety Awards. It was named winner of the Not-for- Profit Organisation Award, and classed as “outstanding in their category for engendering tremendous community spirit through co ordinated activities in the community”. Director Denise Krum said it is the long term relationships – with donors, volunteers, non-profit organisations and businesses – that has allowed the Trust to grow and flourish; helping more and more people on the way. It will also be these relationships that ultimately will encourage donors to give to Tableside Community Trust through any future payroll giving schemes. “We work hard at maintaining relationships. From a nonprofit perspective, you need to nurture these relationships to ensure long term connections and success in the community.” |
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Giving Case Studies |
