Spotlight on Community Foundations

Arron Perriam
Executive Director
CFNZ
December 21st 2021

You can dim the lights on 2021, but not on Community Foundations!

How many times have you heard people saying they're over the past year or two? You wouldn't be the first to suggest we dim the lights on 2021, enjoy Christmas and hope for a much improved 2022.

Truth is though, at Community Foundations we're not dimming any light, quite the opposite in fact, the lights are shining brightly over the collective successes of Community Foundations over the past year. Just yesterday we read how Gavin Larsen and the team at Top of the South Community Foundation have worked in partnership with one generous donor to secure a $1million fund to support families. Every day we hear of kiwi generosity, new funds launched and exciting impact projects, transforming communities.

Just this week we were touched by this new story from the deep South - a memorial fund for a beloved son - "It’s good to think that, through our own giving, we can really transform lives." This story stopped us in our tracks, heartwarming to the core.

Overall we're seeing immense community support and a high calibre of both staff and trustees joining our teams, we see boards strengthening their governance practices and specific progress in strategy formation and delivery, bi-cultural practice and partnership being explored, grantmaking and community partnerships deepening. Central to all of this, of course, is famous kiwi generosity, the people who are at the heart of what makes a Community Foundation thrive.

I speculate, if NZ's young network of Community Foundations are performing well now - and they are - our collective potential when the fetters are released and we have plenty of runway to really take off - will see us fly!

We are feeling like this is a great time of year to reflect back and be encouraged by community efforts, and refocus for 2022, where we have some big plans underway. 2022 will indeed be a year of new possibility and opportunity, but for now from the CFNZ team of Eleanor and I, Ray Key and the board, we all extend NZ communities a hearty congratulations for what you are building together for the future.

Meri Kirihimete and enjoy the summer break.