What will be your legacy?

Ray Key
Board Chair
Community Foundations of NZ
29th August 2021

I am immensely proud about the tireless work Community Foundations do in partnership with caring people, families and businesses, to make their communities better, not just now, but forever.

An increasing number of New Zealanders are discovering how Community Foundations can assist them in make an impact in their local community and help them create their enduring legacy. This is demonstrated by our extraordinary growth of 33% over the last 12 months; yes 33% growth, during one of the most challenging periods in New Zealand’s history.

There is now more than $200m invested in Community Foundations, by thoughtful people like you, with the income earned benefiting New Zealand communities, every year, forever.

And that is not all. We estimate a further $400m is yet to be invested from generous people who, thinking strategically, have already decided to give back to their communities through gifts in their wills.

This means that already New Zealand’s Community Foundations, in their youth, are stewarding $600m for the benefit of our country and our future. This is testament to the generous nature of kiwis and how much we care about community, how much we want to see a better world for our children and grandchildren. It’s testament to the tireless work going on in communities to create enduring structures that will look after and honour these gifts.

What do you care about in your local community? What do you want your legacy to be? The great thing about Community Foundations is that we can help to make these dreams a reality.

September is Wills Month and is a reminder to make sure you have a will, and that it is updated. Life, when a loved one passes away, is incredibly challenging and even more so if there is no will or it is out of date. So, we encourage you to act now, and also ask yourself if there is a community group that you love and want to support, or a sector you are passionate about, be it education, environment, sport, arts and culture, youth, aged care or religion? Community Foundations are here to help you and can help make yours an enduring legacy.

We do the work, and we want you to get the tremendous joy of making an impact. Why do we do this? Because we are local people, we care and we get incredible satisfaction seeing the real impact these gifts can make.

Community Foundations make leaving a legacy easy, impactful and enjoyable. Together we are transforming generosity; big dreams can happen, New Zealand - what will be your legacy?

Check out our interactive fund calculator >>>

Read about Community Foundations in the Sunday Star Times