Latest resources
Giving in Aotearoa NZ - Bequests
2026 research from independent researchers BERL, commissioned by Community Foundations of Aotearoa NZ, found more than half of the 3,000 New Zealanders surveyed are open to leaving a charitable gift in their will.
Many respondents already donate, so the findings give a close-up view of givers. For them, giving reflects their values and sense of community, and a gift in their will is a natural next step.
What's holding people back isn't always reluctance. Just one in five people who receive professional advice have ever discussed charitable giving with their advisor.
The missing piece may be a conversation and a clear pathway. That's an opportunity for charities and professional advisors to work together to turn goodwill into gifts.
Read the full summary of the research, including motivations, barriers and international comparisons, in our downloadable report.
>> Download here
Will Information Pack
Our free Will Information Pack helps you get ready before you sit down with a lawyer. It covers everything from choosing your executors to the different ways you can leave a gift to a cause you care about. There's also a checklist to bring to your appointment.
If you'd like your generosity to keep going after you're gone, the pack explains how a named endowment fund works. Your local community foundation invests your gift, and the income goes to the causes you choose every year, forever.
This pack is general information, not legal or financial advice.
>>Download Here
Why NZ is leaving generosity on the table
New Zealand is about to experience the largest transfer of wealth in its history. Over the next 25 years $1.6 trillion will pass from one generation to the next as the baby boomers pass on and their estates are inherited. This is an extraordinary moment in time – a unique chance to shape where some of that wealth goes and what it can do for our nation’s future.
Other countries have seen the wealth transfer coming and have acted. This paper looks at how five peer nations - Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Singapore - have settings in place to encourage giving and philanthropy, and how New Zealand stacks up.
The short answer is, not well.
>> Download the paper here
Expediting the Growth of Philanthropy by Eleanor Cater
Expediting the growth of community philanthropy"Growing community philanthropy is an action, not a concept"
2023 Winston Churchill Fellowship Report, for the philanthropy and funding sectors and government in Aotearoa NZ
Aotearoa faces great challenges and it’s becoming increasingly evident that the New Zealand government and the existing funding sector cannot address all the current issues of society. New philanthropy, from private individuals and the business sector, must form a part of the solution.
The good news is that we have a major opportunity sitting on our doorstep: the biggest intergenerational wealth transfer the world has ever seen: the baby boomer wealth- estimated to be around $1.25T in Aotearoa New Zealand- and transferring to the next generation over the next 20 years. There is no doubt that, with skill and significant know-how, a percentage of this wealth can be unlocked and steered towards community-led solutions.
Eleanor Cater has been looking into the influences of the growth of community philanthropy, including enabling conditions for philanthropy to flourish. Her report explores the role of community foundations unlocking local philanthropic resources, empowering communities to lead their own future.
Pathway to Thoughtful Giving
Most people start by giving to what they know, often a cause close to home or one that has touched someone they love. Over time, many of us want our giving to do more and to last longer.
This workbook is a place to think that through. You'll reflect on why you give and the causes that matter most to you. You'll also see how an endowment fund with your local community foundation keeps giving every year, forever. A $100,000 fund, for example, can return about $4,000 a year to the causes you choose.
What you write is yours. You can keep it private, or share it with your family and your local community foundation advisor, who can help you turn your plans into action.