We need a culture of generosity

By David Christiansen, Executive Officer, Momentum Waikato.

Faced with ongoing challenges around meeting their needs and aspirations, communities defined by their location or common interests are increasingly taking matters into their own hands.

We encounter this whenever we connect with the wide range of groups across the region committed to improving social supports, restoring nature, and other causes.

The over-arching purpose of Momentum Waikato is to create a culture of generosity – one where everyone is keen to support their locality or cause with money or time, whether it is through us or not.

The philanthropic investment model of community foundations like Momentum makes giving more effective, and it works just as well for collective efforts to build support and resilience as it does for individuals creating legacies.

Our strategy in this space therefore reflects the nature of the community groups and networks we meet - they are either ‘place based’ or ‘purpose based’, so that defines those endowments we manage that are open to public donations.

Purpose-based funds are usually created by trusts looking for an additional and reliable income stream.

A good example is Maungatautari Sanctuary Mountain, which is tapping into investment and philanthropic mindsets, by both joining an international bio-diversity scheme, and setting up a fund with us.

Whereas Te Rau Oranga Fund was started by two Hamilton surgeons without an equivalent existing trust, through gathering donations from their personal and professional communities. Their goal is removing barriers to Maaori joining the health workforce, through offering mentoring, work experience, learning resources and opportunities, with an initial focus on Fraser High School.

Then there are ‘place based’ funds. For us, these really got underway last year with the new Cambridge Community Fund.

The previous Cambridge Community Trust fund-raised for services and infrastructure in the town. Then its leadership discovered community foundations and realised they were better off having an endowment at Momentum, as they could see it would increase their impact over time, and that us running its ‘back office’ would give them more time to focus on promoting it. As a ‘By Cambridge, For Cambridge’ initiative, their grants will be for any charitable purpose in that area.

Then currently, we are setting up six place-based funds for the Coromandel. We prioritised the district for offering this approach, and soon found a number of locals who were already looking into creating endowments to support local initiatives.

Alongside those keen local ‘Fund Champions’, in mid-October we co-hosted a successful launch of the first one, the Mercury Bay Future Fund, at a function in Whitianga attended by eighty-plus local community, business and civic leaders.

We encourage everyone, whatever the positive change or continuation you want to see happen, to give your spare time and/or money to the community groups doing the work.

Quite apart from making things better for everyone, you’ll find it feels good to be generous.