RESEND: Kiwi business philanthropy small on cash 2 Dec 2015
Related articles
- NZ consumers grow more upbeat, may resume spending Business
- Knowles quits as CEO of KiwiBank Business
- NZ migration bolstered by British invasion Migration
- Sludge Report #192: The Naked Budget Columns
- Budget 2010 – Building the Recovery News
- NZ manufacturing activity reaches highest since 04 Business
- NZ dollar hits 22-month high vs euro Business
- Unemployment rate falls from 7.1 to 6 percent Recruitment
- OceanaGold finds new gold deposits at Fraser mine Business
- Transpower gets go-ahead for $170m SI upgrade Business
RESEND: Kiwi business philanthropy small on cash, big on in-kind goods and services, sponsorship
(Fixes name Antony Welton in 10th paragraph)
By Fiona Rotherham
Dec. 2 (BusinessDesk) - New Zealand businesses have become less giving in handing out cash in the past three years, with many corporates preferring to allow employees to volunteer time or to provide sponsorship, according to research from Philanthropy New Zealand.
The Giving New Zealand report shows Kiwis gave $2.78 billion to charitable and community causes in 2014, almost exactly the same as a revised estimated for 2011 – the last time the report was done.
Business and corporate giving decreased by 22 percent to $77.2 million, although at least $20 million of the 2011 total is thought to be related to giving following the Christchurch earthquakes when corporate donations hit an all-time high.
For the first time since giving started being measured in 2006, the report also looked at how businesses contribute in other ways. It estimates for every $1 businesses give in cash, they give $1.43 worth of sponsorship and $3.27 worth on in-kind goods and services.
Business cash donations accounted for just 3 percent of the total, with personal giving of $1.53 billion accounting for 55 percent of the pie and the $1.18 billion donated by trusts and foundations making up the remainder.
The report shows the top three activities supported by giving in 2014 were culture and recreation, education, and social services.
Philanthropy New Zealand chief executive Liz Gibbs said there are some exemplar companies leading the way in corporate giving such as Perpetual Guardian, Spark New Zealand, and ANZ New Zealand that match staff donations dollar for dollar. While New Zealand is a nation of small to medium enterprises, there were still ways for companies to make it easy for their staff to donate, she said.
“Payroll giving is easy to set up and they can allow staff at times to do work for particular charities,” she said. “I would encourage businesses to do more corporate giving because it is extremely good for staff retention when talent is short and it allows businesses to be more competitive.”
While New Zealand ranks third globally on overall generosity, comparisons of business giving were not measured. Gibbs said US corporates lead the world in having an embedded culture of giving, including the likes of the Giving Pledge where wealthy people such as Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and Mark Zuckerberg have pledged to give away the majority of their fortunes.
Antony Welton of Vodafone New Zealand and chair of the Business Giving Network, whose corporate members want to ramp up philanthropic giving by kiwi businesses, said providing sponsorship and donating in-kind goods and services back to New Zealand communities does make “discernible differences to the lives of Kiwis and helps to build strong, resilient and well-educated communities”.
But Welton said firms need to dig deeper and develop strategic giving programmes that can benefit the community and their own businesses.
“We saw a significant increase in business giving immediately following the Christchurch earthquakes and a strong sense of community spirit fostered across corporate New Zealand,” he said. When companies get it right, staff engagement, satisfaction, and productivity are known to increase.
Some examples of the network’s philanthropic efforts include law firm Bell Gully’s business giving programme which provides in-kind legal services worth up to $1 million annually to a large number of local charities and community organisations and all staff are encouraged to participate in pro bono work.
Countdown has a Food Rescue Programme which donates goods to food charities nationwide, particularly through the annual Christmas Food Rescue Appeal. The supermarket chain’s 182 stores each donate a $500 trolley of food to their local Salvation Army food bank.
Vodafone New Zealand mainly gives through its own foundation which has donated around $20 million in grants since inception in 2002. The foundation has a particular focus on supporting youth who are not in employment, education and training and the telco also has other programmes to help staff support their communities such as instant network, TXT2Give, and Digi-parenting.
Warehouse Group last year contributed $4 million to over 600 organisations with a particular focus on education, wellbeing and youth employment and Microsoft New Zealand donates over $10 million cash, technology, and expertise annually to non-profit organisations.
(BusinessDesk)
News
Hilary Timmins' Award-Winning UK Documentary Series To Inspire NZ Students
29 Jun 2020 Education
Dream Catchers, produced and directed by Hilary Timmins, celebrates the success stories of more than thirty inspirational New... more
New Zealand reaffirms support for Flight MH17 judicial process
7 Mar 2020 News
Ahead of the start of the criminal trial in the Netherlands on 9 March, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has reaffirmed the need to... more
Business
NZ Government's Economic package to fight COVID-19
17 Mar 2020 Business News
The Coalition Government has launched the most significant peace-time economic plan in modern New Zealand history to cushion the... more
NZ Government announces aviation relief package
19 Mar 2020 Business News
Transport Minister Phil Twyford today outlined the first tranche of the $600 million aviation sector relief package announced earlier... more
Living
Diversity was Key at New Zealand Trade Tasting in London
6 Jun 2022 Food & Wine
New Zealand Winegrowers Annual Trade Tasting was recently held in London, on Wednesday 4 May, in Lindley Hall.
It was the first... more
Kiwi author stuns Behind the Butterfly Gate
12 Jan 2022 Arts
Hidden behind the Butterfly Gate is where the secret has been kept for 76 years...
New Zealand writer Merryn Corcoran’s... more
Property
Fairer rules for tenants and landlords
17 Nov 2019 Property
17 NOVEMBER 2019
The Government has delivered on its promise to the over one million New Zealanders who now rent to make it fairer... more
New Zealand Government will not implement a Capital Gains Tax
17 Apr 2019 Property
The Coalition Government will not proceed with the Tax Working Group’s recommendation for a capital gains tax, Jacinda Ardern... more
Migration
Boosting border security with electronic travel authority – now over 500,000 issued
19 Nov 2019 Migration
19 NOVEMBER 2019
We’ve improved border security with the NZeTA, New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority, which helps us to... more
Christchurch reinstated as refugee settlement location
18 Aug 2018 Migration
18 AUGUST 2018
HON IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY
The announcement that Christchurch can once again be a settlement location for refugees... more
Travel
Gallipoli Anzac Day services cancelled
19 Mar 2020 Travel & Tourism
The New Zealand and Australian Governments have announced this year’s joint Anzac Day services at Gallipoli will be cancelled... more
New Zealanders advised not to travel overseas
19 Mar 2020 Travel & Tourism
New Zealanders advised not to travel overseas
more
Sport
The Skipper's Diary: Sir Richard Hadlee honouring his father and NZ's Forty-Niners
27 Oct 2019 Cricket
NZNewsUK London Editor Charlotte Everett spoke to Sir Richard Hadlee about why he’s chosen to publish his father’s... more
PREVIEW: All Blacks v England semi-final
26 Oct 2019 Rugby
The two most convincing quarterfinals winners are set to square off in a semifinal showdown for the ages when the All Blacks meet old... more
Columns
Gordon Campbell on the Gareth Morgan crusade
11 Nov 2016 Opinion
Gordon Campbell on the Gareth Morgan crusade
First published on Werewolf
The ghastly likes of Marine Le Pen in France and Geert ... more
Gordon Campbell on the US election outcome
10 Nov 2016 Opinion
Column - Gordon Campbell
Gordon Campbell on the US election outcome
Well um.. on the bright side, there (probably)... more
Kiwi Success
Congratulations to Loder Cup winner
26 Sep 2018 People
25 SEPTEMBER 2018
The Loder Cup, one of New Zealand’s oldest conservation awards, has been awarded to Robert McGowan for 2018... more
Appointments to New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO
16 Aug 2018 Appointments
16 AUGUST 2018Appointments to New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO
HON JENNY SALESA
Associate Education Minister Jenny Salesa is... more
Recruitment
Historic pay equity settlement for education support workers
14 Aug 2018 Recruitment
14 AUGUST 2018Historic pay equity settlement for education support workers
RT HON JACINDA ARDERN
HON CHRIS HIPKINS
Prime Minister
The... more
Historic pay equity settlement for education support workers
22 Aug 2018 Recruitment
14 AUGUST 2018Historic pay equity settlement for education support workers
RT HON JACINDA ARDERN
HON CHRIS HIPKINS
Prime Minister
The... more