TEAM RESCUE
LIFESAVING MONTHLY SUPPORT FOR COASTGUARD
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is Team Rescue?
Coastguard New Zealand has recently launched Team Rescue, which is a new way to support the
lifesaving work of Coastguard’s 2,400 volunteers with a monthly donation. Rescues are happening
year round, and this is a way of getting behind our volunteers each and every month.
Regular giving is a first for Coastguard, but is something that many well-known New Zealand
charities offer to their supporters and contributes significantly to their financial wellbeing.
Being part of Team Rescue means giving a monthly gift by credit card or direct debit.
Supporters choose an amount that’s right for them and they feel comfortable giving and can
increase or decrease this over time if they want. Supporters are free to cancel their gift at any time.
Why is Coastguard doing this?
Coastguard is a charity and reliant on the community to provide 85% of our funding. We need to
always explore new ways that people can give support to our lifesaving work. There are no
guarantees that the funding we rely on today will be available tomorrow, and we know there are
many people out there who are passionate about Coastguard and would be happy to support our
work with a small monthly gift.
How are the donations spent?
For just a few dollars a week our supporters can support Coastguard volunteers in local communities
by contributing towards their training, equipment, wet weather gear, fuel, vessels, without which
we could not save lives or provide New Zealand’s primary marine search and rescue service.
The vast majority of Coastguard personnel are unpaid, so supporting Coastguard really does give
great value for money; for instance it costs just $35 to provide a week’s training for a volunteer.
How will Coastguard be promoting Team Rescue?
In October 2013 the first phase of the Team Rescue campaign began. Fundraisers representing
Coastguard New Zealand are speaking to some of our supporters over the phone to invite them to
sign up for a monthly gift.
We will also be promoting Team Rescue in our supporter newsletters, appeal materials, online and
by email.
Who are the fundraisers?
We are working with a fundraising partner, who have a small team of fundraisers based in Auckland.
The callers have received face-to-face training from Coastguard staff, and we are are monitoring
their calls on a regular basis.
Our fundraising partner has an established record of working with many charities including The Fred
Hollows Foundation, ChildFund, Starship, Greenpeace and Amnesty International.
I have an enquiry or complaint. What should I do?
Please contact us: email [email protected] or call 09 489 1510. Please include your
name, contact details and the time of the call, so we can call you back and investigate as
appropriate.
How can I check whether a call is genuine?
If for any reason a you want to verify that a call is genuine, please contact Coastguard. We maintain
a list of those who are due to receive a call, so supporters’ details can be easily verified.
Why do the callers ask for credit card / bank details over the phone?
It’s more convenient for supporters – they can sign up to Team Rescue then and there with no
additional paperwork. Details of the regular donation are confirmed in a welcome pack, which will
arrive within 3-4 days.
If supporters are still unsure about signing up on the phone, they are most welcome to ask for a
paper form to be sent out.
Is it secure?
Data is encrypted and transferred over a PCI-compliant file transfer system.
The ‘sign up’ part of the conversation is recorded and retained by Coastguard. It can be accessed by
the supporter at any stage, and acts to prevent fraud.
Credit card donations are processed through DPS, a global payment gateway that provides similar
services for many NZ charities and businesses. The callers do not process credit card payments;
Coastguard staff do.
Direct Debits are processed through Flo2Cash, who provide recurring payment processing for a
large number of commercial and charitable organisations. The callers do not process direct debits;
Coastguard staff do.
There is very little risk to providing a bank account name and number; many organisations, including
Coastguard, publish this information freely online and on invoices to allow supporters / customers to
make direct donations / payments using internet banking.
Our callers would never ask for people’s online login details.
If supporters would prefer to speak to someone at Coastguard head office to set up their gift, then
they are welcome to call us on 09 489 1510.