Philanthropy
news
No: 64 October 2014, ISSN 1175-9151
The magazine of Philanthropy New Zealand
STANDING TALL
Building future Maori leaders
AUCKLAND
15–16 April 2015
A FAMILY TRADITION
Justin Rockefeller on
philanthropy and capitalism
PHILANTHROPY IN THE RAW
Annah Stretton on
business giving
UP CLOSE & PERSONAL
The rise of roundtable
reporting
GIVING WELL
How to become a
better funder
From the Chief Executive
In this issue…
3-5 News & Events
The latest news from Philanthropy New Zealand.
6-7
Building Maori leaders
Tena koutou
H
ere at the Philanthropy New Zealand office we’re busy
tying up the loose ends for our biennial conference,
the Philanthropy Summit 2015: The Power of Strategic
Giving, being held at the University of Auckland on 15 & 16
April next year.
We have an exciting programme lined up which will focus
on emerging practice both here and overseas, and provide
real insights into the strategic, long-term thinking that is
helping to reshape philanthropy in the 21st century.
Our international speakers include Justin Rockefeller, a
fifth generation member of the Rockefeller family and a New
York-based entrepreneur and impact investor. As he explains
on page 9, his work is a very modern combination of his
famous ancestors’ interests in philanthropy and capitalism.
Justin is one of the new breed of philanthropists familiar to
another of our international speakers, Peter Hero, former CEO
of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation and a longtime
trustee of the Skoll Foundation. He says these 21st century
philanthropists are quite happy supporting projects that not
only make a difference but also deliver a profit. And as he
points out on page 12, this change in donor behaviour means
the organisations they fund are also having to change.
I’m looking forward to hearing Dame Anne Salmond
talking about the work she is doing to restore a 120 hectare
ecosanctuary in Gisborne, and designer Annah Stretton talking
about her latest initiative providing mentoring to women from
disadvantaged backgrounds. You can read about Annah’s
work on page 10.
One of the themes of the Summit is youth and employment;
we want to provide attendees with a chance to develop
collaborative action plans to help ensure all young New
Zealanders get the support and skills they need to help them
to find – and keep – meaningful work. The ASB Community
Trust’s innovative Maori and Pacific Education Initiative is
already leading the way in this field – you can read about one
of the MPEI’s success stories on page 6.
If you haven’t already registered, check out the Summit
website. Our spring savings rate lasts until the 30 November.
8
9
10-11
12
13
14
15
An innovative programme in Whangarei funded
by the ASB Community Trust is helping to turn
underachieving Maori boys into future leaders.
Appetite for change
US philanthropic leader Mae Hong says many
funders create difficulties for their grantees by
setting unrealistic goals and expectations.
A family tradition
For New York entrepreneur Justin Rockefeller,
impact investing sits at the intersection of two
things his ancestors did well: philanthropy and
capitalism.
Philanthropy in the RAW
Designer Annah Stretton is helping to change
the lives of disadvantaged women though her
latest initiative RAW (Reclaim Another Woman).
The new philanthropists
Longtime philanthropic advisor Peter Hero says
21st century donors are a different breed from
their predecessors.
Up close and personal
Roundtable reporting is proving to be quite a hit
with both grantmakers and grantees.
The secret philanthropist
The late Diana Unwin distributed grants of
around $4 million from a trust she set up in
1992, but she never revealed her identity.
The year in review
Read about Philanthropy New Zealand’s
highlights from the 2013-2014 financial year.
Ka kite ano
This magazine is printed on sustainably-sourced paper.
Liz Gibbs
2
Philanthropy New Zealand Toputanga Tuku Aroha o Aotearoa
Cover Image: Boys from the Leadership Academy of A Company at the Allied
War Cemetery in Cassino, Italy. The Academy is funded through the ASB
Community Trust’s Maori and Pacific Education Initiative.
News & Events
Spring savings on the
Philanthropy Summit 2015
Thanks to all of you who have already registered for the
Philanthropy Summit 2015: The Power of Strategic Giving,
being held in Auckland on 15 & 16 April next year. The response
so far has been fantastic.
Earlybird registration for the Summit has now finished, but
you can still get a discount on the cost of registration through
the spring saving rate, which runs until 30 November.
We have a great line-up of national and international
speakers at the Summit. These include US philanthropic
leaders Justin Rockefeller, Peter Hero and Mae Hong – all of
whom are featured in this issue of Philanthropy News – as well
as eminent New Zealanders Ta Mark Solomon, Dame Anne
Salmond and Professor Manuka Henare.
Other speakers include leading New Zealand
philanthropists and thinkers such as fashion designer Annah
Stretton, journalist Max Rashbrooke, and environmentalist
and businessman Rob Fenwick.
The Summit will bring global and local perspectives
to philanthropy in Aotearoa/New Zealand and provide
opportunities to learn best practice and explore new ways of
working.
It will focus on three key issues – income and inequality,
youth and employment, and the environment. Delegates
will be able to learn about and explore how strategic giving
and wise investment in these three areas are making a real
difference to the lives of New Zealanders, and can leave a
powerful and lasting legacy for future generations.
A unique feature of the Summit is the inclusion of
collaboration spaces in our programme. These sessions
are for like-minded individuals and organisations to find
opportunities to work together in the three key issue areas
and to develop action plans for real and lasting impact.
Many thanks to our Summit sponsors: AMP Capital, Perpetual
Guardian, the University of Auckland, Russell Investments,
PIMCO, Direct Capital, BNZ, the Australian Institute of
Grants Management and Melville, Jessup, Weaver.
Save the date – AGM
Our annual general meeting is being held in Wellington on
Thursday 27 November. The time is yet to be confirmed. We
will post the AGM papers to members at the end of October.
They will include voting papers for one new board member as
Candis Craven is retiring from the board. We’ll be sad to see
Candis go but we hope to keep working with her in some way
in the future.
The Funding Network:
Putting the fun into funding
Philanthropy New Zealand chief executive Liz Gibbs with Fred Mulder at the
Wellington Funders’ Network meeting in September.
New Zealand’s first live crowdfunding event for charity held
in Auckland on 9 September was such a success that The
Funding Network (TFN) is now here to stay.
The inaugural TFN event raised $68,000 for four Auckland
charities in just 34 minutes – an impressive $2000 a minute.
Philanthropy New Zealand chief executive Liz Gibbs has
now joined Hilary Sumpter, CEO of the Auckland Communities
Foundation and Nick Edgar, co-founder of TFN New Zealand,
to help establish TFN permanently in New Zealand. It’s hoped
that two more TFN events will be held in Auckland next year,
with a third event possible in either Wellington or Christchurch.
TFN, which is described as a “Dragon’s Den for charities”
was launched in London in 2002 by philanthropist and art
dealer Fred Mulder. Since then it has spread around the world,
with more than 150 TFN events held, 750 charities supported
and at least NZ$13 million raised.
Each event involves a group of charities giving a six-minute
pitch for their organisation. They then have another six minutes
to answer questions, after which the audience is encouraged
to pledge money to support their preferred charity.
About 150 people attended the inaugural event in Auckland,
with one attendee describing it as a “fantastic, inspirational,
results-driven, impactful, feel-good event”. Donations ranged
from $100 to $1000. Co-sponsor Macquarie Group Foundation
matched a third of the funds pledged on the night.
While he was in New Zealand Fred Mulder also appeared
as guest speaker at two Philanthropy New Zealand events
for funders held in Auckland and Wellington. He entertained
attendees with the story of his journey from Canadian farm
boy to high-flying London art dealer, and answered questions
about the logistics of TFN, which he said was all about “putting
the fun into funding”.
“It’s a way of democratising philanthropy, and bringing new
people into the field,” he said. “It also helps give new charities
a platform for support.”
For more information about The Funding Network go to
www.thefundingnetwork.org.nz
No:64 October 2014
3
News & Events
Allan English named
Australia’s top philanthropist
As well as talking about his experiences of funding
environmental projects, Ken Wilson will talk about his
experience with the US-based Environmental Grantmakers’
Association, while Amanda Martin will provide an overview of
the work of the AEGN.
For more information or to register for this event, visit our
website: www.giving.org.nz
One-day conference for notfor-profit organisations
Allan English at the launch of Philanthropy New Zealand’s Business Giving
Network in Auckland in March.
Congratulations to Philanthropy Summit 2015 speaker,
Queensland entrepreneur and corporate philanthropist Allan
English, who was named the 2014 inaugural Philanthropy
Leader of the Year by Philanthropy Australia in September.
Allan toured New Zealand in March this year, where he
provided some inspiring insights into his personal journey
from “success to significance”.
The president of Philanthropy Australia, Alan Schwartz said
the awards were created to recognise those who stand at the
forefront of innovation in the Australian philanthropic sector.
“Through his entrepreneurial and social leadership of
corporate enterprise Silver Chef Ltd, and his creation of the
English Family Foundation, Allan English has become an
inspiration in the sector and embodies the qualities that define
philanthropic excellence including creativity, innovation,
commitment and courage,” he said.
Next year, for the first time, we are offering not-for-profit
organisations the chance to hear some of the international
and national speakers taking part in our biennial conference.
This one-day event, which will take place at the University
of Auckland on Friday 17 April, will look at how grantmaking
is changing in the 21st century and what not-for-profit
organisations need to do to attract support from this new
generation of donors.
Speakers include Philanthropy Summit 2015 keynote
speakers Peter Hero and Mae Hong, as well as representatives
from several New Zealand grantmaking organisations.
For more information visit our website: www.giving.org.nz
Governance & Investment
workshop proves popular
Allan English will join Louise Edwards of the Canterbury
Community Trust for a workshop at the Philanthropy Summit
2015 called Social Enterprise: A Funder’s Guide to Success.
New network for
environmental funders
We have some great speakers lined up for the inaugural
meeting of our Environmental Funders’ Network, being held in
Auckland on Tuesday 11 November.
They include Ken Wilson, executive director of the
Christensen Fund, a US organisation that focuses on
biocultural diversity, and Amanda Martin, executive officer of
the Australian Environmental Grantmakers’ Network (AEGN).
We have set up this meeting at the request of our members
to explore the role of philanthropy in preserving the New
Zealand environment and how we can work together to more
effectively fund environmental issues.
The goal of the day is to establish the aims and objectives
of the Environmental Funders’ Network, and to develop
guidelines on how the network should operate.
4
Philanthropy New Zealand Toputanga Tuku Aroha o Aotearoa
Participants at the
Wellington workshop.
We had a record turnout at our annual Governance and
Investment workshop held in Wellington in August, with 42
trustees and staff taking part in the two-day event.
The governance sessions were once again very ably led
by Graham Nahkies of Boardworks International. Speakers
from AMP Capital and Russell Investments led the investment
workshops, and Jennifer Gill, CEO of the ASB Community Trust,
provided a short and interesting overview of philanthropy and
grantmaking in New Zealand.
Feedback from the workshops were very positive, with
most people saying the sessions were either useful or very
useful. Several participants said the investment workshops
helped to demystify the subject for them.
“It made me aware of the huge amount of doublespeak
gobbledegook in an increasingly complex industry, and the
challenge that trustees inexperienced in the investment
sector have in getting to grips,” said one.
News & Events
JR McKenzie Trust wins
international award
Manaia King of the JR McKenzie Trust (centre) holding the IFIP Award after
the ceremony in New York. He is accompanied by (from left) New York-based
entertainer Amo (Ngati Koroki-Kahukura), Mereana Selby (CE Te Wananga o
Raukawa) Antony Royal (Chair of Te Mana o Kupe Trust) and Rachael Selby
(Chair Ngatokowaru Marae and Te Reanga Ipurangi Trust).
Congratulations to the JR McKenzie Trust which has received
the 2014 IFIP (International Funders for Indigenous Peoples)
Award, created to encourage donors to fund indigenous
communities worldwide.
This is the first time the IFIP Award has been given to a
New Zealand philanthropic trust and one which has appointed
Maori to its Board to share in decision making.
Manaia King, chair of Te Kawai Toro, the Trust’s Maori
development committee, received the award in New York
on 24 September. He says it was an honour to be recognised
internationally for the work the Trust has done to provide
sustainable support to Maori communities throughout
Aotearoa/New Zealand.
“It is exciting to have received this accolade after more
than a decade of hard work to refocus and evolve our efforts
and ensure Maori self-determined development.”
IFIP described the JR McKenzie Foundation as ‘exemplary’
for incorporating Maori representation on its Board. It was
also lauded for funding Maori applicants to become ‘agents
of change of their own futures’ thereby ensuring that the
organisations and projects they fund have a deep and lasting
impact.
The Trust established Te Kawai Toro initiative following a
strategic review of its philanthropic practices which found that
only 2 to 3% of its funding went to Maori and that there was
an under-representation of Maori leadership in its decisions.
Previous winners of the award include Kalliopeia
Foundation, The Christensen Fund, The Walter and Duncan
Gordon Foundation, The Garfield Foundation, The Myer
Foundation, Swift Foundation, and Samdhana Institute of
Southeast Asia.
The International Funders for Indigenous Peoples is a global
donor affinity group that works to increase philanthropic
investment in indigenous communities around the world by
promoting cross-cultural understanding and knowledge
sharing, and cultivating relationships among international
donors and Indigenous grantseekers. For more information go
to: http://www.internationalfunders.org/
New Zealand joins
#GivingTuesday
Philanthropy New Zealand is one of four organisations helping
to introduce #GivingTuesday to New Zealand.
#GivingTuesday is an international fundraising event that
encourages people to give their time, money or voice to charity
on the first Tuesday in December. This year’s GivingTuesday is
being held on 2 December 2014.
#GivingTuesday New Zealand is supported by Philanthropy
New Zealand, the Fundraising Institute of New Zealand (FINZ),
TechSoup and Volunteering New Zealand.
We’re encouraging local charities and not-for-profits to
sign up as #GivingTuesday New Zealand partners and join
thousands of charities around the world in a global campaign
that encourages people to talk about the importance of giving
and to find creative new ways to raise funds and help out in
their communities.
Find out more: http://givingtuesday.co.nz
Calendar of events
31 October Maori Network (Te Huihuinga-a-iwi) hui, Wellington
4 November Getting it Right, Right From the Start,
Wellington (Please note – this one-day
event is for Community members)
11 November Inaugural meeting of the Environmental
Funders’ Network, Auckland
12 November Getting it Right, Right From the Start,
Auckland (Please note – this one-day
event is for Community members)
12 November Supporting Indigenous Diversity:
A meeting with Ken Wilson, Auckland
13 November Youth Funders’ Network, Auckland
27 November Annual General Meeting, Wellington
15 & 16 April
Philanthropy Summit 2105,
University of Auckland
17 April
One-day conference for not-for profit organisations, University of Auckland
No:64 October 2014
5
PHILANTHROPY SUMMIT 2015: Youth & Employment
Boys from the Leadership Academy of A Company at the Allied War Cemetery in Cassino during a trip to Italy in May 2014 to commemorate the
70th anniversary of the Battle of Monte Cassino.
Building Maori leaders
An innovative project in Whangarei funded by the ASB Community Trust as part of its Maori and Pacific
Education Initiative is helping to turn underachieving Maori boys into future leaders.
O
f the first eight boys to graduate from the Leadership
Academy of A Company, a residential programme in
Whangarei for future Maori leaders, five have gone
onto tertiary study, including three who are now in their
second year at the University of Otago. The other three are in
fulltime work.
That’s an impressive result in an area where in 2007 81%
of Maori boys failed NCEA Level 1 and where a fifth of those
aged 15 to 24 are currently not in education, employment or
training – the highest rate in the country.
The NCEA results for the younger boys at the Academy
– one of six start-up projects funded by the ASB Community
Trust in Stage 1 of its $20m Maori and Pacific Education
Initiative (MPEI) – are impressive too.
Last year 70% of Year 11 boys at the Academy passed
NCEA Level 1, compared with a 43% pass rate for all Maori
boys in 2011, and almost 80% of Year 12 boys at the Academy
achieved NCEA Level 2, compared with just over half of all
Maori boys in 2011.
But according to Moi Becroft, project manager for the
6
Philanthropy New Zealand Toputanga Tuku Aroha o Aotearoa
MPEI, which began in 2009 to help improve low Maori and
Pacific education achievement in Auckland and Northland,
the Academy is about more than academic success.
“For these boys in this community it’s much bigger than
NCEA results. Lifting the NCEA results was a given – we
expected that. But they are also being trained to be the future
leaders of their iwi, which takes a bit more than NCEA results.”
Moi and her team at the ASB Community Trust have been
particularly gratified to see the 66 boys who have attended
the Academy since it opened in 2010 developing a sense of
pride in their Maori identity.
“They’re learning about who they are: their whakapapa; te
reo Maori; being able to stand tall on a marae as well as in the
western world.”
Ken Tipene, Chief Cadre at the Academy, agrees.
“Learning about who they are and where they come from
is a real source of strength for the boys,” he says. “They learn
the skills they need to play a leadership role in their whanau,
to feel confident about saying a karakia. Some of our more
advanced boys can now run a full powhiri.”
PHILANTHROPY SUMMIT 2015: Youth & Employment
Some of the boys at the Te Hiringa Trust Business
awards held in Whangarei in July.
The boys challenge Prince Harry with a haka at the
70th anniversary of the Battle of Monte Cassino.
Two senior cadets carry out history research with
Maori Battalion veteran Charlie Petera.
“They’re learning about who
they are: their whakapapa;
te reo Maori; being able to
stand tall on a marae as well
as in the western world.”
The boys make the most of a recent teacher-only day selling sausages to raise
money for gym gear.
Ken, who spent 20 years in the army, is well qualified for
his role as Chief Cadre. It’s a military term that reflects the fact
that the Academy draws its direction and strength from the A
Company, 28 (Maori) Battalion.
“The members of the Maori Battalion paid the price for full
citizenship for Maori, and we want to honour that legacy. It’s
really the glue that holds the Academy together.”
Until this year, boys lived in the Academy during the week
and attended local secondary schools. The rest of their time
was spent on closely supervised, structured activities such as
chores (fatigues), physical training, parades and inspections,
as well as field trips, entertainment nights and voluntary work.
However, this year He Puna Marama Trust which runs the
Academy set up a new initiative, a co-educational secondary
school funded by the Ministry of Education as part of the new
“partnership school” (Kura Hourua or charter school) initiative.
At present, 16 of the 20 boys currently attending the
Academy are also enrolled at the Kura Hourua; the other four
continue to attend local secondary schools.
For the ASB Community Trust, both the Academy and the
Kura Hourua are very much the product of a partnership with
He Puna Marama Trust.
They are also the product of a completely new way of
working. When the ASB Community Trust first decided to
commit $20m to the MPEI it held consultation meetings on
marae in Northland and Auckland, calling for expressions of
interest from local organisations for Stage 1 of the initiative.
“We wanted local communities to come up with their own
solutions to low educational achievement,” says Moi.
She and her team worked closely with the short-listed
applicants, helping to get six of them to the point where they
were ready for funding. Of the six, the Academy received the
largest grant: $5m over five years.
“We had never committed that kind of money before, or for
any longer than three years. It was a big risk, but a calculated
risk – we saw the Academy had the potential to have a huge
impact.”
In another departure from previous practice, the ASB
Community Trust continued to stay closely involved with all six
Stage 1 projects, providing ongoing mentoring and support.
Also new to the MPEI was a major focus on monitoring and
evaluation, carried out by the Auckland-based Kinnect Group,
to ensure the projects were meeting their goals.
“We did individual evaluation and also high-level evaluation
of all six projects. If the monitoring showed we needed to
change plans then we were extremely flexible about doing so.”
It’s been a steep learning curve – “Six years ago we
weren’t evaluating” – but the evaluation has been vital to the
success of Stage 1 of the MPEI. It is continuing now that Stage
2 is underway, providing funding to three existing projects,
including Manaiakalani, the digital education programme now
running in nine decile 1A schools in the Auckland suburbs of
Glen Innes, Pt England and Panmure.
For Ken Tipene of the Leadership Academy of A Company,
the partnership with ASB Community Trust has been both
easy and productive.
“Without the ASB Community Trust’s support the Academy
would never have existed. We see the Kura Hourua as an
extension of that support.”
Moi Becroft will lead a workshop on the work of the Maori
and Pacific Education Initiative at the Philanthropy Summit
2015. She will be joined by Kate McKegg of the Kinnect
Group and a representative from one of the organisations
being funded through the initiative.
No:64 October 2014
7
PHILANTHROPY SUMMIT 2015: Keynote Speaker
Appetite for
change
Giving money away well is harder than it seems but
according to Philanthropy Summit 2015 keynote
speaker Mae Hong, some funders make it even harder
by setting unrealistic goals and expectations for
their grantees.
M
ae Hong has sat on both sides of the grantmaking
table so she knows how difficult it can be for not-forprofit organisations to negotiate their way through
the funding process.
“I’ve been on the grantseeking side,” says Mae, vice
president of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA), one of
the world’s largest philanthropic service organisations. “In
fact, I think being a grantseeker should be required training
for grantmakers, so they know first-hand what it’s like trying
to get funding.”
Her own experience as a grantseeker has been useful
when it comes to her job at RPA, where she helps donors in
the greater Chicago area develop (or in some cases, reshape)
their giving programmes.
And while almost 15 years of sitting on the other side of the
grantmaking table, both at RPA and before that at the Field
Foundation in Illinois, has helped her appreciate that giving
money away well is harder than it seems, she says funders can
sometimes be their own worst enemies.
“Funders have developed some bad habits over the
decades which mean they aren’t always viewed positively by
grantees and the general public,” says Mae. “There are some
things they could do differently that would mean they have
more impact, and would help counteract those criticisms.”
Among their failings are having unrealistic expectations
about what a grant can achieve and placing too many
restrictions on how it can be spent.
“A donor might give a gift to a food bank, which is
wonderful, but let’s have the right-sized expectation about
what it will achieve. The grant might help feed 100 families for
a year, but it won’t help to cure hunger.”
Many funders also fail to appreciate how long it can take to
achieve real change: “They have unrealistic expectations about
the amount of time it takes to actually solve big problems.”
They could lift their game when it comes to customer
service, too.
“Funders are often accused of arrogance and insensitivity,
and a lack of customer service orientation when it comes to
grantees – like not returning phone calls.”
As for the current fixation with their grantees’ overheads,
she has this piece of advice to funders: find something else to
focus on.
Mae Hong, vice president of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors
“Funders have developed some bad
habits over the decades which mean
they aren’t always viewed positively by
grantees and the general public”
In fact Mae, who is involved with several American
philanthropic associations and networks, including
Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (where she is vice
chair), believes the word “overheads” should be outlawed.
“There’s a small but growing group of us who would like to
see it banned and replaced with something like ‘core operating
costs’, because calling them overheads is so misleading about
how non-profits actually operate. Non-profits need access to
things like technology and offices supplies, and they need to
be able to hire talent so they can carry out their work.”
However, the very fact that organisations such as RPA not
only exist but are thriving shows there is an appetite for change
among funders – particularly as philanthropy continues to
become more visible thanks to high-profile donors such as
Bill and Melinda Gates.
First established in 2002, RPA’s mission is to create
thoughtful, effective philanthropy throughout the world. It
works with individuals, families, charitable trusts, foundations
and donor collaboratives, and over the last 12 years has
advised on and managed more than $3 billion in giving in
more than 60 countries.
“If you’d told me 15 years ago that organisations like
RPA would be doing this I would have wondered how it could
possibly be a job, but to my surprise there is a growing interest
in it,” says Mae. “There’s a much greater appreciation that
philanthropy is becoming a valid and professional field with its
own unique skills.”
The title of Mae Hong’s keynote address at the Philanthropy Summit 2015 is It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World: Trends in social
justice philanthropy. She is also taking a workshop looking at what funders can do to make life easier for their grantees.
8
Philanthropy New Zealand Toputanga Tuku Aroha o Aotearoa
PHILANTHROPY SUMMIT 2015: Keynote Speaker
A family
tradition
For New York entrepreneur Justin Rockfeller, impact
investing sits at the intersection of two things his
ancestors did very well: philanthropy and capitalism.
J
ustin Rockefeller’s famous forebears might never have
heard of the term “impact investing”, but he hopes they
would approve of their descendant’s involvement with
this very 21st century form of economic activity.
“I like to think they would approve because the ultimate
question isn’t about how much money you give away; it’s
about how much positive impact you can catalyse,” says the
New York-based entrepreneur and impact investor.
Impact investing – investments made into companies that
have measurable social or environmental impact as well as a
financial return – sits particularly well with Justin’s generation,
the so-called millennial generation.
“Generally speaking, the millennial generation is already
aligning their values with the choices they make about things
such as what they buy, where they work, and how they spend
their time,” he says.
But as he points out, the concept is not entirely new.
“The term impact investing is a nascent one, but the idea
behind it – of aligning your values and your investments –
goes back a long time. During the 19th century, for example,
some people divested from slavery-related companies for
religious reasons.”
And in terms of his own family history he sees impact
investing as being at the intersection of two activities his
predecessors did very well: philanthropy and capitalism.
He’s quick to point out that his personal financial resources
are tiny compared with those of oil magnate and philanthropist
John D. Rockefeller, which means his personal investing is still
relatively modest. But he admits that his lineage has been a
real advantage when it comes to having an impact.
“It’s certainly helped open doors. I used to find my
surname quite intimidating – it felt like the shoes were too
big to fill – but eventually I started seeing it as more inspiring
than intimidating. I have no complaints about it now; for every
potential con there are at least 999 pros.”
Among the pros are the fact that he has been able to
serve as a trustee on the Rockefeller Brothers Fund (RBF), a
private family foundation set up in 1940 to help advance social
change. The US$860m fund hit the headlines recently when
it announced that it was starting a two-step process to divest
from investments in fossil fuels, focusing initially on coal and
tar sands.
The announcement was seen as newsworthy because
the Rockefeller family originally made its fortune from oil.
But Justin, who is also a member of the RBF’s investment
committee, was one of several trustees pushing for it.
He describes his role in the fund’s move towards
sustainable investing as being “an annoying gadfly.”
New York entrepreneur and impact investor Justin Rockefeller.
“I have been able to work with others on the board and the
investment committee to ask tough questions, and to think
about how we can maximise our impact.”
Among the tougher questions they asked was how having
significant investments in fossil fuels reconciled with the fund’s
focus on alleviating climate change. And while it received little
media coverage, he’s delighted the fund has also decided to
invest 10% of its endowment into fund managers that align
directly with that part of RBF’s mission.
Justin is also committed to alleviating climate change in
his private investing. Among the companies he has invested
in is Modern Meadow, a New York-based startup that uses
tissue engineering and 3D printing to create synthetic leather
and meat.
Early indications are very positive: according to Justin the
steak chip made out of printed meat he sampled recently was
excellent. That makes him hopeful that Modern Meadow is on
the right track to creating real environmental change.
“It will have a huge impact in terms of things such as
reducing greenhouse emissions, fertiliser, land devoted to
agriculture, and transportation – if it can be scaled successfully.
Of course, that’s easier said than done.”
Justin Rockefeller’s keynote address at the Philanthropy
Summit 2015 will explore his work as an entrepreneur and
impact investor, and how his position as a fifth-generation
member of the Rockefeller family has helped him advance
this work.
No:64 October 2014
9
PHILANTHROPY SUMMIT 2015: Corporate Giving
Philanthropy
in the RAW
A new initiative providing mentoring to women from
disadvantaged backgrounds is changing lives around
the country. For the woman who set it up, RAW
(Reclaim Another Woman) is the latest chapter in a
long history of business giving.
Annah Stretton (left) with Krystal, the young Waikato woman who helped
inspire Annah’s latest philanthropic venture, RAW.
D
esigner Annah Stretton has always been committed to
“fashion from the heart”, but last year the Morrinsville
businesswoman took that commitment a step further
when she set up the Stretton Foundation.
The purpose of the foundation, she says, was to make it
possible for her to drive her own philanthropic agenda, rather
than aligning herself with existing charities as she has in the
past.
“I’ve always wanted to pay it forward and there are
probably about 30 different charities I’m aligned with at some
level. But now, with the foundation, I am also able to drive my
own agenda and outcomes.”
For Annah, it was important to find a gap in the philanthropic
market; she didn’t want the Stretton Foundation to replicate
the work of other charitable organisations.
“I didn’t want to set up another trust working with breast
cancer, or another trust working with animals – though I’m
happy to support organisations already working in those
areas. But, just as you do in business, I wanted to find a point
of difference that would allow my foundation to thrive.”
At first she had no idea what that point of difference would
be. Then, during a visit to a local Women’s Refuge, she met
Krystal, a young single mother who had dropped out of school
at 12 and had a history of sleeping rough, taking drugs and
prostitution.
10
Philanthropy New Zealand Toputanga Tuku Aroha o Aotearoa
“I wanted to find a point of
difference that would allow
my foundation to thrive.”
But despite her difficult past, Krystal had dreams of a
better life. When Annah asked her what she would most like
to be, Krystal replied “fashion designer”.
For Annah, it was a breakthrough moment. She decided
to work with Krystal to help her achieve her dreams. The pair
started meeting regularly and, with Annah’s support, Krystal
kicked the drugs and enrolled at Wintec to resume her
education.
Their partnership was so successful that Annah realised
she had found her point of difference. In March this year the
Stretton Foundation launched its first initiative, RAW (Reclaim
Another Woman), a unique programme that matches women
who want a better life with female mentors who help them
get there.
RAW now operates in Hamilton, Christchurch and
Tauranga, with more than 80 women being mentored and
hundreds more keen to take part.
PHILANTHROPY SUMMIT 2015: Corporate Giving
Rebecca Skilton (centre left), Operations Manager for RAW with a group of RAW mentors promoting the
programme at the Great New Zealand Food Show in Hamilton in September.
The mentors – who are not paid – come from many
different backgrounds. They include policewomen, lawyers,
bank managers and businesswoman, but whatever their
background they are carefully selected and matched with
mentees.
“We have very strict criteria for the mentors. The most
important thing is that they must be capable, well-balanced
and driven women who can demonstrate to their mentee
what total life success looks like.”
Annah is just as structured when it comes to monitoring
RAW’s impact. Mentors and mentees provide weekly reports
to the RAW office, and Annah is now developing a more
advanced evaluation process.
“We need outcomes – I need to know that the women are
getting to the goal posts we have set them.”
It’s the kind of business-like approach to philanthropy
you might expect from a woman who runs a successful
international fashion company. And Annah admits that the
benefits of RAW go beyond the positive impact it has on the
women involved; it may also build brand and customer loyalty.
“We recently completed a brand survey, where we
identified four key reasons why customers buy our products.
The fourth reason was the work we do around charity and the
community. I would never say that people buy one of my frocks
because of my charitable associations, but they certainly feel
good about the work we do and they often talk about it with
the retail girls instore.”
Her team have also got behind RAW, with her daughter
Sam and another team member collaborating over the design
of a RAW clothing collection to raise money for the project.
However she stresses that the changes she is seeking
through RAW are not related to the performance of her
fashion company: “I never brand off the back of RAW.”
And while she’s an enthusiastic supporter of the business
giving – “I think it’s important for corporate New Zealand to
include philanthropy in their business plan” – Annah warns
that it will only work well if it is truly part of the company
culture.
“You can’t think that you will elevate your bottom line
by supporting charitable causes. You have to have a purity
around what you select and how you support them. I have
always been a big advocate of the view that, until the work
you do is worth more than the money, you will never get the
great returns and outcomes. ”
Annah Stretton will join Antony Welton, chair of the
Vodafone NZ Foundation, at the Philanthropy Summit
2015 for a workshop on Corporate Philanthropy: The
business of giving. They will explore ways that New Zealand
corporates and businesses can support the communities
they work within and help find solutions to key issues.
No:64 October 2014
11
PHILANTHROPY SUMMIT 2015: Keynote Speaker
The new philanthropists
21st century donors have a different mindset from
their 20th century predecessors, and according to
Philanthropy Summit 2015 keynote speaker Peter Hero
that means the not-for-profit organisations they fund
are also having to change.
T
hey’re young, they’re self-made and they want
measurable results as quickly as possible – preferably
with some profit thrown into the mix.
According to long-time philanthropic advisor Peter Hero,
the 21st century donor is an altogether different beast from
their 20th century predecessor, and that difference is starting
to change the face of philanthropy.
“Forty years ago half of all the wealth in America was
inherited from fortunes that were originally made in industrial
revolution industries such as coal, steel, railroads and
cars,” says Peter, founder of the US-based Hero Group, a
philanthropic global consulting firm.
“Today, 93% of the wealth is the States is self-made and it
comes largely from the tech and finance industries.”
Where large family foundations with a venerable history
of philanthropy and a willingness to play the long game once
dominated the sector, they are being increasingly replaced
by young entrepreneurs with little or no experience of
philanthropy who want immediate, measurable results.
“They don’t have a great sense of legacy. They want to give
their money away in their lifetime and they want to make a
difference now.”
Unlike their predecessors, 21st century donors are also
comfortable about supporting projects that not only make a
difference but also deliver a profit.
“The idea of investing in a company that’s solving an
important social need and making a financial return is
absolutely seamless,” says Peter.
These changes in donor behaviour mean that not-for-profit
organisations are also having to change. The more nimble
among them are already doing so, adding profit-making
ventures to their mix of activities.
According to Peter, it’s too early to tell how dominant this
new focus will become, although he believes that more notfor-profit organisations will start experimenting in the forprofit sphere.
On the other hand, he is hopeful that 21st century
donors will come to realise that the for-profit model is not
necessarily always best. He is hopeful, too, that they will come
to appreciate the often groundbreaking work done by their
predecessors.
“The 20th century donors – people like the Rockefellers,
the Mellons and the Carnegies – are sometimes pigeonholed as old and stuffy, but that’s not fair. Unlike some of
Longtime philanthropic advisor Peter Hero. Photo: Daniel Mendelbaum
their modern counterparts, they didn’t shy away from tackling
the really big issues in society, even if they couldn’t always
guarantee measurable results.”
And he says that while many 21st century donors see
philanthropy as something that they can learn on the job –
much as they learned how to run a successful business – they
are discovering it’s not as easy as it seems: “Often they don’t
know where to begin.”
That’s where old-timers like Peter come in. Following a
career in corporate advertising and marketing he became
CEO of the Silicon Valley Community in 1989. Over the next
17 years he built the foundation from a small organisation with
assets of just $8m to one with assets of $1.3b that awarded
more than $3m in grants every week, and worked with 400
families and 25 major technology firms.
In the process, he helped build a culture of philanthropy
among the wealthy entrepreneurs living in the Silicon
Valley area.
“More important than the dollars in the foundation’s bank
was the changing attitude that if you make money you’d be
missing something significant if you didn’t give it away.”
Among those Peter worked closely with was former e-Bay
president Jeff Skoll, and he has been a trustee of the Skoll
Foundation since 1999.
Now, through his work with the Hero Group, he is
helping the latest batch of tech billionaires develop giving
programmes. And despite the changes in philanthropy over
the last few decades, one thing has stayed the same: the
importance of finding a cause that speaks to the heart.
“I tell them that they need to think about what they care
about and what problems they want to solve. What’s daunting
is that sometimes they don’t know.”
The title of Peter Hero’s keynote address at the Philanthropy Summit 2015 is Brave New World: Impact investing & the 21st
century donor. Peter is also taking a workshop for community foundations looking at strategies that can help them to grow.
12
Philanthropy New Zealand Toputanga Tuku Aroha o Aotearoa
PHILANTHROPY SUMMIT 2015: Innovative Practice
Up close and personal
Roundtable reporting, where grantees report face-toface in groups rather than producing written reports,
is starting to take off in New Zealand.
A
fter years spent working in the community sector Lani
Evans knows just how time-consuming it can be to
produce written grant reports for funders.
“I’ve chewed through immense amounts of time to produce
reports that aren’t providing any ongoing benefit and may not
even be read,” says Dunedin-based Lani.
So when she became CEO of Thankyou Payroll, a social
enterprise that has already funded community organisations
in Dunedin and Christchurch and is about to start funding
in Wellington, Lani was keen to dispense with paper-based
grant reports.
Instead, she and the Thankyou Payroll team decided to
hold informal dinner parties where grantees give a brief talk
about what they’ve done with their money while enjoying a
shared meal.
“We wanted to create a space for people doing work in
their community to meet each other and hear about each
other’s programmes, and to network and engage.”
The first dinner party, a potluck event held in the Pioneer
Hall in the Dunedin suburb of Port Chalmers, was a huge
success. About 40 people attended, including representatives
from the six local organisations that received grants of up to
$1000 from Thankyou Payroll’s first funding round.
“It was lots of fun. We all sat down at a big long table,
and we had six presentations of about five minutes each for
the six organisations,” says Lani. “It was so lovely and a great
celebration.”
There was even a spot of indoor golf courtesy of the Port
Chalmers Golf Club, which used its Thankyou Payroll grant
to buy special clubs and giant-sized balls to teach golf to
children.
Golf wasn’t on the agenda at the Todd Foundation’s recent
roundtable meetings in Auckland and Hamilton, Wellington
and Christchurch, though the grantees who attended did get
morning tea.
Todd first trialled roundtable reporting in Wellington last
year and it is now the Foundation’s main form of reporting.
About five or six grantees attend each meeting, which are
held during the day in a local cafe or similar venue. Each talks
for five or six minutes about how their projects are going, and
their achievements and challenges; Todd staff take notes for
their records, but the grantees do not have to provide any
written material.
According to Christina Howard, Todd’s Strategic Advisor
– Family and Community, the roundtable meetings may not
always save a huge amount of time for grantees (each meeting
Thankyou Payroll grant recipients at a shared dinner in Dunedin in September.
“The feedback we’re getting is
really positive – people have told
us they really appreciate the
connection possibilities.”
lasts about two hours). However, the process has many
advantages over written reporting.
“It’s a great way for us to get a lot of information really
easily, and if we have questions we can ask them immediately.”
But she says the real benefit of roundtable reporting is
that it allows grantees to connect with each other and share
information.
“For us the main driver was that we wanted to deepen the
relationships between people and find a way of sharing the
information we were getting. This has definitely happened.
The feedback we’re getting is really positive – people have
told us they really appreciate the connection possibilities.”
At Thankyou Payroll, roundtable reporting is the first of
several innovative ways the organisation has started engaging
with grantees. Their next step is to hand over the actual
grantmaking decisions to the grant recipients.
“The way we work is that our trustees do the first funding
round in one postcode area, then eight months later those
recipients decide who should get the next round of grants in
that area,” explains Lani.
“People are very excited about it and I think it will be a
great opportunity for them to see what it feels like to be on
the other side of the table, and to find out what’s needed to
make a decision.”
Lani Evans is joining Annette Culpan of the Vodafone New Zealand Foundation at the Philanthropy Summit for a workshop on
Innovative and Emerging Practices in Philanthropy.
No:64 October 2014
13
Generosity
The woman
behind Mrs Wilf
The late Diana Unwin is one of New Zealand’s least
known philathropists who distributed grants of around
$4m without ever revealing her identify.
Diana Unwin, who secretly set up the Grace Memorial Trust in 1992.
M
any philanthropists like to keep a low profile, but
few are as intensely private as the late Diana Unwin,
whose identify as the founder of the Wellingtonbased G Trust has only been revealed following her death in
July this year.
The Trust – which can now be known by its full name,
the Grace Memorial Trust – has distributed grants of around
$4 million since Diana first set it up in 1992.
However, very few people were aware of the identity of the
woman behind the G Trust, who first began her philanthropic
career in the 1980s with anonymous cash donations distributed
by “Mrs Wilf” (an acronym of the Women’s International
League for Peace and Freedom, one of the many organisations
Diana supported).
Among the handful who did know was Jennifer Gill, now
CEO of the ASB Community Trust, who has been a trustee of
the Grace Memorial Trust since 1995. At that time Jennifer was
working for the Roy McKenzie Trust and she was able to use
her experience as a grantmaker to help Diana focus her giving,
mostly in the areas of peace, social justice and anti-violence.
“As far as I know only one or two people ever guessed
that Diana was behind the Trust, and she made it very
clear that if her name got out she would stop giving,” says
Jennifer. “She realised she couldn’t cope with the demands if
it became public.”
However, Diana was deeply engaged with the work of the
Trust and often referred deserving grantseekers to it for advice
– albeit without revealing how she was associated with it.
“She could then indicate to the trustees that she would
like to support the applicant, but the recipient did not need to
know where the support came from.”
Diana was born in 1923, and according to Diana Unwin:
14
Philanthropy New Zealand Toputanga Tuku Aroha o Aotearoa
In Search of Peace, a short biography published by the Trust
to mark Diana’s death at the age of 91, she was passionately
committed to causes such as international peace, justice and
humanitarianism. In 1981 she spent time at the Women’s Peace
Camp established to protest at nuclear weapons being sited at
Greenham Common in Berkshire, England. She also took part
in the Great Peace March for Global Nuclear Disarmament in
the United States in 1986.
Despite outward appearances – she appeared a somewhat
eccentric figure who was often spotted riding around the
Wellington suburb of Newtown on an ancient bicycle – Diana
was a relatively wealthy but very frugal woman who used a
substantial family inheritance to make a difference to the lives
of many New Zealanders.
In her later years she became particularly interested in
restorative justice, which culminated in her providing generous
funding to help set up the inaugural Chair in Restorative
Justice at Victoria University – now renamed the Diana Unwin
Chair in Restorative Justice.
Jennifer Gill and her fellow trustees will continue to run the
Grace Memorial Trust, although Diana made it clear before
she died that she did not necessarily expect the Trust to
continue forever.
“The remaining trustees will be free to decide its future. In
the meantime, we feel privileged to be able to continue the
work of a modest but committed philanthropist.”
Copies of Diana Unwin: In Search of Peace, by Mark Beehre,
can be downloaded from the Victoria University website:
http://bit.ly/1rlyvkc
PHILANTHROPY NEW ZEALAND 2013-14: The year in review
From the Chair: Kate Frykberg
T
he last year has been a
busy one for Philanthropy
New Zealand as we
worked to implement the five
strategic priorities we developed
in the 2012-2013 financial year.
Our first priority was to enhance and expand our membership package to provide more
benefits to members – including more networking events,
more professional development
and more opportunities to learn
about best practice both here and overseas.
As you can see from the list of highlights below, the staff at
Philanthropy New Zealand worked hard to achieve this.
We also developed a wide range of new initiatives. This
required significant financial investment but we are looking
forward to reaping the benefits during the 2014-2015 financial
year. We will be mailing members a set of the full financial
statements with the AGM papers in late October.
I’d like to thank the board members who finished their
terms during the 2013-2014 financial year – Mary Dillon and
our longest-serving board member Jennifer Gill. We really
appreciate your contribution. I’d also like to welcome our
newest board member, Sandra Kai Fong – it’s great to have
you in the team.
A big thank you, too, to our chief executive Liz Gibbs and
the staff at Philanthropy New Zealand; we all appreciate your
commitment and dedication.
Finally I’d like to thank you, our members and stakeholders;
your commitment to and passion for philanthropy help us
to achieve our vision: A thoughtfully generous Aotearoa/
New Zealand.
I am looking forward to working with you again in the
year ahead.
Our highlights
International speakers
New relationships
We ran 18 events with seven
international speakers that were
attended by 633 people. The speakers
ranged from Canadian Liz Weaver
talking about collective impact to social
enterprise guru MJ Kaplan who ran a
series of workshops on how funders
can help develop the partnerships
needed to build social enterprise in
New Zealand.
We forged closer bonds with key
umbrella organisations in the not-forprofit sector, as well as with several
government departments, arranging
in-house professional development and
helping them to revise their philanthropic
strategies. We also become one of the
specialist advisors working with ASB
Community Trust’s recently launched
Centre for Social Impact.
New funders’ networks
We launched two new funders’
networks in Wellington and Auckland.
They joined our successful Canterbury
Recovery Funders’ Network, which has
been running since May 2011. During
the 2013-2014 year we held 8 funders’
network meetings.
Community membership
We launched our new Community
membership category for not-forprofit organisations in March 2014.
The purpose of this new membership
category is to provide opportunities
for grantmakers and grantees to build
better relationships and understanding.
MJ Kaplan at a workshop in Wellington
Philanthropic Advisory
Services
We launched our Philanthropic Advisory
Services in October 2013. Our advisors
offer independent, expert advice to help
organisations invest more effectively
in their communities, and develop
giving programmes that achieve greater
impact. We delivered contracts to seven
organisations, from businesses to
crown entities.
Business Giving Network
We set up a Business Giving Network in
March 2014 to showcase good business
philanthropy in action and provide
support to corporate members keen to
improve their business giving. We are
very lucky to have Antony Welton of the
Vodafone NZ Foundation chairing
this group.
Research
We released the first national survey
of grantmakers, Grantmaking in
New Zealand: Giving That Works, in
November 2013. It provides a useful
snapshot of the state of grantmaking
in New Zealand and will help inform
discussions about philanthropy in
the future.
Member discounts
We negotiated discounts for our
members on more than 30 products and
services, ranging from accommodation
and travel to international publications,
office supplies and building supplies.
No:64 October 2014
15
Feature Interview
Philanthropy New Zealand
Toputanga Tuku Aroha o Aotearoa
Philanthropy New Zealand is the hub of
philanthropy in New Zealand.
We provide thought leadership and practical help for everyone with an interest in giving to make
the world a better place. Our members include private philanthropists; family, community and
corporate foundations; and iwi and community trusts.
We have recently added a new membership category, Community membership, for not-for-profit
organisations that deliver services into the community and have an interest in grantmaking.
JOIN NOW
To become a Grantmaker or Community member or to find out more go to www.giving.org.nz
Philanthropy News is the official publication of Philanthropy
New Zealand, Toputanga Tuku Aroha o Aotearoa. Editorial and
Philanthropy New Zealand gratefully acknowledges outstanding
support from...
advertising enquiries should be addressed to
Ruth Nichol, Communications Manager
Email: [email protected] or PO Box 1521, Wellington 6140
2014 Philanthropy New Zealand Board Members
Chairperson
Kate Frykberg Thinktank Charitable Trust &
The Todd Foundation
Deputy Chair
Kim McWilliams
Auckland Medical Foundation
Annette Culpan
Vodafone NZ Foundation
Jennifer Walsh
Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu
Candis Craven
Cognition Education Trust
Sandra Kai Fong
Rotorua Energy Charitable Trust
Rongo Kirkwood
Trust Waikato
Jonny Gritt Graphic design by:
est. 2000
Members
graphic design ltd