The Gift Trust has facilitated international giving since its establishment, and we know the extra layer of complexity involved in giving to recipients on the other side of the world. So when the US-Asian philanthropic organisation Give2Asia approached The Gift Trust about representing Aotearoa New Zealand in their planned new network, we jumped at the opportunity. We saw the benefits offered by this closer relationship with foundations across the region who could help us connect with charities in their countries and ease the compliance burden of cross-border giving.
The Gift Trust is proud to be the only New Zealand based founding member of the newly launched Asia Pacific Giving Network. The network consists of members from New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea, with networks into other countries in the region. The network believes cross-border philanthropy has the ability to transform the region and is based on a comprehensive piece of research in the Asia Pacific region. The members assembled for the first time in Wellington in early 2023, hosted by The Gift Trust. Together we are creating a trusted pathway to make cross-border giving easier and more effective.
The Network believes that interest in cross-border giving is growing and institutions need to be ready to meet demand. We see trust and relationships as key to kick- starting this new wave of cross-border giving and we see that existing, trusted institutions are best positioned to give confidence to philanthropists looking across borders.
Each network member has a commitment to shine a light on cross-border giving opportunities and motivate engagement outside their own borders. As members engage with philanthropists, they work with each other to help facilitate the relationships and the success of projects. Members share with each other information on effective programmes they have vetted to trigger interest from across the region.
New Zealanders are an incredibly generous nation with a strong philanthropic tradition. We also have many international connections with an increasingly large population of people who were born in other countries and a large diaspora of expatriate Kiwis around the world. The Gift Trust works with a wide range of donors, both within New Zealand and internationally, who have a connection to NZ but often want to spread their generosity to many geographic areas. We are excited to join the Asia Pacific Giving Network as it will connect our donors to a trusted network and provide them with an efficient borderless giving mechanism.”
Cheryl Spain – Executive Director, The Gift Trust
