The Gift Trust simplifies strategic philanthropy for New Zealand families and businesses. We connect your charitable giving with organisations making real impact through personalised giving plans, providing all the benefits of a private foundation without the administrative burden or establishment costs.
What Is The Gift Trust?
The Gift Trust is New Zealand’s leading charitable giving platform, helping donors give with confidence and deeper impact. Whether you’re an individual philanthropist, a family wanting to build a giving legacy, or a business developing a corporate social responsibility strategy, we provide the infrastructure, expertise, and support to make your charitable giving more effective and meaningful.
Simplified Giving Plans for You and Your Family
We handle the complexity of charitable giving so you can focus on what matters – making a difference in the causes you care about. Through our Gift Account system, you can support multiple charities over time, receive expert guidance on where to give, and watch your charitable impact grow through responsible investment options.
Making Good Happen in Areas You Care About Most
Whether you want to support education, environmental causes, health initiatives, social services, or international development, we help you identify credible organisations creating real change. Our team’s deep connections across New Zealand’s charitable sector mean we can match you with causes perfectly aligned to your values and giving goals.
How The Gift Trust Works
Opening Your Gift Account
Setting up a Gift Account is simple and flexible. Individual accounts start with a minimum $1,000 donation, while business accounts require $5,000. All donations are eligible for New Zealand tax credits, and you can name your account to reflect your family or business values.
The beauty of a Gift Account? You don’t need to specify upfront which causes you want to support. This flexibility allows your giving to evolve over time as you discover new organisations or as community needs change.
Growing Your Charitable Funds
For Gift Accounts with balances over $20,000, your donations can be responsibly and ethically invested to grow tax-free. This means your charitable funds can increase in value before you distribute them, amplifying your long-term impact without any additional contribution from you.
Our investment options are carefully selected to align with ethical and responsible investment principles, ensuring your money grows in ways consistent with charitable values.
Explore investment options for your Gift Account
Granting to Causes You Choose
You maintain complete control over when and where your charitable funds are distributed. Support causes in New Zealand or internationally—The Gift Trust handles the due diligence, checking credentials and ensuring your donations reach legitimate, effective organiations.
Our team can provide research and guidance on charitable causes, introduce you to organisations doing excellent work in your areas of interest, and help you make informed giving decisions based on impact and organisational effectiveness.
Learn more: Making gifts with a Gift Account
Benefits of Giving Through The Gift Trust
Expert, Impartial Advice on Charitable Giving
The only causes we’re aligned to are yours. We provide completely independent advice on local, national, and global charitable causes that meet your specific interests. Our recommendations are based solely on organisational effectiveness, impact, and alignment with your giving goals.
We Handle All the Administrative Work
Charitable giving should be joyful, not burdensome. We take care of everything: verifying charity credentials, liaising with organisations on your behalf, processing payments, providing donation receipts for tax credits, and maintaining records. You get to enjoy the rewarding experience of giving while we manage the paperwork.
Give Locally, Nationally, or Globally With Ease
Your Gift Account is completely flexible. Support New Zealand community organisations, national charities, or international development projects, all from one account. Most importantly, you can receive New Zealand donation tax credits for international giving, making global philanthropy more accessible and tax-effective for Kiwi donors. This flexibility means your giving can respond to changing needs, evolving interests, or urgent crises without any administrative hassle or account restructuring.
Grow Your Charitable Funds Responsibly and Tax-Free
Unlike personal savings or investments that are subject to tax, charitable funds in your Gift Account grow completely tax-free when invested. This means 100% of your investment returns stay in your charitable fund, compounding over time to create even greater impact. Our ethical investment options ensure your money is managed responsibly while it grows, aligning with the values that drive your charitable giving in the first place.
Maintain Privacy or Celebrate Your Generosity
You choose how visible your giving is. We can celebrate your philanthropy publicly, helping inspire others and build your reputation as a community leader. Or we can keep everything completely anonymous, ensuring your giving remains private.
Non-Profit Organisation With Low Fees
As a lean non-profit organisation, The Gift Trust operates with minimal overhead. Our fees range from 1% to 4% of your account balance depending on the services you use and your account size. There are no setup fees, hidden charges, or surprise costs – just transparent, reasonable fees that support our mission of making giving simple and effective. These low fees mean more of your charitable dollars reach the causes you care about, while still providing you with professional guidance and administrative support.
Real Stories: Donors Who Give Through The Gift Trust
The Mankelow Family Charitable Fund: Finding the Right Causes
“I had particular causes I wanted to give to, like supporting young Māori, but was unsure about who was doing what. The Gift Trust did the research and introduced me to several charities and projects that aligned with my criteria, many of which were new to me.”
Trent Mankelow, Trent Mankelow Family Charitable Fund
The Biome Fund: International Giving Made Simple
“Our family had been giving in the USA for some time, but we wanted to deepen our support for climate change mitigation in Aotearoa. We chose The Gift Trust as our fund partners because they are embedded in the charity sector, and have a great tailored service. They have supported the easy transfer of funds from the USA, are responsive, knowledgeable experts in giving, and we highly recommend them.”
Matthew Manahan, Biome Fund
The Feminista Fund: Global Impact With NZ Tax Benefits
“After extensive travel, I inherited money and wanted to back community charities in low-income countries which focus on educating and empowering girls and women. To claim donation credits and further support these causes, I set up my fund at the Gift Trust. They have been wonderful to work with, helping me plan my giving, find new charities and manage the giving process.”
Jill Ford, Feminista Fund
Still Have Questions About Charitable Giving?
We understand that strategic philanthropy involves important decisions. If you’re unsure about any aspect of giving through The Gift Trust, start by visiting our FAQs page for answers to common questions about Gift Accounts, donation tax credits, investment options, and charitable giving strategies.
For personalised guidance tailored to your specific situation, contact our team directly to discuss your giving goals, investment preferences, or family succession plans. We also offer comprehensive philanthropic advice packages to help you design a strategic, impactful giving approach that perfectly aligns with your values and creates lasting change.
