Individuals and families - The Gift Trust

The Gift Trust is for individuals and families

The Gift Trust is a flexible way to donate to the charities you care about, as an individual, a family group, or even a group of friends or like-minded people. It’s a flexible tool that you can use in any way you like.

Here are some examples of the many ways to make the most of The Gift Trust.

*These examples are real, but the names have been changed – we take our clients’ privacy seriously.

A family fund that will keep doing good forever

Josh and Charlotte’s Gift Account* was originally set up by Josh’s mum, as a way of sharing her good fortune with others. After Josh’s mum sadly passed away, he and Charlotte decided to continue her legacy of doing good. They make the funding decisions, sometimes involving other members of the family, to benefit causes in the areas they’re interested in and that their parents cared about. Their Gift Account works like an endowment, with the money invested and the interest donated out – this means the family legacy will continue for generations to come.

In memory of someone

Mai’s Gift Account* is in memory of her grandmother, for whom it is named, and who was a formative influence on her life. The Gift Account makes grants to the kinds of educational opportunities Mai’s grandmother never had access to, honouring the memory of someone special.

A simple fund to consolidate your giving in one place

Marama’s Gift Account* simplifies her giving, letting her be more strategic and proactive with the giving she does. Instead of receiving dozens of requests for funding every year, and having to keep track of piles of receipts, The Gift Trust handles all the admin on her behalf. Now she knows exactly what she’s doing with her giving, adding funds into her Gift Account throughout the year and making regular gifts out.

A way to get your children involved in giving

Tim’s Gift Account* gets his adult children involved in philanthropy. We ran a workshop for him and his family, so they could set their strategy and pick the causes they were most interested in. Tim funds the Gift Account, and each of his four children tell us how they’d like their portion given away – we handle the rest. Setting up a family Gift Account is a great way to build a culture of generosity in your whānau.

A group of like-minded people supporting the same issue

Jamie’s Gift Account (the Carbon Critical Net-Zero Fund) supports highly-effective local and international climate causes. What’s special about it is that it’s one of our collaborative funds, so anyone who wants to can support the same causes he does. Because Jamie covers the fees personally, and we (a registered charity) make the gifts, 100% of donations go directly to charity and donors get an NZ tax receipt.

“The Gift Trust provides a personalised service for my plan to give, donate and support the causes that are important to me at a reasonable cost.”

— Gillian, Gift Trust donor

"The gift accounts offered by The Gift Trust are a good option for individuals or organisations wanting to consolidate their charitable giving. I encourage all financial advisers to consider this important development."

– Dr Rodger Spiller, Financial Adviser, Money Matters

“An area of importance to our clients is charitable giving. The Gift Trust offers an opportunity to streamline the gifting process, while adding increased confidence and transparency. It also provides robust due diligence of eligible charities and access to additional support services for clients with complex needs.”

— Philip Stevenson, Bloomsbury Associates. CEFEX Certified Investment Adviser

“We would like to recognise and offer thanks for the support we receive though The Gift Trust’s donation. An annual donation from one of your donors is one of the largest donations that Kaibosh receives each year and has been absolutely pivotal to our ability to operate with confidence and to expand our operation across the Hutt Valley. We are extremely thankful.”

— Matt Dagger, Kaibosh, Gift Trust grant recipient

“My gift account has made my giving easy. It lets me get straight to the fun and satisfying part of giving to the causes I care about, without the hassle.”

— Anake, Gift Trust donor

"The Gift Trust provides a flexible and robust structure, to support donors' charitable giving intentions, while still enabling them to have a say in the investment of donated funds."

– David Ireland, Partner, Dentons Kensington Swan

"A Gift Account with The Gift Trust is a great option as an alternative to setting up a charity or private foundation while still preserving clients' control over their giving."

– Steven Moe, Partner, Parry Field Lawyers

"The administration and ongoing compliance requirements involved in setting up a private charity can be onerous, and even risky. Setting up a Gift Account allows The Gift Trust to look after those requirements, and provide support that allows the donor to focus on what they really want to do with their gifts."

– Sue Barker, Sue Barker Charities Law

"The Gift Trust takes the guesswork out of giving. Having support with research and due diligence on donations ensures that funds are truly making the desired impact. It has been a real pleasure to work with The Gift Trust."

– Ben, Gift Account holder

Get in touch

PO Box 19120, Marion Square
Wellington, New Zealand

04 391 4438

info@thegifttrust.org.nz