charities? Of course! Anyone can set up a charity, to fulfil a
need, or to promote a particular charitable cause that you feel passionate about. The Commission has noticed that, often,
when we've asked the people at our charity forums – held right across the country – that many people didn't know that other, similar, charities might be working right on their own doorstep. Now that the Charities Register has
been set up, it's much easier to see how many charities there are, where they're operating, and what they're doing, and to make contact with like-minded organisations. You can also see how to contact them. The Register also enables charities to "tell their story", and explain
what they're doing to make a positive difference. We expect that now the Register is
available, charities will more often get in touch with other charities to share resources or ideas, or maybe even to combine. (There are issues that some charities may need to work through first though – like what happens if they have funding from a bequest, for example, which has been given to their charity by name and can't be transferred to another). If you're thinking of setting up a charity,
we suggest you do a little research first. Have a look around the Charities Register, and find out if there are any charities already doing what you're planning – you might like to support them instead. Do a bit of reading (there are plain language
information sheets on the Commission's website), or talk to a professional (such as a lawyer or accountant). With their help you can make sure that what you're proposing has a "charitable purpose" under New Zealand law, and a "public benefit", so you're not just limiting your services to one person, or an unreasonably small number of people. We might have a lot of charities, but
remember that they help a lot of people and causes, and reflect New Zealanders' generosity and willingness to be involved in our communities. Isn't that a wonderful thing? Trevor Garrett www.charities.govt.nz www.register.charities.govt.nz www.cafonline.org
Looking for a cause to get behind? Check out some of our favourite initiatives:
www.safe.org.nz www.yetrust.co.nz
www.henwoodtrust.org.nz www.pinkmagazine.co.nz www.asthmanz.co.nz www.wbct.org.nz
www.waikatospca.org.nz www.truecolours.org.nz www.starship.org.nz www.redcross.org.nz www.lgfb.co.nz www.spca.org.nz
Did you know?
In New Zealand, there is approximately one charity for every 172 of us. Compare that with, roughly, one charity for 218 Scots, one for 302 Americans, one for 427 Canadians and one for 446 Aussies.
HER MAGAZINE | December/January 2012 | 51
