Two weeks ago, we hosted over 40 people from around the country for our biennial Funding Manager and Local Allocation Workshop. It was a wonderful two days of reflection, learning and sharing of ideas, case studies and best practice.
Held at Vaughan Park, on the cliff of Auckland’s stunning Long Bay, the workshop enabled Funding Managers and Local Allocation Committees to share what they have learned. The aim of the workshop is to provide an opportunity for them to network, share ideas and insights and showcase the wonderful success stories of their work across New Zealand.
The Tindall Foundation has 23 Funding Managers and Local Allocation Committees, they are our eyes and ears in the community and a great asset and resource, who assist us right across the country. We give each of them a fund which is used to make donations from $500 and up to $15,000 to organisations and initiatives in their local communities who need it the most.
The 23 Funding Mangers and Local Allocation Committees are made up of four different categories – regional, faith, environmental and overseas. Between them they distribute over $3m of Tindall Foundation funds each year. And since 1996 have distributed over $50m on our behalf to support families and social services in their communities.
The Tindall Foundation trustees, staff and Funding Managers and Local Allocation Committee representatives got the chance to hear about the experiences of others. Although they work independently, and in vastly different communities from the very North to very South of the country, Funding Managers and Local Allocation Committees see many of the same needs and issues in their communities, so the workshop provides a chance to share what they have learnt and discuss ways of working, which is hugely valuable.
Those new to their funding roles also have the opportunity to learn more about The Tindall Foundation, our priorities, funding criteria, goals and strategies and the history of this unique partnership.
Through Funding Manger presentations, we heard examples of how different organisations have used Tindall Foundation money in their local communities, and the successes of the projects and the challenges faced.
We heard from Fiona Tait from Advance Ashburton about the highly successful Multi Cultural Bite, a food and cultural festival held in February every year. This year there were 24 stalls representing 22 different countries. Migrants taking part in the festival develop new skills that relate to preparing and selling food including Health & Safety issues, budgeting and portion sizes. The festival brought people of all ages and cultures together to share their food at the same time raising awareness and acceptance for the many migrant communities living in Ashburton.
Taone O’Regan from Presbyterian Support shared the success of an innovative parenting app that was created with the help of Plunket and Maternity Services to provide young parents in Southland with information and services they may require as they get to grips with the role of becoming a parent.
Participants had the following things to say about the workshop:
“I had a great time. It was very eye opening. I made great networks and learned many new things.”
“This was a tremendous event which far exceeded my expectations. It was great to meet other Funding Managers and to hear their stories. It was also lovely to see the Tindall team and get to know them better and understand their roles and the history of the Foundation.”