Sharing Community Gems with Acorn donors
This autumn, Acorn launched a series of Field of Interest events designed to introduce donors to a range of incredible organisations who work in specific areas of the community. Many thanks to the staff at Waipuna Hospice (end of life care), Summerhill (youth development), Takitimu House (community safety and social services), and the Elms (Culture and Heritage) for hosting Acorn visits.
The team kept group sizes small so donors could sit down with charities, walk through their location, and ask those important questions that help donors better understand their work. By visiting charities at their own site, donors got to see the impact of their work firsthand. It quickly becomes clear when meeting staff and volunteers in this way just how proud and passionate they are about their impact in the Western Bay.
“The visits have been wonderful. There certainly are some hidden gems out there, and it has been so inspiring to learn more about what is available in our community. Thank you to Acorn Foundation for organising the visits.” Anonymous Acorn donor.
When a donor chooses to support Acorn either through a field of interest (such as the environment, animal welfare, or youth development) or an unrestricted fund, they are trusting Acorn staff and its volunteer Distributions Committee to identify where support is needed most.
Acorn’s Distribution Committee members are committed locals with deep understanding of our region's issues and are uniquely positioned to know which organisations are doing vital work in a donor’s specific area of interest.
Acorn Foundation CEO, Lori Luke, says: "We are so appreciative of the unrestricted and field of interest funds we receive, as it allows Acorn to support the many dozens of local organisations that provide valuable services to our community but haven’t been specifically named by our donors.”
About 75% of Acorn funding is targeted to specific charities named by our donors, so the 25% of field of interest and unrestricted funds are hugely important. They enable Acorn to fund the essential work of charities in the Western Bay who aren’t yet named in donor wishes, such as Tauranga Community Foodbank, Good Neighbour, the community centres across the region, small animal rescues, and local environmental groups.
There are plenty more community gems that Acorn is planning to share. Acorn’s Donor Support Coordinator, Frances Mole has planned a morning event to learn about the range of environmental work underway in the Western Bay of Plenty from 10:30am to 12:00pm on Monday, 29 June at Envirohub on 3rd Ave. Reach out at frances@acornfoundation.org.nz to book your spot.
