The Vodafone New Zealand Foundation is Vodafone's philanthropic arm. The Foundation's strategy is to encourage positive and healthy outcomes for young New Zealanders aged 12 to 24. The Foundation is funded by grants from Vodafone New Zealand and the Vodafone Foundation based in the UK.
The Foundation operates three main programmes - strategic grant making, the World of Difference programme and the new Youth Health Fellowship, which was first awarded in 2010. The World of Difference Programme is the Foundation's signature programme, funding the salaries and expenses of up to eight people each year, enabling them to contribute their skills working with a charity of their choice.
The Foundation also supports Vodafone employees to support causes they are passionate about. The 'Hands Up' programme gives Vodafone employees the chance to lend their specialist skills by spending up to two weeks volunteering for one of the Foundation's partner charities or a charity of their choice. The Foundation also supports employee fundraising, matching any funds raised by employees with the 'Double your Dollar' scheme.
The Vodafone New Zealand Foundation has its own website. Detailed information on its programmes and funding recipients is available there.
Last year we launched the new Vodafone Red Alert fundraising service. The service was introduced in 2010 to provide a TXT-based fundraising facility which could be quickly activated in the event of a local or international disaster. Experience showed that people are more likely to donate in the immediate aftermath of an event, so the sooner a service could be activated the more money could be raised.
A total of $1,337,201 was donated via the Foundation to the Christchurch recovery. Of this $675,015 of this was raised by the Red Alert service, including donations from both customers and Vodafone employees. One hundred percent of all donations through Red Alert were passed on to the Red Cross earthquake appeal funds.
| 2011 | 2010 | Source |
|---|---|---|
| $1,131,330 | $593,294 | from Vodafone New Zealand |
| $1,702,466 | $700,000 | from the Vodafone Foundation |
| 2011 | 2010 | Source |
|---|---|---|
| $2,424,448 | $1,342,122 | total grants made in the financial year |
| $58,420 | $37,956 | grants through employee-matched giving scheme |
| $675,015 | n/a | customer donations enabled through Red Alert |