I was privileged to recently co-present a series of three workshops for funders based in the  Waikato recently alongside Peter Glensor from Hui-E Community Aotearoa. At the invitation of Trust Waikato, we first explored the nature of philanthropy and the community sector, then how philanthropy can do a better job of supporting communities organisations and the communities served. The slides from the third workshop, entitled “What do funders need to hear and how can we fund more effectively” are below.

In summary, the key messages are that funders should:

• better understand the communities we serve
• structure our funding and our selection processes so they are more enabling
• relook at our accountability and impact reporting so the information provided is more useful for everyone involved
• build stronger, more honest relationships.

Thank you again to Trust Waikato and the funders of the Waikato region for this opportunity to explore some very important issues.