Spark Foundation exploring future ownership of Givealittle

Spark Foundation exploring future ownership of Givealittle

Spark Foundation is exploring options for future ownership of Givealittle, to determine the best pathway for the platform’s continued growth.

Now 10 years old, Givealittle is New Zealand’s leading crowdfunding platform - over $122 million has been donated to a wide range of causes, most notably $10.7 million to the Victim Support page in aid of the Christchurch mosque shooting victims. Spark Foundation, a charitable trust funded by Spark, has owned Givealittle since 2012 and operate it as a not for profit service.

Spark Foundation Chair Andrew Pirie says: “Givealittle has helped hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders donate to causes they care deeply about. The Foundation became owner when Givealittle was in its infancy and we’re extremely proud to have supported the huge growth of the platform to where it is today - in that time, we’ve invested close to $8 million to cover development and operating costs.

“In line with our Foundation vision to be a catalyst for positive social change, the time is right to look for a new owner to ensure Givealittle’s positive societal impact can be maximised in the future. We believe Givealittle’s continued growth will benefit from a new owner who can continue to support the platform and develop new services to take Givealittle to another level.

“We are open to a range of potential new ownership models, with our key objective being to identify the best new owner to support and drive Givealittle’s ongoing growth, for the wider benefit of New Zealanders using this fantastic platform.”

Spark Foundation’s Trustees will assess all proposals before confirming whether to move to a new ownership model for Givealittle. If this results in a sale of Givealittle, any financial proceeds will go to charity, via investment in existing or new social ventures funded by Spark Foundation, Mr Pirie said.

Spark Foundation has appointed Impact Ventures (www.impactventuresnz.com) as an adviser for the Givealittle process. Impact Ventures Director Chris Simcock said he expects there will be significant interest from a wide range of prospective new owners, reflecting Givealittle’s strong public profile, operational track record and growth potential.

In the meantime, Givealittle services will continue as normal.

Spark Foundation is the charitable arm of Spark New Zealand whose mission is to accelerate equitable digital skills and capabilities so that no New Zealander is left behind in a digital world. As well as Givealittle, Spark Foundation invests in a range of social ventures including Spark JUMP, Code Club, The Electric Garden, Digital Natives Academy and 21C Skills Like a Boss (L.A.B.) programme.

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