International speaker Vu Le is bringing his message about funding for equity and change to Aotearoa, New Zealand.

Dunedin Community Builders, Hui E! Community Aotearoa and Volunteering NZ are pleased to be hosting this internationally renowned speaker and funding equity advocate on a national tour from late September. The tour will tackle the need to embed equity in the community funding sector. The message is clear that entrenched philosophical approaches to resourcing this sector need to change.

Vu will speak at events in Ōtepoti, Te Whanganui-a-Tara and Tāmaki Makaurau from late September.

To open the tour, Vu will officially launch Be the Change: Funding and Equity, a resource produced by Dunedin Community Builders that centres Ōtepoti experiences and stories in a discussion of ways the funding system can enact equity and change. Co-author of Be the Change and member of Dunedin Community Builders Mary McLaughlin says, “We were delighted when Vu Le agreed to visit Aotearoa to support the launch of Be the Change. It’s a fantastic opportunity to deepen our conversations about the need for greater equity in the funding system and to elevate local experiences and perspectives in a global context.”

Vu’s tour will continue with a Parliamentary event in Wellington | Te Whanganui-a-Tara where he will be discussing the need for more equitable and accessible systems and funding for community and voluntary groups.

A panel discussion will follow with opportunity for questions and answers. He will finish his Aotearoa tour with a speaking event in Auckland | Tāmaki Makaurau.

Hui E! Kaiwhakahaere Matua, Rochelle Stewart-Allen says, “It is an important time to understand and make visible the incredible contribution community organisations have made to our nation since the pandemic arrived. It’s definitely time to help the helpers.”

Who is Vu Le?

Vu Le writes the hugely popular blog, NonprofitAF.com. He is the former executive director of Rainier Valley Corp, a non-profit in Seattle that promotes social justice by supporting leaders of colour, strengthening organisations led by communities of colour, and fostering collaboration between diverse communities. Vu is a founding board member of Community-Centric Fundraising, a movement that aims to ground fundraising practices in racial equity and social justice.

Vu was a popular, provocative and very memorable speaker at Philanthropy New Zealand’s Summit in 2019. He has extensive experience speaking about funding equity for marginalised communities.

Vu’s visit will elevate the contribution our non-profit organisations make to our nation’s hauora. It will also activate the need for funding innovation and change to ensure our flax-roots community groups are properly resourced for the mahi they do day in and day out.

Public events

These events are free, and open to the public.

• Ōtepoti – Wednesday 28 September [book at https://bit.ly/BeTheChangeVuLe]
• Te Whanganui-a-Tara – Thursday 29 September [book at https://events.humanitix.com/vu-le-parliamentary-event]

Tāmaki Makaurau – Tuesday 4 October book at [

https://events.humanitix.com/vu-le-voo-lay

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