Go to the Top

Charities. There are approximately 30,000 in New Zealand and we now have a very smart way of registering them through the Charities Commission so they are all legit and ...registered. Other than that they are simply listed as Donnees with the IRD, and unfortunately to date, there is no "blending" of the two lists. I think it's called de-duping.

Anyhow, I need a list of these charities. Finding them I'd always imagined as a push/pull affair - I'll find some and I'll hope the bulk of them will come to me. I know I'm bordering on overusing this favorite Kevin Costner (the great orator) quote - but I'm hoping that "if you build it people will come" ie once the word gets out they'll come flooding in. But in the mean time, I'm on a quest to find a good starting point of registered charities in NZ. Of course when asking the questions from who I thought were all the right people, I've heard plenty of "blah blah ...privacy rights...blah, blah" Hmmm not as easy as I hoped it was going to be.

Then I stumbled across another me, someone who was extremely important working in a very official business, who was trying to find the same info as me. I heard his horror stories, we sympathised together. His advice - "go to the top"..."um top?"..."go to the Minister and let him (sorry maybe her?) know your issue...make a statement". I felt like asking why hadn't he done this, but instead being in a situation when I was clearly out of my depth, I become a yes woman. In fact we both chuckled about how funny it would be if a part-time business start-up person/part time mum living in Sydney could crack this nut for everyone. I think I heard hope in his laugh. There was none in mine.

Back to the drawing board.