About Top of the South Community Foundation
Top of the South Community Foundation was founded with one simple aspiration – to make a long term difference in the communities of our region.
Our Mission
Our mission is to encourage and enable generosity for the benefit of communities in the Top of the South.
To achieve this we:
- Promote and encourage philanthropy - enabling everyone to create their legacy by establishing, or contributing, to an endowment fund.
- Wisely invest bequest and endowment donations to generate a secure revenue stream in perpetuity;
- Help donors with their decisions on how they want the income from their endowment to benefit the community;
- Advocate on issues important to our community.
Brief Background
Top of the South Community Foundation (the 'Foundation') is a registered charitable organisation, with IRD ‘donee’ status.
We are primarily a ‘donor-services organisation’ helping people who want to make a difference in our community; particularly those who are interested in leaving a lasting legacy.
The Foundation is not a destination for benefit; it is the vehicle enabling donors wishes to be fulfilled.
Launched in 2010 as Nelson Bays Community Foundation, we began distributing endowment income to the community from 2012.
In December 2018, we adopted the name "Top of the South Community Foundation" to better reflect our purpose to serve all the communities of the Top of the South.
Top of the South Community Foundation is proud to be a member of Community Foundations of New Zealand (CFNZ).
Membership of CFNZ means that our community foundation meets professional standards of best practice. We are governed by a local Board, are community-focused and are striving to build a permanent endowment fund which will benefit our local community, forever.
There are Community Foundations across many communities in New Zealand, with a number of others in the planning stages.
Community Foundations of New Zealand are part of a global movement of place-based philanthropy (or generosity), one of the fastest-growing forms of philanthropy in the world.
For further details visit www.communityfoundations.org.nz
Introducing the Foundation team:
Dave Ashcroft – Chair
Dave is an independent business consultant with significant experience in the not-for-profit and governance fields.
He held the Executive Team finance role in various organisations before branching out on his own at www.addrealvalue.com . A member of the NZ Institute of Directors and the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Dave was awarded NZIoD Nelson Marlborough Aspiring Director Award in 2014/5. He is currently an independent member of the Audit and Risk Committee of Nelson Marlborough Health (the Nelson Marlborough DHB), and Board Member and Treasurer of Age Concern Nelson Tasman, and a member of the Board of Trustees at Enner Glynn School and at Garin College.
Dave lives in Nelson with his wife and three school age children.
Dave became a trustee in 2017.
Tim Saunders - Deputy Chair
Tim is Commercialisation Manager at KONO NZ, based in Nelson. He has a specific focus on the Food & Beverage sector and large scale agriculture. Outside of work, Tim loves spending time in Golden Bay with his wife and three young boys. Tim has a community focus and wants to make Nelson the best place in the world to work and live.
Nick Moore – Trustee
Nick has been a trustee since 2016.
Nick is a legal Consultant at Duncan Cotterill, having previously been a partner of law firm Fletcher Vautier Moore from 1983 to 2019. His focus includes residential and rural property, financing, family trusts and succession planning. A fourth generation solicitor, Nick’s family have been practicing law in Nelson for over 130 years.
Bill Agnew – Trustee
Bill has recently retired after 32 years with Mobil Oil New Zealand. 22 of these were working in various management positions for ExxonMobil affiliates abroad. Bill has a background in retail marketing, logistics, finance and project management.
He has recently become a Business Mentor with the Nelson Tasman Business Trust.
Having recently moved to the Nelson region from abroad he is excited to be involved in the local community. His interests include golf, travel, boating and he has a strong interest in promoting philanthropy.
Dene Gavin – Trustee
Dene is an Associate at Duncan Cotterill. A keen outdoorsman, Dene is on the advisory board of the Nelson Giants Basketball team, and is a volunteer for Nelson Coastguard.
He has been based in Nelson since 2013 with his wife.
Dene has been in legal practice for 12 years and currently advises clients on a broad range of commercial law in the construction, tourism, rural, forestry, aquaculture and property industries in particular.
Dene became a trustee in 2018.
Sue Gardener, Administration Officer
Sue Gardener joined Top of the South Community Foundation in May 2019.
Sue worked most recently as Partnership Secretary for Fletcher Vautier Moore and has more than 30 years experience working in Law Firms.
Her focus is to execute the Foundation's strategic objectives for growth and development, represent the Foundation within the community, and develop and maintain relationships with donors, supporters, community organisations and other key stakeholders. She also administers day-to-day operations and charitable distributions.
Sue said "It is a pleasure to be part of such a great team here at Top of the South Community Foundation."
Acknowledging our Supporters
Become a donor
We can't live forever, but we can
leave something that does!
Apply for funding
Funds available for Community Groups operating in the 'Top of the South'.