Bloomsbury blog What we've learned from The Giving Gauge so far

Bloomsbury blog post, 19 July 2026

We often meet people who want to give, and want to start now, but they hold back because they're not sure how much they can afford and if now is the best time. We created The Giving Gauge to give donors more confidence around what they can afford to give, and whether they can afford to start now.

So far, the response and support has been amazing. Today, we wanted to share some insights we've already discovered since the launch of The Giving Gauge in mid-June.

1. Our capacity to give is greater than we think

Giving Gauge users are a generous group, with 71% of users already giving money to charity on a regular basis. The support from these donors is vital to charitable causes across the country, and should be celebrated more often.

Nothing we say next is meant to detract from the incredible generosity we see from Giving Gauge users, or the donors we meet every day. However, on average, our capacity to give is much greater than we think.

77% of Giving Gauge users had capacity to give more than their current level of giving - with users on average able to give at least four times more than they currently do.

2. The donation tax credit is underutilised

Only 49% of Giving Gauge users either claimed or planned to claim the donation tax credit. However, if these non-claiming Giving Gauge users had opted to claim the donation tax credit, their average giving capacity would have increased by 22%.

What we hear a lot from donors is that they don't need the tax credit - reducing their tax isn't the reason they give. But, the donation tax credit is a useful tool to amplify philanthropic impact. By reducing the after-tax cost of giving, the tax credit increases the size of a charitable donation. If you want to give $10,000 to your favourite charity, then you claim and gift your tax credit to the same charity, you can donate $15,000 - and it only cost you $10,000.

3. The recent change to the donation tax credit scheme could hinder giving

14% of Giving Gauge users will have their giving capacity reduced by the recent changes to the donation tax credit scheme. When the new scheme comes into effect from 1 April 2027, these donors will have their giving capacity reduced by an average of $147,000 per year. We think this policy change was ill-advised – a view shared by most in the charitable sector.

One conversation we've heard from donors since the policy announcement is that by limiting the tax incentive to donate to organisations here in New Zealand, the government has levelled the playing field for foreign-based charitable organisations.

Superior tax incentives have convinced donors to support local organisations, but now some donors would prefer to give overseas, particularly in developing nations. There is nothing wrong with giving overseas - we encourage donors to give anywhere in the world. However, a possible unintended consequence of the policy change is that, in addition to directly limiting the giving capacity of some donors, the change could further hinder the growth of giving here in New Zealand as some donors start looking abroad when making their gifts.

On the other hand, other policy changes will foster more giving. We see real potential in the addition of philanthropic giving to the accepted investment categories of the Active Investor Plus visa. This could be a strong area of growth for charitable giving in New Zealand in the future.

Giving Gauge users, thank you

We want to thank all the generous users who have taken the time to use The Giving Gauge. Users who are already giving are clearly engaged, intentional donors – the best donors a charity could ask for.

And to those that weren't already giving - we hope you left feeling more confident that you could start giving and you could start giving now.

We'd also like to thank all those who have supported The Giving Gauge by sharing it with their community. If you support or work with a charity, we would love to partner with you to grow their giving - please get in touch with us.

Please continue sharing The Giving Gauge with colleagues, friends, and family members. The more engaged we are with philanthropy, the more resources we have to support the causes that need it most.

Please direct any questions or inquiries about The Giving Gauge to giving@bloomsbury.co.nz.