We love hearing about the incredible work our charity partners are doing in the community. Each year, we run a series of Round Table Reporting sessions, where grant recipients are invited to share their successes and challenges over the past 12 months.

In early May, we held 5 sessions with 44 participants who received funding from our generous donors in 2018. Hawke’s Bay Foundation staff and Trustees heard inspiring stories about the great work our charities are doing in the community. As many not-for-profit organisations work in isolation, this also provides a great forum for networking and the sharing of ideas and learnings.

The challenges faced by our Hawke’s Bay community are not reducing, and some of the key themes from this year’s sessions included housing insecurity, social isolation, drugs, alcohol, mental health and poverty. Many of the charities are also struggling with increased costs and compliance requirements and challenges attracting and retaining staff and volunteers. In addition, many NGO’s have not seen any increase in the funding provided through government contracts, making it more challenging to deliver the same level of service.

Thank you to all of the charities who took time out of their busy schedules to attend one of our Round Table sessions.