The Future 70
Our search for a few generous humans 😍
One Percent Collective exists to inspire generosity and to simplify regular giving.
We do this so a diverse mix of growing, grassroots charities can spend less time fundraising, and more time improving the lives and outlook of the people and land of Aotearoa New Zealand.
We launched in 2012 with 6 partner charities. 10 years later there are 20 charities on board and a collective of over 700 Kiwis have raised over $4 million by regularly giving 1% of their income.
A tiny team of 3 part-timers share 43 hours per week to keep One Percent Collective humming, and we want more charities to be able to impact more lives.
Our goal is to be raising $1 million dollars annually for our charities within the next few years.
Every cent donated to our charities via One Percent Collective lands in their bank accounts. We don’t take a cut. That’s thanks to The Future 70 – a group of 70 generous people giving $20 a week to cover our running costs.
Occasionally, for various reasons, some people need to pause their Future 70 contributions. If you could take their place it would mean a lot to us, our charities, and the people they support.
Email pat@onepercentcollective.org if you are keen to join or scroll down to learn more.
The Backstory
Kia ora. I’m Pat Shepherd. In 2009 I was lucky enough to stand on top of a rubbish dump with migrant and refugee kids who had escaped the brutal government of Myanmar to the relative safety of Thailand. I say, 'lucky’ because it opened my eyes to the importance of giving a % and supporting other humans in this world.
Seeing the needs of these kids and how much a dollar could do challenged me to simplify regular giving and inspire a community around the concept of collective generosity.
Startup Times
The Founding 40
From the beginning, I wanted One Percent Collective to be able to pass every dollar donated on to partner charities without charging any fees. An intense whiteboard session showed that set-up and operating costs for the first year would be around $40k. How could this startup cover its costs? A plan formed to find 40 businesses and wealthy individuals to give $20 per week for a year. This group would be called The Founding 40! It didn’t go so well.
After weeks of trying and barely any replies, I reached out for help. I asked friends and family if they knew anyone I could approach. What happened next was inspiring – they all started saying they would be one of the Founding 40! Many of them said “It would be an honour to be part of starting a generosity movement in NZ.” After many emails, coffees and beers we had our 40 and could get One Percent Collective off the ground.
Sustainability
The Future 50
We thought we would have corporate sponsors by the end of our first year. We were wrong. There was a stressful 9 months of no funds but when one of our Founding 40 suggested we apply our charity fundraising model to covering our running costs – lots of people giving small amounts, regularly – The Future 50 was born.
This time it wouldn’t just be a 12-month commitment. It would be like a flatting situation. if anyone needed to step away and move out, we would give them a massive high five for their support and find another Future 50 member to take their place.
Growth Times
The Future 70
For 8 years the Future 50 allowed us to maintain business-as-usual. In 2022, expanding to a Future 70 model, we set our sights on growth. In the past financial year we were able to increase annual donations by 10 percent.
The Future you!
A few spots in the Future 70 have become available and we need some new flatmates. It’s as simple as setting up an automatic payment in your online banking then we send you updates and success stories every few months. Will you join us on this generosity journey? I hope so.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
If you’re ready to commit to the The Future 70, flick me an email atpat@onepercentcollective.org. If you’re not quite sure and you want to know more – let’s start a conversation.
What our Future 70 donors say...
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You're welcome to fill in this form to let me know you are interested and I'll get back to you via email to say hello 🤘