At the Spencer Maxwell Foundation, we are thrilled to help Whangārei PROUD step into an exciting new chapter of community impact! Our latest grant is designed to help this incredible group expand their local initiatives. For the very first time, it will allow them to appoint a dedicated, paid Community Activator to guide their core programmes and day-to-day mahi. We know how vital sustainability is, so this one-off grant is also aimed at helping them grow their membership and programmes, and establish permanent, long-term funding models to keep their momentum going for good.
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The Challenge
Up until now, Whangārei PROUD’s brilliant programmes have relied entirely on the incredible dedication of volunteers. While pure passion has driven the group’s success, the local demand for their support has grown rapidly. We recognized that this increasing workload on a volunteer-only team simply wasn't sustainable in the long run, and we wanted to help ease that pressure.
The Solution
We saw that to create a truly lasting impact, Whangārei PROUD needed the structural backbone of a dedicated staff member. By funding this new Community Activator role, we are helping them expand their current lineup of events, including great new initiatives like a Friday night after-work social space to grow local connectedness and well-being. The role will also give them the focused time needed to welcome new members and secure a permanent, long-term financial future.
Quote from Whangārei Proud:
"We are incredibly grateful to the Spencer Maxwell Foundation for believing in our vision," says Diana Rands deputy Chair of Whangārei PROUD. "Having our first paid role dedicated to leading our mahi means we can step up our consistency, grow our programmes, and ultimately support more people in our community. This is a gamechanger for us."
