Vital Signs 

You may have seen recent media coverage around our research called Vital Signs.  This work is key to us being able to deliver informed donor led philanthropy.

Download a copy of the full report here:  The 2020 Christchurch Foundation Vital Signs Report

We also conducted a pulse check of our findings in July post Covid-19 available here:  The Mid-2020 Christchurch Foundation Pulse Report. 

Vital Signs is a snapshot of life in Greater Christchurch: how we are feeling, what we are doing and what's important to us.  It measures how well we're doing on a number of key indicators including health, prosperity, our sense of community, and how well we take care of our environment. It is a tool used to understand the community's perceptions of the place where they live.

Community Foundations around the world use this framework to inform our thinking, to assist our donors and partners in making informed philanthropic decisions, and to benchmark against.  It uses the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG's) as the base framework.

We were able to fund this project predominantly through the generous support of a UK based donor. It is our intention to undertake this research on a regular basis so as to continue to understand the priorities for the residents of Christchurch, Selwyn and Waimakariri.

The report has greatly informed our thinking and is the basis of our revised strategy.  We now have three pillars to our work:  Kaitiakitanga (stewardship of the environment), Vibrant Otautahi (increasing the exciting elements within our city) and Opportunities for All (addressing inequality).  

Work is now underway on a number of initiatives in these three areas.

If you want to know more about what's important to greater Christchurch, to help inform your philanthropic decisions, please contact Nic Perry on our team at Nicole@christchurchfoundation.org.nz.