Non-profit Community Post

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Just like you, New Zealand Post is always looking for better, more successful ways to help communities throughout New Zealand. That’s why we’ve decided to focus our support on three specific areas of work that we believe affect the community in a positive way.

Applications for Community Post 2011 are closed. We would like to congratulate the successful organisations who received Postage Included envelopes for their projects.

What Is Community Post?

Community Post is the cornerstone sponsorship for New Zealand Post and involves the company donating postage included envelopes to non-profit organisations for use with projects and activities that align with our community investment themes and will benefit New Zealand communities socially and economically.

Postage will be donated to the successful applicants in the form of postage paid DLE envelopes for applications up to 500 for sending letters and documents within New Zealand. For organisations applying for more than 1000 envelopes, an undetermined number of branded C4 and C5 envelopes will be available.

The sponsorship only applies to free Community Post envelopes – no cash sponsorships are available through Community Post.

If you would like additional information please contact the Community Post team at communitypost@nzpost.co.nz or register your interest for 2012.

We’ve made some improvements to Community Post

New Zealand Post has identified three themes that projects will have to demonstrate support for in order to have consideration:

  • Increase the education levels of our communities (focus on Literacy)
  • Support active participation to lift health and wellbeing
  • Support business partnerships to lift business productivity

 The themes are important in that they allow New Zealand Post to prioritise applications in terms of the relevance of their project and its fit with our business objectives. These three themes are:

Education

Education allows society to improve and prosper. Any organisation with projects that assist in raising education levels – whether it be through literacy including critical thinking, numeracy, or social behaviour – will be considered.

Health and wellbeing

The health and wellbeing of our communities is vital. Any organisation with projects that assist in encouraging physical activity, healthy living or general wellbeing will be considered.

Business partnerships

We believe it is crucial for businesses to work together in clusters or groups to create productive and prosperous communities. Any organisation with projects that display a commitment to business partnerships will be considered.

Who can apply?

Applications will be considered from non-profit organisations using postage to carry out projects in their region. These projects need to align with our community investment theme and benefit the communities in your area.

  • For those applying for 500 envelopes or less. These allocations will continue to be decided by regional boards.
  • For organisations applying for more than 1000 envelopes, branded C5 and C4 envelopes will be available. These allocations will be decided by a central board.
  • We encourage larger organisations to combine regional applications into one centrally run application. Organisations with regional offices need to decide whether they are applying as a national organisation or regionally. You cannot do both.

In your application you will need to demonstrate how the free postage included envelopes will help you perform a community service and achieve your goals. This may include, but is not limited to, projects that:

  • promote education and learning
  • contribute to community health & wellbeing
  • create productive and prosperous communities

If your organisation is successful, your details may be published such as listed in your regional paper or on this website. We may also talk to you about publishing your story in local media.

Who can’t apply?

Commercial ventures, completed or retrospective projects, and projects that promote or benefit an individual are not eligible.
Activities that fall into the area of local or central government are also not generally considered as eligible by the Community Post Board.

Regions

New Zealand has been divided into 16 regions for allocations of postage included envelopes. When you apply for Community Post Postage Included Envelopes, specify the region your organisation serves from the map and table of locations.

Only combined national organisations can select nationwide as their region.

Community Post Criteria

To allow the free postage included envelopes to make a difference to as many people as possible New Zealand Post has reviewed the criteria to align it with its Community investment plan. Three new
overriding themes that will guide eligibility and allocation decisions.
These are:

  • Education
  • Health & Wellbeing
  • Business partnerships

(These have replaced the original five categories (Education, Health & Welfare, Sport & recreation, Arts & Culture and environment)).

Applications must fulfil all of the following

  • be for a specific project. (Community Post is not designed for general administration
  • of an organisation)
  • operate in and benefit the region being applied to
  • be from a local or regional organisation (except for larger organisations who have combined applications)
  • require postage
  • relate to a project which fits within the themes

And be submitted by one of the following

  • an incorporated society
  • a registered charitable trust
  • a body or club that is controlled by an association of people under an adopted constitution and rules, with annual accounts and reports.

Projects that are not eligible include:

  • applications for the promotion or benefit of one individual
  • commercial ventures
  • completed or retrospective projects
  • applications for cash, or New Zealand Post services other than postage included envelopes

If your organisation is successful, your details may be published such as listed in your regional paper or on this website. We may also talk to you about publishing your story in local media.

GST liability for recipient organisations

The following information on GST liability is of a general nature and organisations are advised to seek more specific advice from their tax advisor or the Inland Revenue Department.

The receipt of postage paid envelopes by a non-profit organisation which is not registered for GST under the Goods and Services Act 1985 will have no GST consequences for the organisation. The organisation should, however, take the value of the free postage into account in determining whether it needs to be registered for GST purposes or not.

If an organisation is registered for GST then it may need to account for the GST output tax on receipt of any free postage envelopes.

If there is any doubt about whether the organisation needs to account for the GST output tax because it is making both taxable supplies and exempt supplies, then expert advice on GST obligations should be sought.

More information

To find out more about Community Post, contact us on communitypost@nzpost.co.nz or phone our Customer Service Centre on 0800 501 501 Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.