Better connections can help create something bigger.
EcoCard started with a simple idea: create a smarter, more reusable way for people to connect. But we also want the success of EcoCard to contribute to something beyond the platform itself.
As EcoCard grows, our goal is to support community groups, charities, environmental initiatives and people doing genuinely good things across New Zealand.
Making a Difference
Powered by the EcoCard community
We want EcoCard growth to mean more than just more EcoCards.
Every person and business that chooses EcoCard helps us grow the platform. We want to use part of that success to help support organisations, projects and causes making a positive difference in their own communities.
Supporting good people
From charities and volunteer organisations to local initiatives and individuals doing something worthwhile, we want EcoCard to help good ideas go further.
Backing meaningful causes
Environmental projects, community initiatives, wellbeing, education, sport and other causes can all create meaningful change in different ways.
Letting our community have a say
We do not want every decision to happen behind closed doors. As the programme grows, EcoCard members will have opportunities to help decide where support should go.
A digital card that can help make a real-world difference.
EcoCard already gives people a reusable alternative to repeatedly printing traditional business cards. Making a Difference takes that philosophy one step further.
Instead of seeing EcoCard purely as a subscription platform, we want to build a community around it and create a growing pool of support that can be directed towards worthwhile causes.
The bigger EcoCard becomes, the greater the opportunity to give something back.
Different causes. Different opportunities to help.
We do not think every contribution needs to work exactly the same way. EcoCard's Making a Difference programme is designed to develop over time, with several ways for worthwhile causes to receive support.
Apply or nominate
Community organisations, charities, projects and other eligible causes will be able to put themselves forward, or be nominated by someone who believes their work deserves recognition.
Community voting
For selected campaigns, we want EcoCard users and the wider community to have their say and help decide which causes receive support.
Direct support
Sometimes we may simply come across a project, organisation or cause that aligns strongly with what EcoCard stands for and choose to support it directly.
You should get a say in the difference we make.
One of the ideas we are most excited about is giving the EcoCard community a genuine role in choosing which causes receive support.
At different times we may shortlist several organisations, community groups or projects and open voting to our members or the wider public.
It means the organisations themselves get an opportunity to tell their story, communities can rally behind the causes they care about and EcoCard can help turn that support into something tangible.
Organisations, members and communities can put worthwhile initiatives forward.
Eligible causes may be shortlisted for a particular EcoCard campaign or funding round.
EcoCard members and, where appropriate, the wider public can help choose who receives support.
We want you to be able to see where support went and the difference it helped make.
Good things come in all shapes and sizes.
We do not want Making a Difference to be limited to one narrow category. There are people and organisations creating positive change across New Zealand in many different ways.
Environment
Conservation, restoration, biodiversity, sustainability and projects helping look after the places we all enjoy.
Local communities
Community projects, volunteer groups, facilities and initiatives making local towns and neighbourhoods stronger.
Health and wellbeing
Organisations helping New Zealanders through difficult circumstances and supporting healthier, happier communities.
Education and opportunity
Initiatives giving people access to skills, education, mentoring, technology and opportunities to succeed.
Sport and participation
Clubs, programmes and community initiatives helping people get involved, participate and belong.
Something extraordinary
Not every great idea fits neatly into a category. If someone is doing something genuinely worthwhile, we want to hear about it.
Sometimes making a difference means more than writing a cheque.
Financial support is one way EcoCard can contribute, but it is not necessarily the only one.
EcoCard is a technology and digital platform. As the programme develops, we may also be able to help selected organisations through technology, promotion, digital services, exposure or connections within the EcoCard community.
The goal is simple: find useful ways to help good organisations do more of what they are already doing.
Funding
Direct financial contributions towards selected causes and projects.
Exposure
Helping worthwhile organisations tell their story to a wider audience.
Technology
Opportunities to provide useful digital tools, services or EcoCard technology.
Connections
Bringing organisations, businesses and communities together where we can.
The bigger the EcoCard community becomes, the more we hope to do.
Making a Difference will grow alongside EcoCard. We are intentionally starting with a flexible model so we can learn what creates the greatest value and build something sustainable for the long term.
Start local
EcoCard is proudly built in New Zealand, so our early focus will be on supporting worthwhile causes and communities here at home.
Learn what works
Different funding rounds, nominations, voting campaigns and forms of support will help us understand where EcoCard can make the biggest difference.
Grow the impact
As the EcoCard community and platform grow, our ambition is for the support we can provide to grow alongside them.
We want to show the difference, not just talk about it.
As Making a Difference develops, this page will become the home for the causes, campaigns and organisations EcoCard supports.
We want to share what was supported, why it was chosen and, where possible, the story of what happened afterwards.
Meet the organisations, projects and communities selected through EcoCard.
See whether support came through community voting, an application or a direct EcoCard initiative.
We will aim to clearly explain the type of support provided through each campaign.
Follow the stories and outcomes created by the organisations receiving support.
The first EcoCard initiatives are coming.
We are currently building the Making a Difference programme and deciding how our first round of support will work.
Our first campaign is coming soon.
Soon you will be able to discover the organisations involved, learn about the work they are doing and, for selected campaigns, help decide where EcoCard's support should go.
Know a cause worth knowing about?
Making a Difference is being built for communities, so we want those communities to help us discover the people and organisations doing great work.
Know someone doing something great?
Tell us about a charity, community group, project, club or organisation you think EcoCard should know about.
Formal nominations will open as individual Making a Difference campaigns are launched.
Doing good work yourself?
If you represent a charity, community organisation or project, future funding rounds will provide opportunities to tell us what you are doing and how EcoCard could potentially help.
Application criteria and campaign details will be published here as each opportunity becomes available.
Every growing EcoCard community creates more opportunity to give back.
You do not need to donate separately or join another programme to be part of what we are trying to build.
Simply choosing EcoCard helps grow the business behind Making a Difference. As that business becomes stronger, so does our opportunity to support worthwhile causes.
About Making a Difference.
Making a Difference is EcoCard's commitment to use some of the success created by the platform to support worthwhile charities, community groups, projects, environmental initiatives and other good causes.
We are still developing the long-term structure of the Making a Difference programme. Rather than committing to a model before we know what creates the greatest impact, different campaigns may use different funding or support approaches. Details will be clearly explained when each initiative is launched.
Eligibility may vary between campaigns. We expect to consider registered charities, community organisations, clubs, environmental projects, educational initiatives and other worthwhile causes throughout New Zealand.
Yes. Community nominations are intended to form an important part of Making a Difference. Formal nomination periods and eligibility requirements will be announced alongside individual campaigns.
For selected campaigns, yes. We want EcoCard members and potentially the wider community to be able to learn about shortlisted causes and help decide where support should go.
Not necessarily. Depending on the organisation and campaign, EcoCard may explore financial contributions, technology, digital services, promotion or other practical forms of support.
As campaigns begin, this page will be updated with the organisations selected, the support provided and stories showing what happened afterwards.
A small card can be part of something bigger.
Create an EcoCard for yourself or your team and help us grow a community built around better connections and doing a little more good along the way.