Frequently asked questions

Swell Charities Limited has been established for charitable purposes. Our role is different from a traditional frontline charity — we don't exist to deliver one specific service ourselves. We exist to strengthen other charities by building new funding pathways they can access. All income, capital and assets of Swell are directed toward advancing charitable outcomes, and no activity is carried on for private profit.

Swell Charities Limited has been established for charitable purposes and is working through the appropriate steps for charitable registration. Until registration is confirmed, we describe Swell as a New Zealand company established for charitable purposes. Once registration is complete, we'll update the website with the relevant details.

No. swell.org.nz is an informational website only. It explains who Swell is, what we're building, and how charities can start a conversation with us. This site doesn't sell lottery tickets, accept donations, process payments or run prize draws. Any future lottery or ticketing activity would operate through a separate platform with its own terms, privacy documentation, eligibility rules and compliance process.

No. Powered Lotteries are how Swell partners with charities today, but they're not all we'll ever do. Over time we may add other ways to raise money together, such as sponsorship or media-led campaigns. Each one will be tested against our charitable purpose, the law and public trust.

No. Each Powered Lottery is shaped around the charity we're partnering with: its cause, its supporters and its stage. Early on, we expect to partner with smaller charities on smaller prizes. That keeps the risk sensible while we build the systems and trust needed for bigger lotteries.

Even smaller public fundraising campaigns take time, structure and operational support — campaign strategy, prize sourcing, compliance, public communications, digital systems, ticketing, privacy, customer support, reporting and issue management. Swell exists to carry that infrastructure so charities don't have to build it from scratch. The charity brings its mission, story and impact; Swell brings the campaign structure, delivery capability and support systems.

We are interested in charities with strong purpose, clear community impact and a genuine funding challenge. Size is not the main factor. In many cases, smaller charities have some of the clearest stories and strongest community connections.

A public campaign does need a few foundations in place, but they do not need to be perfect. The most important things are that your charity can explain the work you do, show how extra funding would help, work with us on the story, and provide basic information before and after a campaign.

Swell's role is to bring the campaign structure, support and systems around you, so your charity does not have to build that infrastructure alone.

We look for alignment between a charity's mission, impact, governance, funding need, audience potential and readiness for a public campaign. We're cause-agnostic — Swell may work across areas such as housing, health, hardship, youth, education, environment, families, community wellbeing, social disadvantage and more. The common thread is impact: we want to work with charities that are trusted, well-governed and capable of using new funding to create meaningful outcomes.

Potentially, yes. Swell isn't intended to replace existing funders, donors, sponsors or fundraising activity — it's designed to add another pathway. Where a charity already has fundraising partners or funder obligations, we'd want to understand any restrictions, conflicts, exclusivity arrangements or reputational issues before developing a campaign.

No. Swell is designed to strengthen charities, not compete with them. We don't exist to divert ordinary donations away from frontline organisations — we exist to create additional funding pathways that charities can access, growing the overall pool of support through campaigns that combine generosity, storytelling, participation and scale.

Swell is most relevant for charity leaders, trustees, board members, fundraising leads, partnership managers, CEOs, founders or senior staff responsible for growth and funding strategy. The first step is always a conversation — we'll take time to understand your organisation, funding challenge and impact goals, and whether Swell may be a good fit. Submitting an enquiry doesn't create a partnership or guarantee a campaign will proceed; any formal campaign requires further due diligence, written agreements, approval processes and compliance work.

At an early stage, we'd usually want to understand who your charity serves, the problem you're trying to solve, your current funding challenge, your public profile and communication channels, your ability to support campaign storytelling, and any reputational, operational or compliance concerns. If there's a strong fit, more detailed financial, legal, governance, privacy, impact and reporting information may be needed before any campaign is developed.

Potentially, there may be no cost to the charity at all.

The intention behind Swell is to reduce the burden on charity partners, not add another upfront cost. Each campaign is assessed on its own structure, prize type, costs, risks and expected outcomes. Before any campaign proceeds, Swell and the charity partner agree how the model works, what is being funded, how campaign costs are treated, and how net proceeds are calculated and shared between the charitable partners.

A charity should never be asked to enter a campaign without clear written terms and a clear understanding of any costs, obligations or risks.

Swell takes on the bulk of the campaign structure, compliance pathway and delivery process, as our contribution to the joint undertaking, with appropriate professional support. For lottery-based fundraising, this includes working within the relevant New Zealand legal and regulatory framework, including Department of Internal Affairs requirements where they apply. Charity partners shouldn't need to separately build all of that capability themselves — Swell taking on that complexity is part of what the partnership is for, so the charity can focus on its mission, story and impact.

If you'd like to understand the underlying rules yourself, see our plain-English guide to NZ lottery law.

A Swell campaign is a partnership. The charity owns its mission, brand, story, community and impact; Swell manages the campaign structure, delivery model, partner coordination, public communication, support systems and reporting. The roles and responsibilities of each party — including approval rights, brand use, public messaging and data handling — are clearly documented before any campaign goes to market. The handling of funds is set out clearly before a campaign begins, and any lottery or ticketing campaign must comply with applicable legal, regulatory, accounting and reporting requirements.

This is one of the reasons Swell exists. Fundraising campaigns can create meaningful upside, but they also carry operational, financial and reputational risk that many charities don't have the time, team or appetite to manage alone. Our role is to structure campaigns carefully, manage delivery and work through risk before launch — and the response to underperformance depends on the agreed campaign structure, which is why every campaign needs clear written terms covering responsibilities, costs, reporting and decision points.

Charities should think carefully before attaching their name to any public fundraising campaign — the main risks are public misunderstanding, unclear communication, poor customer support, weak compliance and uncertainty about where funds go. Swell is designed to reduce these risks through clear charity agreements, regulatory compliance processes, transparent fund distribution, collaborative go-to-market planning, responsible public communication and phone-based public support. We work with charity partners on campaign messaging and approvals before anything goes to market, so your name, brand and mission are represented accurately and respectfully.

Yes — public clarity is important. For any campaign involving a charity partner, the public should understand which charity is being supported, what the campaign is for, how participation contributes to charitable outcomes, and where to find the relevant terms and information. The exact public messaging is developed collaboratively with the charity partner.

Yes — reporting is a core part of the model. Charity partners should be able to understand campaign performance, funds raised, costs, how proceeds were shared, public engagement and any other relevant outcomes. The exact reporting format depends on the campaign structure, but transparency is central to how Swell is being built.