Exclusive: Givealittle CEO urges Kiwis to give more easily

New Zealand may well be generous, but according to Lythan Chapman, its people haven't yet realised how simple it could be to give consistently.

As CEO of Givealittle, the country's leading online fundraising platform, Chapman has seen first‑hand how technology and trust underpin giving. Now she's urging a shift: integrate giving into every payday via payroll giving.

"We are New Zealand's trusted home of online fundraising," she said. "We enable generosity in a way that's easy, safe and meaningful." Chapman emphasised that Givealittle is both a charity and a tech company, operating under regulation "like a bank," while innovating continuously behind the scenes.

The organisation has now handled over $325 million in donations across its lifetime - a testament, Chapman believes, to Kiwis' goodwill. But what gives she most hope now is enabling them to commit small amounts automatically.

"Technology underpins everything we do. We can't function without it," she said. "Right now, we're exploring how to make transactions quicker and more efficient - things like tap‑and‑go QR codes and real‑time donation visibility."

Central to Chapman's mission is removing friction from giving - particularly by reviving payroll giving, which has existed in New Zealand since 2010 but remains underused. She sees the cause not in lack of willingness, but in lack of awareness.

"Most Kiwis don't know payroll giving exists," she said. "It takes two minutes to set up. Employers can offer it with minimal admin." Chapman argued that employers' systems already support payroll giving, and the only real barrier is knowing it's possible.

She defines payroll giving as "making giving proactive and sustainable – think of it as 'kindness on autopilot', or a bit like a Spotify subscription model but for social good!" The shift, she said, is from episodic donations to habitual generosity.

Chapman also cited real benefits for workplaces. "What we're hearing from HR teams is that it's easy, and it improves staff wellbeing," she said. "It's not the employer telling people where to give - it's entirely their choice. And sometimes, the employer even matches the donation." That sense of support and choice, she argues, strengthens connection between staff and employer.

She contrasted this with the piecemeal charitable models dominant in many organisations: volunteer days, campaign pledges, crisis appeals. "Payroll giving shifts this entirely," she said. "Payroll giving creates a culture of ongoing, embedded generosity, where every pay cycle is a chance to make a difference."

In her view, the future of charitable giving is changing fast, driven by technology that allows giving to become part of everyday life.

"Technology is going to remove barriers to giving and add more meaning," she said. "We're moving away from coins in a tin to everyday micro‑donations via your phone, or even at the supermarket." She also predicts people will increasingly donate to individuals or peer fundraisers they trust, not just large institutions.

Chapman feels strongly that people's emotional experience of giving should be part of the design. "You feel good about helping your friend… you feel good about helping sometimes even a stranger," she said. "That feeling of being good doesn't just last five minutes… if you feel that, it is being appreciated within work parameters, it makes you feel happier to be at work, because you feel supported."

Her own background - a mix of law, marketing, and international leadership across six countries - informs her understanding of connection and generosity. "We are a humble nation," she said. "People are generous but don't necessarily want everyone to know they're being generous." That humility, she believes, makes anonymity in giving essential.

Chapman also sees the contrast between New Zealand and other nations when it comes to workplace giving. She asked why Kiwis lag behind the UK and Australia, noting that in those countries payroll‐giving is normalized, supported and publicised. By comparison, she says, New Zealand has "no reporting framework, no visibility, and no incentive for employers to lead."

For Chapman, the mission is clear: to cultivate a culture where giving is routine, not exceptional, and to back it with smart systems and trust.

"We are one of the most generous countries in the world," she said. "With the right tools, I think we can go even further."