However, the market for giving is not only local or national - worthy global causes and events such as the Nepal earthquake mean the charity dollar is stretched even further.
Ms Johnson said one problem for the SPCA was it received no government funding, despite what many people thought.
SPCA Rotorua handles as many animals as SPCA Christchurch but receives funding from a far smaller population, Ms Johnson said. Despite the generosity of locals, the huge amount of animal traffic can be overwhelming.
Ms Johnson said all funding was appreciated, as it could transform the life of an animal. "Every dollar - or even 50c - makes a difference."
Nationwide, charitable giving is up on previous years.
According to the latest figures released by Charities Services, income for registered charities is steadily increasing, up from $13.6 billion in 2009-10 to almost $16.2 billion. However, this data has been self-reported by charities and was not required to be audited.
The figures include government grants and contracts for delivering public services.
The education, training and research sector has been one of the big movers, gaining an extra $1.5 billion over the past five years and taking 41.3 per cent of the nationwide charity income.
The health sector however, has lost ground. Health causes drew more than 23 per cent of the charitable dollar in 2009-10 ($3.2 billion) but now receive just 17.5 per cent ($2.8 billion).
Fundraising Institute chief executive James Austin said public donations were increasing, despite common sentiment.
The increase in op shops and second-hand goods stores, such as those run by Hospice New Zealand and the Salvation Army, enables aid to be provided to more New Zealanders, Mr Austin said.
Almost 1700 new registered charities have been established in New Zealand since 2009, pushing the number to almost 27,000.
