FIA National Award for Excellence in Fundraising 2024

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Foreword We are delighted to present the 2024 FIA Awards for Excellence in Fundraising.

With a 25-year history, the FIA Awards celebrate the significant achievements of fundraisers, volunteers and teams from charities large and small. The Awards honour fundraisers who set new benchmarks for innovation and overall excellence.

Only with the tremendous support of our Award partners, MonDial Telephone Fundraising and Xponential, were we able to provide a streamlined nominations processes at no charge to our members and we are truly grateful for their investment in celebrating great fundraising.

Equally, the Awards success is only possible with nominations, and we thank everyone who submitted entries. We encourage you to enter future Awards so FIA can continue to showcase the sector’s depth of talent, creativity, and impact.

FIA continues to take a leading role in promoting best practice in the sector and the Awards program is key to fulfilling this objective. To ensure the veracity of the entries, we continued with our audit system which sees a committee of senior fundraising leaders examine a selection of award entries to ensure the validity of all claims. This ensures we stay focused on ethical practice, transparency, and measurability and only reward accordingly. This year as in most, entries met these requirements and clearly demonstrated excellence in fundraising.

An enormous thank you to the 40 judges from around Australia for determining this year’s very deserving winners, and for their contributions to celebrating fundraising excellence overall.

The winner of the Most Outstanding Fundraising Project goes to Amnesty International for their groundbreaking campaign which turned the negative situation of social media abuse and misinformation into a successful matching funds program, meeting each negative comment with a donation– ingenious! Not only did they raise valuable funds, but they engaged donors beyond their generous giving to be activists.

The Arthur Venn Lifetime Achievement Award is the pinnacle. We are delighted to see Allan Godfrey FFIA win this in 2024. His unfailing dedication to the sector and his passion for the fundraising profession is second to none – a worthy winner of this honour!

Success in most things involves working in partnership in some shape or form. Congratulations to the Alannah & Madeline Foundation and EssenceMediacom for their incredible results for Do It For Dolly Day 2023. Increasing their media support by $8M to $15M was astounding and the stronger staff involvement evidences how deeper engagement can lead to better fundraising results.

We firmly believe in celebrating dedication, innovation and creativity in fundraising which is why the Awards are such a vital platform to recognise the exceptional work being carried out in our amazing sector. It’s not just about winning, it’s about shining a spotlight on the hard work, inspiring others and fostering a culture of best practice and excellence, which is what FIA is all about.

Sharon Elliott MFIA Chief Executive Officer

Ethiopiad Australia Chair, FIA Awards Committee

Katherine Raskob Chief Executive Officer Fundraising Institute Australia

About the Awards

The FIA Awards for Excellence in Fundraising are a key component of FIA’s commitment to champion best practice in fundraising.

The Awards recognise and showcase the outstanding initiative, innovation, effort and success of professional fundraisers, volunteers and organisations. They celebrate fundraisers’ hard work and successes across the year, provide an opportunity for acknowledgement by your peers, and promote the role of fundraising in improving our society.

Campaign award submissions went through the judging process at the end of 2023. This culminated in a celebration of finalists at year end events within each state and territory. The finalists were then submitted for further assessment by the National Judging Panel to determine the winner of the Most Outstanding Fundraising Project.

FIA Fellows judged the Young Fundraiser of the Year and Fundraising Team of the Year submissions.

The National Judging Panel assessed the submissions received for the Individual Awards for:

• Arthur Venn Lifetime Achievement Award

• Fundraiser of the Year

• Fundraising Champion of the Year

All of FIA’s winners were announced and celebrated at the fundraising sector’s night of nights on Thursday 29 February 2024, during FIA’s 47th Fundraising Conference in Brisbane.

All submitting organisations should be regarded as leaders in our profession. They represent the passion for the causes supported by each organisation and show their commitment to ethical, transparent and accountable fundraising.

Sponsors

Principal Award Sponsors

Awards Category Sponsors

Print & Mail Sponsor

FIA National Sponsors

Awards Committee

Awards Committee

FIA would like to thank the following members for their contribution to the FIA Awards Committee 2024:

Sharon Elliott MFIA (Chair), Ethiopiaid Australia

Janosh Biczok, The Salvation Army Australia

Ben Cox FFIA, HomeMade Digital

Allan Godfrey FFIA, Royal Life Saving Society WA

Nicole Ilacqua MFIA, Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation

Judges

Lucy Jacka, Cerebral Palsy Alliance

Cassie Magin EMFIA, Vitalstatistix

Grainne Tierney MFIA CFRE, Camp Quality

Marta Zajac MFIA, WWF-Australia

FIA would like to thank the highly experienced and extremely knowledgeable panel of judges for the 2024 Awards for Excellence in Fundraising. Drawn from around the country, these fundraising experts gave their time to assess this year’s entries and determine the best of the best.

National Panel 1

Judges for Fundraising Champion of the Year & Most Outstanding Fundraising Project

• Ben Cox FFIA, HomeMade Digital

• Vicki Rasmussen FFIA CFRE, Charlie’s Foundation for Research

• Trudi Mitchell FFIA, Australia for UNHCR

• Mark Quigley FFIA, Social Venture Consultants

• Tom Duggan CFRE, Medecins Sans Frontieres Australia

National Panel 2

Judges for Arthur Venn Lifetime Achievement Award & Fundraiser of the Year

• Sharon Elliott MFIA, Ethiopiaid Australia

• Katherine Raskob, Fundraising Institute Australia

• Jennifer Doubell FFIA CFRE, Jennifer Doubell & Associates

• Leo Orland FFIA (Emeritus) CFRE, Total Fundraising

• Christine Anderson FFIA CFRE, Australian Conservation Foundation

• Meredith Dwyer FFIA CFRE, HomeMade Digital

Judges

Panel 1

Judges for Fundraising Impact Through Creativity & Fundraising Impact Through Technology

• Allan Godfrey FFIA, Royal Life Saving Society WA

• Kerry Cutting CFRE, Guide Dogs QLD

• Marta Zajac MFIA, WWF-Australia

• Arani Duggan MFIA, NextSense

• Lindsay May FFIA (Emeritus) CFRE

Panel 2

Judges for Impact Through Events & Best Pivot Campaign or Initiative

• Lucy Jacka, Cerebral Palsy Alliance NSW

• Emily Lewis MFIA, Camp Quality

• Marietta Asaad MFIA, Asylum Seeker Resource Centre

• Karen Shields, Great Barrier Reef Foundation

• Kimberly Downes EMFIA CFRE, Kimberly Downes Philanthropy Advisor

Panel 3

Judges for Most Innovative Campaign & Impact on a Shoestring

• Cassie Magin EMFIA, Vitalstatistix

• Nicole Ilacqua MFIA, Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation

• Ron Fairchild FFIA CFRE, Monash Health Foundation

• Christa Bayer MFIA, Lung Foundation Australia

• Hazel Grunwaldt EMFIA, Camp Quality

Panel 4

Judges for Best Strategic Partnership

• Grainne Tierney MFIA CFRE, Camp Quality

• Luke Toebelmann MFIA CFRE, DGB Global

• Helen Merrick FFIA, Mission Australia

• Paige Gibbs FFIA, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research

• Lorraine Mcnuff, Cerebral Palsy Alliance NSW

Panel 5

Judges for Best Supporter Experience & Supplier Team of the Year

• Janosh Biczok, The Salvation Army

• Rebecca Miller FFIA, Foundation for Australia’s Most Endangered Species

• Stephen Bastow, PetRescue

• Rachel Bailey MFIA CFRE, Red Nose Australia

• Josh O’Rourke, The Smith Family

State Panel

Judges for Fundraising Team of the Year & Young Fundraiser of the Year

• Clare MacAdam FFIA CFRE, The Salvation Army

• Vicki James FFIA, Gold Coast Hospital Foundation

• Nola Wilmot FFIA, The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health

• Leanne Dib FFIA, Children’s Tumour Foundation

• Angela Harrison MFIA, Agsafe

• Stephen Mally FFIA CFRE, FundraisingForce

Submitting Organisations

Thank you and congratulations to all of the organisations who entered the FIA Awards for Excellence in Fundraising 2024.

Activ Foundation Inc

Alannah & Madeline Foundation/ Dolly’s Dream

Amnesty International Australia

Anglicare Victoria

Australian Academy of Science

Australian Lions Hearing Dogs

Australian Red Cross

Australian Wildlife Conservancy

Barwon Health Foundation

Bendigo Health Foundation

Berry Street

Beyond Blue

Camp Quality Limited

Cancer Council NSW

Cancer Council SA

Cancer Council Victoria

CARE Australia

Central Highlands Rural Health

Cerebral Palsy Alliance NSW

Childhood Cancer Support

Children’s Cancer Institute Australia

Children’s Hospital Foundation

Children’s Medical Research Institute

Chris O’Brien Lifehouse

Cowboys Community Foundation

DeadlyScience

Emergency Action Alliance

Endeavour Foundation

Ethiopiaid Australia

Feed the Hungry

Foodbank Queensland

Great Barrier Reef Foundation

Guide Dogs

Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research

Hobart City Mission

Humpty Dumpty Foundation

Jesuit Mission Australia Limited

Leukaemia Foundation

LifeFlight Foundation

ManUp! Australia

Monash University

National Breast Cancer Foundation

Oxfam Australia

PayPal Giving Fund

Perth Zoo

Plan International Australia

Prince Alfred College

ReachOut Australia

Red Dust

Ronald McDonald House Charities

Sydney

Royal Flying Doctor Service (Queensland Section)

Royal Flying Doctor Service (South Eastern Section) - RFDS SE

Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia - Western Operations

Royal Flying Doctor Service

Victoria

Royal Life Saving Society WA

Social Ventures Australia

Sporting Wheelies and Disabled Association

St Vincent de Paul NSW

Starlight Children’s Foundation

Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation

Taronga Conservation Society Australia

The Heart Foundation

The Hutchins School

The Kids’ Cancer Project

The Leprosy Mission Australia

The Salvation Army

The Smith Family

Til The Cows Come Home

UNICEF Australia

UnitingCare QLD

Vision Australia

Wayside Chapel

Wesley Mission Queensland

Women’s Community Shelters

World Vision Australia

WWF-Australia

PRINCIPAL AWARD

MOST OUTSTANDING FUNDRAISING PROJECT

The most outstanding entry across all campaign categories.

WINNER Amnesty International Australia

Amnesty International –Trollbait Campaign Team

Tom Beech

Jess Pecar

Mohamed Duar

Nishad Kulkarni

Sponsored by:

Human rights activism is complex and can attract a spectrum of views, ranging from supportive to hostile. Yet, in an increasingly divided and inhospitable online world, our work is increasingly at odds with aggressively asserted misinformation and abuse clearly seen in the comments on our social media.

Misinformation and trolls, while often ignored, are dangerous for two main reasons, they can:

• undermine a lot of our important work with false information

• make comments an emotionally unsafe space for our supporters and the team who are moderating

So, we took action, utilising a group of key supporters to run a new kind of matched-giving campaign. However, instead of matching donations, for one week, key supporters made a secret donation every time we received a misinformation/troll comment.

At the end of the week, we had raised $10k toward the cause the trolls chose to attack.

This appeal was groundbreaking because it changed us.

• It involved our major donors in an idea that felt more like activism and challenged us to think of our donors as not just ‘donors’ but ‘activists’.

• It ignited research and discussion about our trolls - who they are, their behaviour, and how best to manage them.

• It provoked a conversation about the emotional safety of our supporters and moderators.

Ultimately, this idea encouraged us to think about how we can reflect Amnesty’s vision of ‘Challenging Injustice’ in our digital fundraising.

ARTHUR VENN LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

The Arthur Venn Lifetime Achievement Award recognises an FIA Member who has made an outstanding contribution to FIA and the fundraising sector in Australia. The fundraiser should have shown consistent excellence and best practice through their actions, leadership and intellect.

WINNER

Allan Godfrey FFIA

Allan is a passionate and innovative leader who has championed fundraisers and the promotion of best-practice fundraising for over 20 years. Starting his career in the marketing space he still actively participates with ADMA and AMI and has been a dedicated professional fundraiser for 18 years.

Allan currently leads the fundraising team at The Royal Lifesaving Society WA and has taken their fundraising income from a single source to multiple revenue streams. Whether he is looking for technology solutions for raffles or reducing an organisation’s carbon footprint, he is forwarded thinking and creates unique, ‘out of the box’ and impactful solutions. He encouraged the RLSSWA to form a ‘Co-operative’ approach to fundraising, offering the facilities and services to other not-for-profits at cost.

His leadership skills also benefit many others, through voluntary board roles and as a business provider to a number of charities and in his unfailing support of Fundraising Institute Australia (FIA). He clearly understands that the most pressing issue the fundraising sector faces and as such has been a great advocate of FIA and proactive in engaging with regulators and driving improvements in fundraising standards and codes of practice since he joined in 2009.

Sponsored by:

Allan has been the fundraising sector’s ultimate cheerleader. He is always willing to impart his vast knowledge and passion and is a regular presenter at many FIA events. He has attended multiple FIA conferences, IFC international events and regularly attends local events, networking and the annual State Forum. His ongoing support of the Awards program and the Mentoring program further show his commitment to the development of professional fundraising in Australia.

FUNDRAISER OF THE YEAR

The Fundraiser of the Year Award recognises an FIA Member who has made an outstanding contribution to fundraising best practice and to FIA over the period of 5 years. The fundraiser should have shown outstanding fundraising performance, best practice through their actions, uncompromising commitment to ethics, contribution to sector improvement and impact on the fundraising profession.

Sponsored by:

WINNER

Marcus Blease FFIA

Marcus and has nearly 20 years’ experience across a broad range of fundraising areas and is held in very high esteem by the sector. Working his way up to Fundraising Director at the Cancer Council he transformed their entire event portfolio, he then spent many years with Cerebral Palsy Alliance repositioning their brand and leading them to enormous fundraising success. Establishing his own agency, Donor Republic, Marcus has grown it from five staff to over 50, testament to the results that the agency has delivered. His ability to work both strategically and operationally is nothing short of outstanding. Last financial year, Marcus led the strategic development and execution for 14 events raising over $35m. In addition he worked on 608 projects raising $290m.

Marcus is constantly challenging himself to learn new ways to fundraising never hesitating to throw the status quo out the window and encouraging the team to think blue sky before shutting down ideas. He piloted the first ever bespoke journey for gift in Wills prospects for Vision Australia/Seeing Eye Dogs, which resulted in record conversions.

Marcus is a Fellow of FIA, a past FIA Board Director, has been Chair of the Conference Committee and was on the ethics committee. He was also instrumental in the start and growth of the Include a Charity campaign growing its membership and impact enormously. He ensures every employee undertakes the FIA Code training and has a genuine commitment to their ongoing professional education. Marcus volunteers his time and expertise to the sector by attending and presenting at FIA and other fundraising conferences nationally and internationally, mentoring through the FIA program, hosting free webinars, offering in-kind services, sponsoring events and in supporting FIA’s advocacy efforts.

YOUNG FUNDRAISER

OF THE YEAR

The Young Fundraiser of the Year Award rewards a fundraiser aged 30 years or younger who has made a significant contribution to fundraising. The fundraiser should have shown consistent excellence and best practice through their actions, leadership and intellect.

State Winners:

• Em Marriott MFIA (TAS)

• Nicole Ilacqua MFIA (NSW)

• Sabrina Thomas MFIA (WA)

NATIONAL WINNER

Sabrina

Thomas MFIA (WA)

High Commendation

Nicole Ilacqua MFIA (NSW)

Sabrina made the conscious decision to become a fundraiser unlike so many who “fall-into” the profession. Sabrina gained experience in a diverse range of fundraising areas all while showing a positive attitude and genuine desire to provide the best for her community. She has acquired important foundational skills such as receipting, donor calls and relationship building. She’s progressed quickly and is now across donor journey plans, campaign management, community fundraising, public speaking, grants, and major gifts.

Sabrina has five years’ experience in delivering successful fundraising campaigns and discovered a love for data and donor journeys. She has a strong focus on creating exceptional experiences for donors. Giving Days have become one of her strong areas, with an impressive track record of exceeding targets.

Working in such high pressure and emotive environments Sabrina is a natural at developing relationships with kindness and empathy. When meeting families or individuals who have experienced great loss or hardship, she can hear their story with compassion and retell it sensitively to supporters.

She’s committed to professional growth and is a member of the FIA WA Committee and is valued for her wise-beyond-her-years input, and generosity of spirit. She has undertaken a year of professional development in event organisation and is now skilfully delivering FIA WA Forum, the largest local event for WA fundraisers, displaying impressive leadership and organisational skills.

Sabrina’s input into the wider fundraising sector is an inspiration.

12 Awards for Excellence in Fundraising

FUNDRAISING TEAM OF THE YEAR

The Fundraising Team of the Year category recognises internal fundraising teams working across a variety of campaigns to support the ongoing work of the organisation. The focus of the award is on teamwork and leveraging internal resources to achieve the organisation’s fundraising objectives..

State Winners:

• Great Barrier Reef Foundation, External Relations Team (QLD)

• Perth Zoo, Fundraising and Communications Team (WA)

• Plan International Australia, Individual Giving Team (VIC)

• Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation, Major Events Team (NSW)

Sponsored by:

NATIONAL WINNER

Plan International Australia

Individual Giving Team (VIC)

Plan International Australia’s Individual Giving Team demonstrated exceptional dedication and innovation in our fundraising efforts for girl’s rights and equality all around the world. In a year marked by transitions and challenges, the team’s cohesion and adaptability shone. Faced with vacancies and leadership changes, team members stepped up to take on interim positions and exemplified our commitment to achieving fundraising goals. That perseverance and resilience placed us in an incredible position of raising more than $24.5k and exceeding target by $800K

Our response to the global hunger crisis was a standout success, positioning Plan International Australia in the top three performing national offices in our federation. Our strategic use of webinars as a stewardship piece and cross-department collaboration to create unique media engagement further boosted the campaign’s success.

Collaboration and innovation were integral to our team’s achievements. The Regular Giving program shifted to a 4-week payment schedule, generating a remarkable $953k net return annually. Close collaboration with our data and insights teams ensured seamless execution and a positive donor experience.

Our team’s commitment to professional development and industry standards also stands out. We actively participate in industry associations, such as FIA, PFRA, and Philanthropy Australia, with team members also playing active roles within these organisations.

We have demonstrated remarkable teamwork, adaptability, and creativity in our fundraising efforts for FY23.

High Commendation

Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation, Major Events Team (NSW)

FUNDRAISING CHAMPION OF THE YEAR

This award acknowledges the importance and highly valued contribution of ‘non-traditional’ fundraising advocates and supporters within your organisation. Designed to recognise that effective fundraising doesn’t happen in isolation, the award honours a senior executive member of your organisation who does not hold a specific fundraising role, but whose efforts, over and above their role, contribute to, facilitate, grow and support your fundraising success.

JOINT WINNER

Professor Peter Leedman AO

Director, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research

Director of the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, Professor Peter Leedman AO is an esteemed researcher, practicing physician and an exceptional fundraiser. Peter played a key role in leading the team to be awarded the 2023 FIA National Fundraising Team of the Year.

He approaches fundraising with passion and expertise, utilising his extensive knowledge to engage and inspire supporters. He likes to compare fundraising to research. He approaches both with a sense of wonder and an understanding of the risks that come with new initiatives. He always backs the team’s enthusiasm for innovation and is known for saying “I trust you” which is incredibly empowering for the team and a great leadership trait for a Director.

Peter attends all fundraising events and at the Walk for Women’s Cancer, he donned a pink tutu and drove the 35km route handing much needed sweets to tired walkers. He’s a long-time participant in the organisation’s annual charity cycle, the MACA Cancer 200 and is regularly in the top 10 donors. Peter will be the first to a function, speaks to anyone who catches his eye and often stays behind to help pack down and celebrate with the fundraising team.

When COVID hit Peter helped convince the board to maintain the team and keep the events active. That year, events netted record returns. He was successful in lobbying the Federal Government for $375M to co-fund a much-needed Comprehensive Cancer Centre in WA.

Peter is a remarkable leader, a strong advocate for continuous fundraising investment and a champion of Perkin’s supporters and the cause.

FUNDRAISING CHAMPION OF THE YEAR

JOINT WINNER

Adam Treffry

Executive General Manager - The Salvation Army Property Department

Adam Treffry personifies what it means to be a fundraising champion. Leading a national team, he truly understands that the Mission of The Salvation Army can only be enabled through professional, innovative, and collaborative fundraising.

Over the past two years Adam has proactively encouraged and led his staff to seek opportunities to undertake their own fundraising activities. Adam is both the sponsor of these activities and actively participates himself. This plays no role in his job description, so each activity is in addition to his required responsibilities.

Adam has had a fundamental impact on fundraising strategy through the Property team successfully undertaking five Golf Days since 2021, raising over $350K in unrestricted income. The ideas, strategy and execution for the fundraising activities have been completely led by Adam.

These events have been so successful that we are now exploring how they can be scaled nationally, be better resourced internally and led by the Fundraising Team. These Golf Days were not considered by Fundraising until the ‘proofof-concept’ was undertaken by the Property Team under Adam’s sponsorship and are now part of the future growth strategy.

Most importantly, the Fundraising team has learned from Adam with regards to how C-Suite Executives from the suppliers to the Property Portfolio prefer to be engaged, while also actively taking our feedback onboard. This has meant a two-way learning experience that has improved our effective fundraising practices.

MOST INNOVATIVE CAMPAIGN

For fundraising campaigns that challenge the status quo in or outside your organisation

This award recognises campaigns that challenge the status quo and show courage, within your organisation or outside, in trying a different or revolutionary approach to drive fundraising success. Innovation may include: use of new or ground-breaking ideas; or the use of previously untried or untested strategies/activities to achieve fundraising success.

Finalists

Amnesty International Australia Trollbait

Children’s Cancer Institute

Donate Your Age

Emergency Action Alliance

EAA Ukraine Emergency Appeal

National Breast Cancer Foundation

Include a Charity Week 2022

Sporting Wheelies and Disabled Association

The CEO Wheelie Challenge

Sponsored by:

JOINT WINNER

Amnesty International Australia

Trollbait Team

Tom Beech

Jess Pecar

Mohamed Duar

Nishad Kulkarni

High Commendation

National Breast Cancer Foundation

Include a Charity Week 2022

Human rights activism is complex and can attract a spectrum of views, ranging from supportive to hostile. Yet, in an increasingly divided and inhospitable online world, our work is increasingly at odds with aggressively asserted misinformation and abuse clearly seen in the comments on our social media.

Misinformation and trolls, while often ignored, are dangerous for two main reasons, they can:

• undermine a lot of our important work with false information

• make comments an emotionally unsafe space for our supporters and the team who are moderating

So, we took action, utilising a group of key supporters to run a new kind of matched-giving campaign. However, instead of matching donations, for one week, key supporters made a secret donation every time we received a misinformation/troll comment. At the end of the week, we had raised $10k toward the cause the trolls chose to attack.

This appeal was groundbreaking because it changed us.

• It involved our major donors in an idea that felt more like activism and challenged us to think of our donors as not just ‘donors’ but ‘activists’.

• It ignited research and discussion about our trolls - who they are, their behaviour, and how best to manage them.

• It provoked a conversation about the emotional safety of our supporters and moderators.

Ultimately, this idea encouraged us to think about how we can reflect Amnesty’s vision of ‘Challenging Injustice’ in our digital fundraising.

MOST INNOVATIVE CAMPAIGN

JOINT WINNER

Children’s

Cancer Institute

Donate Your Age Team

Anne-Laure Goudy

Paul Wiggins

Briony Doney

Alana Garn

Hans Berents

James Phan

In developing our tax campaign, we needed to address some challenges such as the challenge of the crowded market at this time, the impact of the cost of living and the challenge of engaging a younger demographic. The digital realm also held both opportunities and challenges: how could we inspire people to donate in a digital micro moment, and align our retention and acquisition campaigns seamlessly? Armed with a comprehensive brief, our creative agency Orphan, responded with ingenuity proposing a Donate your Age campaign.

Not everyone gets to live as long as you have. Show your appreciation by donating $1 for every year of life you have been lucky enough to live, and help children beat cancer. It was clear, concise, compelling, and creative. It powerfully resonated with our brand positioning statement: “A life should be long” and it tied in well to the economic realities by lowering the barrier for participation. The creative featuring a child, a researcher and a donor which was a compelling combination. Inspired by the concept, our web agency developed an age calculator that skilfully transformed one’s age into a meaningful donation. Overall, our brand was bolstered, our donor acquisition almost tripled and the campaign’s success laid the foundation for an ongoing campaign. Excitingly, more younger people are now connected to Children’s Cancer Institute’s mission.

IMPACT

THROUGH EVENTS

Bringing people together for greater impact

This award recognises outstanding achievement in fundraising through conducting a special event. Special events should show exceptional development of strategy, efficient execution, clear event uniqueness and significant ROI for the organisation.

Finalists

• Beyond Blue Big Blue Table

• Cancer Council Victoria Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea

• Children’s Cancer Institute Australia 86K for a Cure

• Guide Dogs

The Guide Dogs Graduation: Sharing the joy of giving to acquire, upgrade and reconfirm the gifts in Wills funnel

• Hobart City Mission

Hobart City Mission’s Sleep Rough

• St Vincent de Paul

The Vinnies CEO Sleepout

• Starlight Children’s Foundation

Starlight Super Swim

• Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation

Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation - Gold Dinner 2023

IMPACT THROUGH EVENTS

JOINT WINNER

Guide Dogs

The Guide Dogs

Graduation: Sharing the joy of giving to acquire, upgrade and reconfirm the gifts in Wills funnel Team

Donna Oxley

Tori Larosa

Sarah Watts

Edmund Sullivan

Sally Biles

Kimberlee Brooker

High Commendation

Starlight Children’s Foundation

Starlight Super Swim

Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation

Gold Dinner 2023

Guide Dogs NSW/ACT provides vital services to people living with low vision or blindness. 80% of work is funded by the community of which gifts in Wills accounts for more than 60%. It is imperative to grow the bequest pipeline to ensure the sustainability of future income.

The gifts in Wills event plan is a crucial element of the engagement strategy, whereby Guide Dogs NSW/ACT aims to secure future bequest income. The goal was to acquire supporters into a consideration pipeline and steward them through an engagement journey to become bequestors then nurture the relationship to ensure ongoing support.

Face to face interaction has been by far the most successful form of engagement with up to 25% of attendees at events upgrading their gifts in Wills. Consequently, an event plan has been developed to maximise reach to all supporters, consisting of a series of 40 events with varying formats held in metro and regional NSW/ACT, providing a platform for at least 1,000 meaningful and distinct face to face interactions.

The Guide Dog Graduation was chosen to provide a unique, warm and deeply moving opportunity to showcase the impact of our work featuring powerful narratives from persons with lived experience and with the dogs.

The event significantly outperformed the forecasts. The audience included 162 bequestors, pipeline, supporters and guests, 23% of whom positively advanced through the supporter journey through upgrade, acquisition or reconfirmation.

IMPACT THROUGH EVENTS

JOINT WINNER Beyond Blue

Big Blue Table Team

Beyond Blue

ntegrity

Soda Communications

Atomic 212º

Quantum Market Research

Beyond Blue didn’t have an owned branded event or experience where Australians could engage with us. Post-COVID, demand for our free Support Service remains at an all-time high and the need for a new income stream realised. A target was set to raise $300k in the first year.

Launching in an already crowded marketplace meant the event had to be different to stand-out. Enter “Big Blue Table” — Beyond Blue’s first signature fundraising event. A chance to come together over a meal and start conversations around mental health. Or as we like to say… “Cook up a conversation for a great cause” It’s a fundraising event aimed at creating social impact nationally.

This national ‘Do-It-Yourself’ event could be activated anywhere. A physical host kit delivered to participants including everything from conversation starter cards (that could also be used as handy coasters), fundraising tips, event decorations and even bunting.

Working with ntegrity agency, the event was executed across digital, traditional media, corporate partners, and ambassadors. In October 2022 — Mental Health Month — over 2,100 “Big Blue Tables” popped up in homes, workplaces and communities across the country. $560k was raised — an 86% increase on the pilot year target! The event is estimated to bring in $7M over the next five years, helping over 80,000 people access free mental health support and information. In addition to exceeding financial targets, this fundraising event had a tremendous social impact, with 72% of participants saying they felt more confident talking about mental health.

BEST SUPPORTER EXPERIENCE

For organisations that understand and demonstrate exceptional supporter care and experience

Sponsored by:

This award recognises the successful development and implementation of best-practice donor or supporter experiences. The supporter experience should offer donors deeper engagement with beneficiaries, impact and outcomes; bring them closer to the cause; maintain their interest; extend their support; or increase their lifetime value – just to name a few. These experiences should reflect a deep understanding of donor insights integrated with organisational strategy. This award also recognises the use of effective donor experiences through multi-channel engagement.

Finalists

• Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research

Walk for Women’s Cancer 10th Birthday

• Plan International Australia

From Child Sponsor to Humanitarian Philanthropist - Dave and the Global Hunger Crisis

• Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia

Oceans to Outback

• The Wayside Chapel

The Inner Circle

• WWF-Australia

Engaging More Than Ever Before: WWF’s Multi-Channel Rotational Event Series

22 Awards for Excellence in Fundraising

WINNER

Harry Perkins

Institute of Medical Research

Walk for Women’s Cancer

10th Birthday Team

Tom Lang

Toby Hodgson

April Goss

Kelly Horner

New Town Toyota

Kristin Poh

The Walk for Women’s Cancer has had a long history and in 2019, 472 walkers raised $846k. But their experience was not memorable nor did it reflect their strong connection to the cause or the Perkins. It was in real danger of cancellation. Then COVID hit.

Managing the event ourselves in 2021, we went back to its heart (the cause, cancer) and its champions (the walkers). It’s predominately women who participate, many of whom have lived experiences of women’s cancer. So, we built an experience to reinvigorate the loyal but also draw in a new community of fans. As a result revenue increased year on year.

We wanted to ensure the event felt like a warm hug from someone you love. From the moment you register, you’re stewarded through a personalised journey curated to support and inspire participants and assist them with training and fundraising. Participants are acknowledged as the heroes of this event. We shared their successes and the heartfelt moments we experience together.

In 2023 the aim was to acknowledge those women who had been with us for the last 10 years and celebrate the incredible community of loyal walkers who give so much in the name of WA women’s cancer research. In 2023, 1,168 walkers raised $1.46M.

Because of this event, women’s cancer researchers at the Perkins are guaranteed continuity and provided protection.

FUNDRAISING IMPACT THROUGH CREATIVITY

For campaigns that inspire through creativity

This award recognises the implementation of effective creative to drive fundraising success. Creativity in fundraising can be demonstrated through the application of powerful creative such as compelling messaging, imagery or branding to achieve strategic fundraising impact. Creativity can be expressed through various channels including video, visual story telling and online/offline integration.

Finalists

• Australian Wildlife Conservancy

Valentines Day Appeal

• Beyond Blue Big Blue Table

• Camp Quality Limited

Childhood. Not Cancerhood

• Ethiopiaid Australia

Emergency Relief in Afar

• Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation

Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation Christmas Appeal 2022

• The Smith Family

The Smith Family Winter Appeal 2023

24 Awards for Excellence in Fundraising

WINNER Camp Quality

Limited

Childhood. Not Cancerhood Team

Hazel Grunwaldt EMFIA

Arabella McGinness

Mark Gonzalez

Mihir Razdan

Amber Bootten

Zoe Bishop

High Commendation

Beyond Blue

Big Blue Table

Appeals at Camp Quality had been in a downward trajectory the last few years. As Camp Quality supports kids with cancer, our creative needs to strike a balance between darkness/light and get to our core message - every child deserves a childhood with memories of having fun with their family, not one defined by chemo, hospitals, and isolation.

Knowing from research and history that children and health remained close to donors’ hearts, so our strategy was to align the creative to this motivation. The appeal tagline was discovered in an archive – Childhood. Not Cancerhood. Our case study, 6-year-old Sophie is obsessed with unicorns. She wanted us to include at least one unicorn – so we did. The campaign juxtaposed fun childhood activities with cancer treatment e.g., Camp. Not Chemo, Hula Hoops not Hospitals etc. highlighting how Camp Quality gives back so much that they miss out on. The creative from the DM pack was used across eDMs, social media, the website, donation forms and the receipt. We had planned one matching day for 13 June.

We were also offered an additional $10k so we created different creative as the donor was linked to V8 racing. We aligned the fun elements of our brand with some ‘wheely’ great racing puns.

The 2023 Tax Appeal more than doubled our 2022 results making $351k from 2,056 donors (up by 700).

IMPACT ON A SHOESTRING

Small budget, big impact

This award recognises fundraising that achieves significant impact when limited investment is available. This includes limited operational budgets, human and other resources that deliver fundraising success. Providing smaller charities the opportunity to highlight and celebrate their fundraising successes, this category is for organisations with annual fundraising turnover of up to $2,000,000; and a campaign budget of up to $30,000 (not including staff costs).

Finalists

• DeadlyScience

5000 Books

• Sporting Wheelies and Disabled Association

The CEO Wheelie Challenge

• Wesley Mission Queensland Hummingbird House Sponsor A Nurse

26 Awards for Excellence in Fundraising

WINNER Sporting Wheelies and Disabled Association

The CEO Wheelie Challenge Team

Rosina Cardaklija MFIA

Inga Robinson

April Coulson

We utilised our limited resources in our CEO Wheelie challenge to have a large impact.

One of the key components of the campaign was that the participants were executives, CEOs, and community leaders. This meant that all participants had large networks, and because there was incentive for them to raise the most funds, they would share the campaign to these extensive audiences to gain support. This expanded the reach of our campaign, increased awareness and helped raise more funds without having to spend resources on marketing.

The purpose of this campaign was to raise awareness about the obstacles people in wheelchairs face in daily life, particularly in the workplace, and change them, as well as to raise funds to aid in our overall organisational mission to make active goals of all levels possible for people with disabilities. The funds raised would go directly into supporting our cause through a range of state-wide health and fitness programs.

As an overall fundraising strategy, Sporting Wheelies utilises corporate partnerships to boost our services, help raise funds, grow awareness, and continue our mission. We continuously try to build relationships with businesses who can use our services including corporate group workshops, accessibility assessments and parasport experiences. Our campaign exposed us to many different companies and businesses, opening the opportunity for partnerships in the future.

As CEOs decided to participate in the challenge, they were introduced to all aspects of our charity, allowing them to better understand what we do and how they can help.

BEST STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP

Working in partnership to achieve more

Sponsored by:

This award recognises highly successful partnerships that achieve mutual benefit and fundraising success. This includes partnerships between charities and groups such as companies, trusts, foundations, community groups, media outlets, individuals, ambassadors and other NFPs.

Finalists

• Alannah & Madeline Foundation

Dolly’s Dream and EssenceMediacom Do It For Dolly Day 2023

• Beyond Blue

Beyond Blue and Australia Post Strategic Partnership - When We Connect, We Feel Better

• Emergency Action Alliance

Collaborating for Impact

• Great Barrier Reef Foundation

Australian Fundraising Go Green Program - Plant a Coral

• Monash University

Monash University & The Invergowrie Foundation. Monash Virtual School: removing financial and geographical barriers to STEM education

• Starlight Children’s Foundation

Purple Haze - Stronger Together

• The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army & Mirvac: Transformation House

28 Awards for Excellence in Fundraising

WINNER

Alannah & Madeline Foundation

Dolly’s Dream and EssenceMediacom Do It For Dolly Day 2023

In 2022 EssenceMediacom came on board as our pro bono media partner for our annual fundraising campaign Do It For Dolly Day, dedicated to bringing the community together and uniting to take a stand against bullying.

As a small team with limited resources, we rely on our partners to help grow participation. We knew we needed help to use media to drive scale and reach. EssenceMediacom were able to provide $8.6M in media value for us in 2022.

High Commendation

Great Barrier Reef Foundation

Australian Fundraising Go Green Program - Plant a Coral

But in 2023, by putting all their weight behind the campaign, engaging as many of their media partners as possible and their entire staff, EssenceMediacom encouraged 38 publishers to donate $15.5M in media value. To put this into perspective, we had a media budget of $81,000 for the whole campaign!

EssenceMediacom says, “Our partnership with Dolly’s Dream is so important to our business and our people. It perfectly aligns with our agency values of never walking by. Their staff fundraising hit new heights, up from $35k last year to $50k!”

The 2023 campaign and anti-bullying messaging was everywhere. Cinema advertising, tram stops, side of buses, radio, TV, print. We raised $802.6k which is a 30% increase on last year, and there were 1,070 community fundraising activities that took place which is a 32% increase on 2022. EssenceMediacom media value increased by 80%, along with its Australian reach which grew by 42%.

This partnership has been instrumental in growing our campaign and highlighted how a charity relationship can be embedded across a whole commercial organisation.

BEST PIVOT CAMPAIGN OR INITIATIVE

For fundraising campaigns and initiatives that adapted and excelled in response to a critical fundraising challenge

This award recognises fundraising campaigns or initiatives that have been pivoted in response to a critical fundraising challenge. The ‘pivot’ can be the change or adaptation of an existing campaign or initiative due to an internal / external challenge that poses significant risk to future income growth and sustainability within the fundraising program. e.g. responding to a high rate of attrition within a Regular Giving program, dwindling attendance at events by going digital, drop in corporate sponsorship by changing the case for support and donor segmentation of a direct mail campaign.

Finalists

• Austin Health

Olivia’s Walk for Wellness - ntegrity & Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre at Austin Health

• Chris O’Brien Lifehouse

Tax Appeal 2023 - Early Career Research

• Oxfam Australia

June 2022 Hunger & Conflict Appeal

Sponsored by:

30 Awards for Excellence in Fundraising

WINNER

Austin Health

Olivia’s Walk for Wellness - ntegrity & Olivia NewtonJohn Cancer Wellness & Research Centre at Austin Health Team

Elise Fagone

Penelope Sanderson

Garth Stirling

Merryn Allen

High Commendation

Chris O’Brien Lifehouse

Tax Appeal 2023 - Early Career Research

Dame Olivia Newton-John was the founding champion, voice and face of the pioneering, world-class, Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre (ONJ Centre) which is part of Austin Health and supports thousands of cancer patients physically, mentally and spiritually.

The ONJ Centre runs an annual event: “Olivia’s Walk for Wellness”. Having faced a plateau then decline of performance through COVID, the 2022 event needed to be the biggest fundraiser to date and a $50,000 media spend was allocated to reach the $1M target.

Then the unthinkable happened. Olivia passed away. Everyone was heartbroken and went into emergency mode agreeing that this was the time to honour Olivia’s life. The go-live date was in 12 days’ time and the focus needed to change to capture and celebrate the vision and inspiration Olivia brought to so many on her cancer journey.

So, we took a deeper dive to get to know her better and the more we learned, the more we understood what she stood for: joy, care and positivity. She was simply effervescent and used to sign off every message: “Love + light, Olivia”.

And there it was. Olivia unknowingly gave us our concept… “Love + Light”.

The concept translated into online and offline elements and invited returning and new participants alike to honour Olivia’s memory and her legacy by bringing love and light to those living with cancer. The result? An outpouring of grief, love, and support for Olivia and the walk achieved 262% of the $1M fundraising target.

FUNDRAISING IMPACT THROUGH TECHNOLOGY

For campaigns that utilise technology to drive fundraising outcomes

This award recognises the exceptional use of technology to create or strengthen campaigns and drive powerful fundraising outcomes.

Campaigns acknowledged in this category must focus on the use of technology to drive fundraising. This could include technology that is new or previously unused by their organisation, or the refinement or adaptation of existing technology to achieve fundraising success. Technology examples include, but are not limited to, digital technology, AI, CRM, NTFs, cryptocurrency and social media.

Finalists

• Australian Academy of Science Celebrate Science

• Australian Red Cross

Tapping into Tech: Red Cross pioneers fundraising growth through innovation

Proudly sponsored by:

32 Awards for Excellence in Fundraising

WINNER

Australian Red Cross

Tapping into Tech: Red Cross pioneers fundraising growth through innovation Team

Vanessa Byrne MFIA

Karl Uhrich

Lenny Elario

Carolyn Piggott

In 2022, the fundraising team laid the groundwork for an ambitious plan to reshape its data strategy using advanced segmentation models, machine learning, to gain deep insights into our donors. The primary goal being to foster a unified culture driven by actionable insights, and deliver a holistic donor lifecycle. Here’s a glimpse into progress so far:

1. We focused on data tech to improve donor engagement and fundraising outcomes making informed decisions based on insights as to likely behaviours and preferences.

2. AI and machine learning play a central role in our new data strategy. Dataro’s machine learning toolkit fits neatly into a new tech stack that aims to capture a comprehensive 360-degree profile of supporters. We leverage propensity models to inform a holistic view of donors, which enables more personalised, targeted and timely communications.

3. Our new tech stack has enabled us to identify prospective midvalue donors with precision, to anticipate those most likely to confirm a gift in Will so we could engage them early and refine our targeting strategies for crucial campaigns to improve ROI. The 2022 festive appeal, for example, saw significant income growth –up $266K from targeting a pool of mid-value prospects.

Testing a new bequest prospect methodology has also led to exponential growth in the bequest pipeline – with an incredible 100% of new confirmed gifts in Wills coming from the pool of prospects scored highly by the AI model.

SUPPLIER TEAM OF THE YEAR

Nominated by a member charity

This award recognises suppliers who have established significant relationships and delivered significant outcomes (financial or other) for member organisations through fundraising activities and campaigns. Nominated by an FIA Member nonprofit/charity, the relationship, ethics, management and fundraising outcomes will be considered.

Finalists

• Adflex Marketing

Nominated by: Royal Life Saving Society Western Australia

• Magnetic Nominated by: Anglicare Victoria

• Strategic Grants

Nominated by: Royal Flying Doctor Service Victoria

WINNER

Magnetic

Nominated by Anglicare Victoria

Magnetic is a small, dynamic and outstanding creative agency that helps organisations authentically connect with their audience through the development of branding, advertising, communications, video and websites.

The impact of Magnetic on fundraising at Anglicare Victoria is unparalleled in the history of the organisation. They have helped to substantially lift the quality of fundraising so it reached the level of sophistication required of an organisation that is now regarded as one of the largest in Victoria, growing by almost $100M in the last six years to a become a $200M+ charity.

Whilst organisational income has grown by approximately 15% yearon-year, fundraising income growth has not kept pace. We knew it was critical to diversify funding beyond government revenue that constitutes the majority of our income and ensure support for service innovations and reform work to improve the lives of those most marginalized.

The first trial with Magnetic was undertaken in 2021 and from there, we have expanded their portfolio to cover AV’s appeals, Impact Reports, AV Regular Giving Product, Team Better Tomorrows, and also general communications

The percentage growth in revenue from winter appeals after two consecutive years of using Magnetic for appeal content has been a staggering 109%, with income achieving $760k in 2023 – a remarkable improvement given AV first introduced strategic fundraising to the organisation in 2020.

Principal Award Sponsors