National FIA Award Winners - Flying High

Service in WA which successfully raised $17 million has won the FIA’s 2007 Most Outstanding Fundraising Campaign Award.

Working for the campaign, Don Humphries secured the first significant gift of $1 million from Westfarmers, one of WA’s icon companies leading by example in corporate social responsibility.

Part of the strategy was to recruit 1,000 women to pledge a minimum of $1,000 each. The strategy was soon amended to include men in the pledging target which raised nearly $1 million.

An extraordinary average gift of almost $60,000 was received during the campaign, highlighting the generosity of Australians who, overall, gift $11 billion annually to charitable causes in Australia.

Fundraising Institute of Australia’s Awards for Excellence in Fundraising have been running for almost thirty years, since shortly after 1968 when the professional association commenced.

Among other national award winners were:
Epilepsy Action Australia NSW tax appeal 2006
Technical Aid to the Disabled NSW ‘My First Bike’, a media campaign to raise awareness and gifts
The Fred Hollows Foundation NSW May Appeal 2006
Peter MacCallum Cancer Foundation Vic Unaddressed acquisition 2006
Austin Health Vic ROCKINC, a corporate battle of the bands

Inducted into the Hall of Fame for outstanding consistency in fundraising:
Kids Under Cover Vic
St Vincent de Paul Society NSW and WA
Kindergarten Parents Vic
Lost Dogs Home Vic

The 30th Annual International FIA Conference called Fresh Perspectives was a sell out at the Melbourne venue in February, bringing together headline speakers such as AFL boss Andrew Demetriou and singing icon and philanthropist, Olivia Newton-John (via video link).

At the FIA Annual General Meeting, FIA members voted to develop a new membership category for organisations ensuring that FIA will continue to move forward with its reform agenda in ethics and professional conduct.

FIA CEO Sue-Anne Wallace says this is a significant change to FIA’s focus which was previously confined to individuals and reflects its increasing work with governments on legislation and regulation of fundraising.

For more information on all the awards go to: www.fia.org.au