2009 Australasian Fundraiser of the Year
Finalists Announced
Small Nonprofit Category
Ashley Rosshandler
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Karma Currency Foundation
Ashley's nomination was out of left field as he developed a completely new way to raise funds by selling charity gift vouchers. Coming into the nonprofit sector after a career in advertising, Ashley's fundraising nous was not constrained by more traditional thinking or conventional fundraising practices. Ashley spotted a need, identified the niche, and launched Karma Currency Foundation in 2006 with a mission to raise funds for charities on a broad scale.
Neil McWhannell
Chief Executive Officer
HeartKids Australia
After an extensive teaching career including roles as principal at leading independent schools, Neil undertook a career change by joining HeartKids Australia. As the organisation's first CEO in 2006, Neil was responsible for unifying the pre-existing state groups under one brand and one direction. From a standing start two years ago, the organisation is now raising around $875,000 a year, and a new online event endorsed by some of Australia's leaders including the prime minister and governor general is raising significant dollars.
Large Nonprofit Category
Christer King Edeborg
Marketing and Communications Manager
Samaritan's Purse Australia
Starting from a low base in 2005/06, Christer has helped grow fundraising income almost 30 fold in a short space of time. Strong emphasis on building the supporter base through direct mail and revamping the organisation's communications with donors including better newsletters and a structured online approach have been important parts of the growth story. Christer has been a keen exponent of pay-per-click tactics on social networking websites to acquire new supporters.
Nicola Stewart
National Marketing and Fundraising Manager
The Fred Hollows Foundation
When Nicola joined Fred Hollows Foundation in 2006 the donor database was shrinking and change was needed. She has successfully ushered in structural transformations which have helped the foundation increase its fundraising from $8 million a year in 2005 to around $22 million a year by the end of 2009. Some of the key areas Nicola and her team have worked on to turn fundraising around have been: building regular giving into a flagship program; developing a cash positive donor acquisition model; and revamping donor communications and retention strategies.
Maureen Collins
Development Manager
Australia for UNHCR
As a newbie to fundraising in 2007, Maureen has been able to adapt the experience and expertise from her extensive corporate sports background to make a success of her role at Australia for UNHCR. By listening to colleagues and hooking up with a couple of mentors, she has learned quickly. Maureen has launched a successful major gifts program and implemented the "Power of 10" initiative with PWC which raised over US$4 million from the global PWC workforce in just 10 days with just five weeks lead time. One of her new projects is the "Kids Desk Drive" which will roll out to 10,000 schools across Australia and potentially attract many supporters.
Jane Wynter
Benefaction Manager
Art Gallery of NSW
After joining the Art Gallery of NSW initially for a temporary 4-month stint 15 years ago, Jane now finds she is one of the fixtures. This is clearly a case of somebody finding their ideal job and making good. In recent years Jane has helped build the capital base of the gallery from $19 million in 2004 to $29 million in 2008. Possibly the culmination of her time at the gallery occurred last year when, in the space of just 12 months, Jane helped orchestrate a $16 million capital campaign to purchase a stunning new artwork.
Winners will be announced in the upcoming October/ November edition of the magazine.
Award Partners
NGO Recruitment (www.ngorecruitment.com) and the International Fundraising Congress (www.resource-alliance.org/ifc) are key partners in making the award possible.
More Info
Phone: +61 2 4920 9474
Email: editor@fpmagazine.com.au
