FIA Awards for Excellence winners announced
Friday, 26 February 2021 – Fundraising Institute Australia (FIA) announced the winners of the 21st Awards for Excellence in Fundraising at a virtual awards ceremony this afternoon.
This year, the awards program featured 13 categories and 173 entries judged by 44 senior fundraisers working for a range of fundraising organisations. Two new awards were added for 2021 – Best Pivot Campaign and Fundraiser of the Year – while the Arthur Venn Award has evolved into a lifetime achievement award.
FIA chief executive Katherine Raskob said the entries were very strong for 2021. She thanked the “amazing judges” without whom the awards would not happen. “We had our largest contingent of judges this year, judging our largest number of entries ever,” she said.
Ben Cox, chief executive of Gold Coast Hospital Foundation and chair of the awards advisory committee, added: “We saw brilliant work all around, with some categories like Best Pivot and Supplier Team of the Year hotly contested and ending up with joint winners. Congratulations to all winners in 2021 and thanks to everyone who entered this year’s awards.”
The 2021 winners are as follows:
Arthur Venn Lifetime Achievement Award
Wendy Scaife, associate professor and director, QUT – Australian Centre for Philanthropy and Non-Profit Studies
Fundraiser of the Year
Trudi Mitchell, deputy national director, Australia for UNHCR
Young Fundraiser of the Year
Luke Toebelmann, corporate partnerships manager, Brotherhood of St. Laurence
Volunteer of the Year
Christopher Brambleby – nominated by Cystic Fibrosis Western Australia
Fundraising Team of the Year
Brotherhood of St. Laurence – fundraising and philanthropy team
Principal Award – Most Outstanding Fundraising Project
Arts Centre Melbourne – Arts Wellbeing Collective COVID-19 Crisis Appeal
Most Innovative Campaign
Bush Heritage Australia– Primed Prospect Conversion By Collaborative Partners Conversr, More Impact, LemonTree and Cornucopia Fundraising
Impact on a Shoestring
St John’s Care – St John’s Care Emergency Appeal
Best Strategic Partnership
Brotherhood of St Laurence– Brotherhood of St. Laurence and ANZ: Financial Wellbeing for All
Impact Through Events
MS Research Australia – The May 50K
Best Pivot or Initiative Award (joint winners)
Arts Centre Melbourne – Arts Wellbeing Collective COVID-19 Crisis Appeal and Lifeline Australia – Lifeline’s ’30 Seconds to Save a Life’ Campaign
Best Supporter Experience
Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research – MACA Cancer 200 – Ride for Research
Fundraising Impact through Creativity
Berry Street – ‘A Sign of Love’ – Tax Campaign 2020
Supplier Team of the Year (joint winners)
Donor Republic (nominated by Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research) and Parachute Digital (nominated by Asylum Seeker Resource Centre)
FIA thanks all sponsors for their generosity in sponsoring the 2021 awards: Precision Fundraising and Mondial Telephone Fundraising (Principal Awards Sponsors); Blackbaud (Young Fundraiser of the Year); clarety.community (Most Innovative Campaign); Database Consultants Australia (Best Pivot Campaign or Initiative); Shorthand (Fundraising Impact Through Creativity); and Donor Republic (Fundraising Team of the Year).
About Fundraising Institute Australia (FIA)
FIA is the largest representative body for the $10.5 billion fundraising sector. FIA members include charities and other fundraising not-for-profits operating domestically and internationally as well as the organisations and professionals that provide services to them. FIA advocates for the interests of the sector, administers a self-regulatory Code, educates fundraising practitioners, promotes research, and creates forums for the exchange of knowledge and ideas.
For more information:
Kim Carter
FIA PR
0407 771 698 /kcarter@fia.org.au
