The Code Authority is responsible for administration of the Code. It proactively monitors fundraising activities of FIA members, ensures that Code complaints and appeals are handled in a fair and equitable manner, and makes recommendations to the FIA Board for improvements to sector self-regulation.
Code Administration
Guidelines for administration of the FIA Code can be viewed here.
Code Authority Members
Peter Debnam
Peter Debnam was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing the electorate of Vaucluse between 1994 and 2011. He was also a former leader of the New South Wales Liberal Party, leader of the opposition and shadow minister for Western Sydney, Redfern/Waterloo and Citizenship. He also held the shadow portfolios of Treasury, Police, Transport, Planning, Energy and Infrastructure. Read more here.
Shanthini Naidoo FFIA, CFRE, GAICD
Shanthini is the CEO of the St Vincent’s Curran Foundation which is the fundraising organisation for St Vincent’s Health Network Sydney Australia and St Vincent’s Private Hospitals in Sydney and Griffith, NSW. She has over 20 years of leadership, marketing and fundraising experience in iconic Australian institutions, including the National Gallery of Australia, Taronga and Western Plains Zoos and Sydney Opera House.
Karen Shields MFIA
Karen Shields is the Director of Individual Giving at Great Barrier Reef Foundation. She is an experienced not-for-profit leader with 15 years in fundraising and strategic management. Read more here.
Nerida Wallace
Nerida is a Victorian legal practitioner (registered) and advisor with over 40 years’ experience in senior management, courts, government policy, law reform and the design and reform of dispute resolution systems.
Allan Godfrey B.Bus (Mktg), FFIA, FAMI, CPM
Allan is a leading marketing & fundraising professional, with over 30 years practical experience in the marketing management.
Allan has a Bachelor of Business Majoring in Marketing, is a Fellow of the Australian Marketing Institute (AMI) and a Certified Practising Marketer (CPM). Allan is also Fellow of the Fundraising Institute of Australia (FIA).
Allan has led Royal Life Saving Society WA marketing and fundraising strategy since 2005, driving revenue growth through innovation and best practice, and also led the delivery of marketing campaigns for other not for profits raising over $80M.
Allan is a dedicated community and industry volunteer.
Allan was a FIA National Board Member (6 years), FIA State Committee member (7 years), Chair of the National FIA Awards for Fundraising Excellence (5 years). Allan was Deputy Chair of the Australian Marketing Institute (AMI) WA State Advisory Committee 2015-2018, AMI Awards Judge from 2017-2023 and AMI Mentor from 2018 – 2023.
Allan is currently a member of the RSPCA WA State Awards committee, FIA Awards committee, FIA Membership committee and board member of the Children’s Leukaemia & Cancer Research Foundation.
In 2019, was awarded the Australian Long Service Order Medal from Royal Life Saving Society Australia.
Joel Nicholson
Joel is a Director of Marketsoft Services and has a board role in two foundations, Future Value and SnowBell Project, based in Northern New South Wales, Australia.
Joel is a data and technology crusader who has a passion to help build a more collaborative and customer/donor centric future. The speed of change and the convergence of data and technology has an enormous influence on the way we all live. The ability to harness and leverage both these forces to empower organisations, marketers and fundraisers to multiply value through collaboration is what excites him.
Joel has been leading the data-driven services company, Marketsoft, for the past 20 years across commercial organisations including major banks, publishers, retailers, and in recent years a focus on purpose-led organisations in the charity sector.
Instrumental in launching Australia’s first donor centric data collaborative in late 2014, called LemonTree, Joel’s vision is to create sustainable fundraising practices through collaborative thinking, technology, data and ultimately, by putting the donor first. LemonTree empowered 100+ major Australian and New Zealand charities to grow giving in the community sustainably.
Joel has a deep passion for entrepreneurship to tackle the big global challenges. He hops in the ocean at any chance, while being a self-confessed golf tragic following a misspent youth chasing the small white ball.
Rebecca MacFarling MFIA
Rebecca is the CEO of the Mercy Health Foundation, working with donors and philanthropists to support important programs across Mercy hospitals, community care and aged care services. Her fundraising experience has spanned health, the arts and international development.
Between 2019 and 2021, Rebecca steered the Melbourne Writers Festival through the years of COVID lockdowns, delivering successful, profitable digital and hybrid festivals which delighted audiences and retained partners and donors. Previously, she led marketing, digital strategy, brand, business development and fundraising for major cultural organisations including MADE, Musica Viva, Bangarra Dance Theatre and Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
Rebecca currently sits on the board of the Melbourne International Jazz Festival. Between 2017 and 2022, she also served on the Code of Conduct Committee for the Australian Council for International Development, supporting its voluntary, self-regulatory industry code of good practice.
Kate Browne has almost two decades of experience in the media as a managing editor, news editor, investigative journalist and broadcaster with a focus on consumer affairs and personal finance. She has worked at Yahoo Finance, Finder, CHOICE and the ABC and has written for dozens of publications including the Sydney Morning Herald, the Sun Herald, The Age, news.com.au, the Sunday Telegraph, The Big Issue, Sunday Life and Kidspot. She was also one of the writers and presenters of ABC TV’s top-rating consumer affairs show The Checkout which ran for six seasons.
She is currently the Head of Research at Compare Club.
FIA Code Course
For feedback or questions regarding the Code, please email code@fia.org.au
