Report on FIA Skills 1 - Orana Family Services
J Bartolo
Coordinator, Promotions and Communications
Orana Family Services
The Skills 1 Course - Foundations of Fundraising, is a National Training Program developed by the FIA to meet the career development needs of people like myself who are in the fundraising profession.
The course was centred on a series of guest speakers who presented a number of theoretical concepts as well as providing practical examples for fundraisers who have recently commenced working in the field. Fundraising professionals are given the rare opportunity to learn from, and network with, experienced and dedicated fundraisers.
Networking skills are paramount in a profession such as this and participants were encouraged, and given new skills, to network with both fellow members of the course and others in the industry. This course has given me a robust understanding of the key principles of fundraising, and, more importantly, provided all participants with a clear way forward in terms of professional development and further learning.
This opportunity has encouraged me to learn from the experiences of other professionals and to use this new found knowledge in developing the fundraising plan for the agency I work for. I have come to realise that a fundraiser needs to plan meticulously and furthermore, that fundraising is an investment.
A welfare organisation, such as Orana Family Services, cannot depend solely on Government funding to survive and flourish; it is imperative that we gather support, in the form of kindly donated funds from the wider community, in order to achieve the mission of the organisation. The better we get at fundraising, the more we can continue our commitment to improve our programs and services for children and families in need.
After attending this course, I strongly feel that I now have the fundamental skills required to develop the fundraising side of my role, and ultimately assist in the agencies ability to enhance and develop current and new innovative programs to support children, young people, and families in the community.
I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank ASI for giving me the opportunity to attend the FIA Skills 1 course.
