ASI is proud to be sponsoring the inaugural Fundraising Institute of Australia (FIA) Young Fundraiser of the Year Award. The new award, which is part of the FIA’s National Awards for Excellence in Fundraising, will see the winner receive funding from ASI’s SMART Company Scholarship Fund to attend FIA’s Madison Down Under 2012.

Entries for the Young Fundraiser of the Year close on 14 October 201.  Entry details are available here. 

B O’Carroll
Donor Database Manager
Cabrini Health
attended FIA Madison Down Under 2011

As a recipient of an ASI scholarship I was fortunate enough to be able to attend Madison Down Under 2011 (MDU).  A fundraising experience like no other.

With just over 3 ½ years experience in fundraising, my knowledge of fundraising procedures had been ’picked up’  at the organisations I worked for.  At my current organisation, I didn’t think we were travelling badly, gifts had increased and we had more donors, but I still thought we could and should do more.  MDU has provided me with ideas and knowledge to develop and improve what we are doing.

‘Ask’ and ‘relationships’, key words that continuously came up in discussions.  I learnt about ways we could improve our database and make it work for us,  how to ask donors in a more appropriate way that relates to that individual and ways to develop and nurture relationships with our donors.

As we discussed various approaches I was overwhelmed with ideas, how could I do all this and what should I do first? Back to first session, ’Plan’.  I need to think about what’s best for the organisation I work with, and what we want to achieve.

But MDU is not just about sitting in a classroom environment and being told ways to do things and best practice. What really struck me was the generosity of everyone to share their knowledge and experiences, what has worked, and what hadn’t worked.  This generosity was not limited to the people just in your designated track but everyone attending MDU.  Every break and every meal I met someone new with a story to tell, and an idea or suggestion that might work for me.

I went to MDU to learn what I could do better. I left with ideas and friends, and with so many people working to help individuals, each other and organisations, I also left with a real connection to the fundraising community.

Thank you ASI for the opportunity to attend MDU. A truly a unique experience that words cannot adequately describe.