T Brown
Fundraising Manager
Time for Kids Inc

Thank you for providing me the 50% subsidy to attend Madison Down Under – Strategic Management Track.

Time for Kids is a small South Australian charity that was not in a position to send me to MDU so the scholarship enabled me to attend. Time for Kids helps ‘at risk’, or disadvantaged children by giving a much needed break from what can often be a stressful home life. The children are matched with a volunteer family in their local community and given the opportunity to spend time with the family on a regular basis over the long term. Our aim is to give these kids positive childhood experiences, useful life lessons for later in life, and acceptance, love and care.  

The Strategic Management Track was extremely beneficial in my current role as the presenters took the participants through some useful information that can be applied immediately. 

Having attended MDU in the past and participated in different tracks it was refreshing to be able to utilise the information in my current role, without having to wait for programs to be implemented.

In particular we discussed Strategic Plans and management of staff, which were particularly relevant as we are in the process of addressing our Strategic Plan and as our organisation is growing we are looking to hire more staff.  The track was very practical and relevant with the entire group participating in discussions.

Apart from the educational aspect of MDU it provided wonderful networking opportunities. From these I was able to establish some valuable relationships that will have an impact on the work of Time for Kids as well as enable me to develop professionally.
The benefit of the event being live-in over 4 days, you get opportunities to discuss issues at length, which is not often the case at the traditional type of conference.

Thank you again for the opportunity.  The scholarships provided by ASI are often the only way many smaller charities can attend MDU and that is often vital for the charities fundraising success.

A Lee
AngliCORD

Thanks to ASI ‘SMART Company’ Scholarship Fund who funded 50% of the Madison Down Under 2008 FIA’s intensive educational program, I attended the Strategic Marketing for Fundraising track and came away with inspirations of what I can enhance in fundraising for AngliCORD.

Our track chair, Michelle Campbell together with the advisory panel of Clare MacAdam and Graham McKern provided participants with an information packed interactive program where we not only learned the importance of theory and practical ways of strategic communication and marketing, but we also developed our own marketing plan that we could apply in our workplace.

There was a wonderful cross-section of fundraising organisations represented in this track, so there is a lot of learning and sharing information from each other as well as networking.

Some of the important aspects of the program I learnt were:

• self audit of several current marketing factors for organisation’s readiness for marketing
• marketing objectives
• design marketing strategies and action plans
• consider the most appropriate communication mix
• stewardship - backing up the marketing promise
• having a case for support, including price points

Amongst the many knowledge I have acquired is one of ‘how to market unrestricted giving’. In an era where so many donors are designating their gifts for a specific purpose or projects, it is becoming much more difficult for AngliCORD to have the freedom to fund necessary programs, including our fundraising costs.  This I would be sharing with my colleagues and design a plan of action in the coming months. 

Mr Ramsbottom, once again THANK YOU for giving me this wonderful opportunity for professional development in this not-for-profit sector. 

D Bayard
Manager: PR & Fundraising
Hutt Street Centre

I admit I somewhat reluctantly agreed that this year I would finally attend Medison Down Under (MDU) - having found excuses not to in the past! What a fool I was? MDU was by far the most stimulating, inspiring, intense and fulfilling training course I have ever undertaken.

Whilst having worked in fundraising for 8 years I have flown by the seat of my pants - without any formal training. Choosing the Fundamentals Track at MDU has given me some of the basic building blocks which will enable me to confidently reassess my fundraising strategy, re-evaluate my 3 year plan, rebuild my program to make the best use of my resources and maximise my organisation’s potential for raising funds.

MDU has taught me the real value of my database and given me new ideas on how to best utilize our most important resource - our community of supporters. It has also given me the confidence to introduce new fundraising activities at Hutt Street Centre which I previously felt I lacked the skills and knowledge to initiate.

The quality of presenter in Track 1 enabled participants from a variety of not for profit organisations, and with a vast array and level of experiences, to increase our skill base and our capacity to put our new knowledge into practice back in our work places.

I believe that one of the fundamentals of a fundraiser’s character is the ability to represent the organisation in which they work with confidence, passion and integrity. MDU is presented in such a way that participants leave with the confidence that our work is important and valued, not just by our employers, but by those who want to support our organisations. Donors, sponsors, boards and foundations need to know that the person and the organisation in which they are entrusting their money have integrity, skills, knowledge, confidence and expertise in their field. The intense learning opportunity provided by MDU definitely helps to build that capacity.

I am pleased to admit I was wrong in my expectation of what Madison Down Under could offer me. I will definitely be one of the first to register again next year and I am extremly grateful that ASI assisted my organisation, Hutt Street Centre, by providing me with a scholarship to attend.

N Gow
Manager, Fundraising and Events
Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy
 

Firstly, I would like to express my deepest thanks to ASI for giving me the opportunity to attend the Fundraising Skills 1 course.  Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy is a small charity with little or no budget for professional development so if it wasn’t for ASI, I wouldn’t have had a chance to complete this important training session. 

Skills 1 was a fantastic learning opportunity and I have gained new fundraising skills which can be put into place immediately on my return to the office.  In fact, my ‘to-do’ list has increased dramatically, which is a good thing !!!  As well as new skills, I also have refreshed ideas about how we currently do things.  I also met a great bunch of fellow fundraising professionals and we shared ideas of what works and what doesn’t work within our industry.

The course covered topics which include bequests, donor development, special events, legislation and ethics, donor database management and direct marketing and was presented by experienced leading members of the fundraising industry.  We also worked in groups on a case study which we presented to a panel on conclusion of the course, this was a wonderful way to test our new skills & knowledge.

Thank you to the Fundraising Institute of Australia for presenting such a varied and interesting training session.  And again, thank you to the ASI scholarship program for giving me the chance to attend.  This course will definitely improve the fundraising efforts of Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy, which will in turn raise more funds and allow more disadvantaged people the chance to enrich their lives via the power of music therapy.

K Ward
Communications and Fundraising Officer
Object: Australian Centre for Craft and Design – New South Wales
 

Thanks to the opportunity provided by the ASI ‘Smart Company’ Scholarship, I now feel as though I am qualified in my title of ‘Fundraiser’.  The scholarship allowed me to attend FIA’s (Fundraising Institute of Australia) Skills 1 course, which has given me a fantastic framework on which to base my current (and future) work in fundraising.

Coming from a small, not-for-profit arts organisation, our fundraising department is at a crucial stage in establishing and developing an effective giving program.  The Skills 1 program has given me the knowledge to build our organisation’s program on a solid foundation.  I have already been able to incorporate key elements of the course into our program, such as a strategy to communicate with and nurture our donors, to strengthen our existing program and retain support.

I found the depth of content in the course incredibly insightful and as a ‘foundations’ course, was impressed that the detail provided allowed participants to engage with the content on a deeper level.  It was also inspiring to hear from people who echoed the most current trends and principles being explored in Australia and internationally.

Following on from the course, I now continually look for examples of effective campaigns and believe that there is a great opportunity to be gained in keeping up to date with trends, technology and donors’ interests.

The high calibre of presentations by the guest speakers gave the course a truly three- dimensional edge.  Group activities, visual examples, story telling and lectures, allowed the group to come away with an extremely holistic picture of philanthropy.  Some of the simplest activities, such as quickly summing up your organisation’s mission to a potential donor, were often the most poignant.  As a result, our organisation is currently solidifying its mission and brand.

One of the most insightful elements of the course was simply the privilege to be in a room full of people from different organisations, who share the same goal.  Being the only person from an arts background, I found myself talking to others and sharing stories about our experiences and in the end absorbed a great deal from those working in more traditional humanitarian or charity fundraising roles.

The arts community has struggled historically with philanthropy and even today relies on different models to those used by charities and NGO’s.  By sharing experiences with colleagues across different organisations, I was able to identify the significant differences (and sometimes similarities) in our approach and identify the common threads that have achieved success.

In all forms of fundraising and possibly even more importantly in the arts, I have learned the importance of communication and relationships in fostering support.  I am now even more passionate about championing philanthropy in the arts and hope to be able to implement a giving program within my organisation that is accessible to a broad audience.

Again, my thanks to ASI for this wonderful opportunity!  I am incredibly excited about the possibilities for fundraising in the arts and believe that increased knowledge in philanthropy will help provide invaluable opportunities for our outstanding Australian practitioners.

K See
General Manager
Western Australian Police Union of Workers

Through the generosity of the ASI “SMART Company” Scholarship Fund I afforded attendance at the three day course presented by the AIM-UWA Business School alliance.

Among the emergent perspectives of Leadership Studies, authentic leadership is gaining increasing attention in the scholarly and practitioner communities.  The fundamental premise behind this course is that spirituality and spiritual identity are at the core of authentic leadership.  Sarah Ban Breathnach said…”The authentic self is the soul made visible.”

Prelude to the course was a self description and peer group 360 degree review of K See’s core values, sense of self and how that manifests in leadership style.  The professionally structured yet informal atmosphere encouraged trust, confidence and considerable exposure among the small syndicate of current and future leaders from commerce, mining, agriculture and construction.  I was the conventional if altruistic representative of the not-for-profit sector.

In terms of style, I am very red in Task Orientation balanced with a green Security Need and People Focus.  For my own sake, I need to be more blue and constructive towards Satisfaction Needs of achievement, self-actualisation, humanistic encouragement and affiliation.

Through a well crafted mix of academic tuition, role plays and story telling, individuals within the group revealed their value sets and personal strengths, which, present in our leadership success … or not.  As our community matures and new generations emerge through education and opportunity, leadership style and individual effectiveness increase in importance to establish and retain functional teams with high motivation and productivity.

In the Western Australian labour market, corporate investment in people is as critical as technology and other resources and quality leadership is essential.  As a wise man said … if your staff are demotivated some will leave and worse still, some will stay.

Participation in this course of introspection reminded me to stay genuine but step back to review, loosen up and communicate with fewer barbs in the tail of my message.  I need to move my focus from Strategist to Visionary and Storyteller.  As an Authentic Leader I need to be more emotional than analytical and focus on touching hearts not just minds.

I enjoyed the event and again acknowledge the support of ASI who made it possible.

S Nakhla
Senior Research Assistant
Clinical Research
The Heart Research Institute

I was very fortunate to attend an intensive Recombinant DNA Techniques Course at the Department of Microbiology, Monash University Clayton, Victoria, from Sunday November 18 to Friday November 23, 2007, as the recipient of a $1600 ASI study grant.

The course provided comprehensive and fundamental training in the essential skills of “recombinant DNA technology”.

Recombinant DNA technology is a technique in biotechnology which involves the artificial re-arrangement of DNA by isolating segments of DNA from one organism, which can then be incorporated into the genetic makeup of another organism.

The aim of this process is to mass produce the protein encoded by the inserted gene along with substances coded for by the native genetic material of the recipient.

The techniques involved have become well established and are universally applied to solve biological problems particularly in the diagnosis of genetic disorders and determination of potential causes of many diseases.  These techniques have transformed the field of research in the biological and medical sciences.

The course format was ten hours of theory via lectures and over thirty hours of practical training which involved experimental laboratory work and tutorials.

Lectures included a basic introduction to Microbiology, DNA and Molecular Biology.
Basic Cloning Requirements, Gene Cloning Techniques and Hybridisation – Northern, Southern and Western blots.

The theoretical basis and applications of construction of Genomic Libraries, Restriction Fragment Mapping, Genetic Mapping, DNA Sequencing Design, the use of Oligonucleotide Primers in Polymerase Chain Reactions and RT-PCR, Site- directed Mutagenesis and Cloning Vectors were explained, as well as the Application of Gene Expression Systems, Bioinformatics and Database Searching Microarray Technology.

The practical and skills training reinforced the lectures and provided essential skills in the current methodologies covering:
• Cleavage and Ligation of plasmid DNA,
• Transformation of bacterial cells,
• Preparation and Purification of Plasmid DNA
• Restriction Enzyme Mapping
• Agarose Gel Electrophoresis
• Recovery of DNA from Agarose Gels
• Preparation of Probes
• DIG-based Southern Blotting and Hybridisation
• DIG-based Colony Hybridisation
• Induction of Fusion Protein Production
• Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis and Western Blotting
• Nucleic Acid Extraction
• Reverse Transcription and PCR
• DNA Sequencing and Computer-aided Analysis

Upon return to the research lab at the Heart Research Institute, I am now well equipped with new knowledge and expertise which will be invaluable in the process of designing new experiments and would like to thank ASI for their support.

N Rayson
formerly St Hilda’s College

Thank you for the ASI Scholarship I received in the September 2007 round to participate in the FIA’s Skills 3 Course for Senior Level Fundraisers.

The course provided me with a variety of learning opportunities.

The Group
Participants were varied in skill, experience, backgrounds and organizations. Having the opportunity to meet and work closely with such a diverse group of fellow fundraisers was extremely valuable.

The facilitators of the course, Peter Dalton and Di Clark are experts in their field and along with guest presenters, Brian Reid and Alun Evans provided prudent suggestions and valuable insight into the ‘reality’ of a Capital Campaign.

My experience
My role at St Hilda’s was to manage a Capital Campaign and the teaching of Skills 3 was focused on this methodology. Prior to my commencement at St Hilda’s College, I had not been involved with such a campaign and although I had 12 months experience, the course enabled me to re-evaluate my last 12 months of on the job training. Filling in a number of gaps in the process for which I was not involved at St Hilda’s. I refer to it as ‘reverse learning’.

The St Hilda’s Campaign was not a traditional one. Although it followed the main process and formula of a Capital Campaign it was a 12 month timeline which is extremely short.

Feasibility Study
One key element of a Capital Campaign is to conduct a feasibility study. St Hilda’s did not invest in one and following the authorisation from the College Council to proceed, a Consultant was appointed to work alongside an internal Campaign Manager, which resulted in my appointment.

The course project focused on the methodology of the Feasibility Study and how it is the cornerstone of a successful Capital Campaign. The study provides the foundations to build the case for support; appoint the Campaign Chairman and committee and most of all, set the fundraising target.

Result
Since the cessation of the course, I have received my Certificate of Completion from the FIA and positive feedback from the Course facilitators.

With my St Hilda’s College contract finished, Campaign target reached and building nearing completion I have recently moved into a permanent position at Deakin University. I believe my experience, coupled with my commitment to professional development and continual learning was well regarded.

Thank you again to ASI for the support of the scholarship to complete my final skills level.

J Grant
formerly YHA Victoria

Have you ever realised, with hindsight, that you could have chosen a different career and then spent time wondering what it would have been like?  I have. 

I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be a teacher or trainer.  To be able to stand up in front of a group of people who had little or no knowledge about a topic or skill and for the participants to leave at the end of the day with more information than they came with. 

Over the years I picked up this skill of imparting knowledge and I have always shared my knowledge & skills that I had gained whether it be a life skill or information related to a task or responsibility.

In early 2007 I was once again reflecting on my life’s journey and wondering what was next, when I read about the ASI scholarships.  At the time I was working for a not-for-profit organisation that was under going change and I wonder how best I could put my skills to use and at the same time fulfil my long desired wish to be a trainer.

From August to November 2007 I participated in a Certificate IV Training & Assessment program.  The amount of work that is required to set up one ½ hour training session that meets all the criteria, competencies, is fun and meets all the needs of each individual – was an eye-opener – let alone the amount of time it takes to design a whole day program.

At times I thought I was in a different world, with all the acronyms and ‘trainer’ jargon, however I found the course to be very stimulating, thought provoking and challenging. 

I had the basic Skills now I’ve Mastered the knowledge and have become an Accredited trainer with national Recognition and all because of a Timely email about the ASI SMART Scholarship foundation and having the courage to take Action – so now I’m SMARTA.

Thanks ASI for the opportunity to become SMARTA and I’m looking forward to putting my new skills and knowledge to work in 2008.

M Cavanagh
GFA Secretary
The Gliding Federation of Australia Inc

I wish to thank you for awarding me an ASI Educational Grant Scholarship, as my attendance was fully self funded and the scholarship has eased the financial burden.

The NiUG Discovery Conference on the Gold Coast this year have me a greater appreciation of the depth of the capabilities and possibilities in the iMIS database.

The initial benefit from attending the Conference was on the first weekend, when I met with the Convenor of our IT Group.  As he lives in Brisbane I was able to pass on to him all the information I had collected and my recommendations for the input of data in the future.  He was happy to hear that some of th changes in iMIS 15 could be of great value to the GFA.  Our Aircraft Register has important business processes that could not previously be incorporated into iMIS.  This may be possible in iMIS 15.

The GFA wish to use the database to record Airworthiness Qualifications and I now know exactly how to create a new “User Defined Table” and enter values into a drop down list.  Once I got back to the office and was able to add values to a drop down list in “CALLS”.  This makes recording the different call purposes a much easier process and eliminates all the keystrokes previously required to type a reason.

The IQA Basic and IQA Advanced sessions were very informative, and although I have had very little times since my return from the Gold Coast, to really look at producing my own reports, I am looking forward with confidence to exploring IQA.  With the hands on exercises and the notes provided, I am sure it will (be) both challenging and rewarding.

In conclusion, the greatest lesson I learnt from attending the conference is that “we don’t know what we don’t know”, and without attending the conference we could not possibly get the most out of this valuable resource we have purchased.