The Western Australia State Committee of Fundraising Institute Australia (FIA), in partnership with the Euroz Charitable Foundation, announces the inaugural Emerging Leaders Scholarship open for applications.

The $5,000 scholarship will provide educational opportunities for an exceptional early-career fundraiser in Western Australia or those with less than five years of sector experience to expand their knowledge and understanding of fundraising practice.

It will allow the recipient to attend the FIA Conference, the national peak educational event on the fundraisers’ calendar, from 26-28 February 2020. The scholarship covers attending the three-day FIA Conference in Brisbane, one ticket to the gala dinner/awards night, and three nights’ accommodation at an FIA-approved hotel.

Bec Stott, chair of the FIA WA State Committee, said the scholarship would help to build capacity in the local fundraising sector.

“We’re excited about the new relationship with the Euroz Charitable Foundation and the opportunity that we’ve been able to create for early-career fundraisers here in Western Australia,” she said.“We want WA fundraisers equipped to be skilled and ethical practitioners. A skilled fundraiser can deliver benefits to their non-profit organisation and through them, to the wider community.”

Carolyn Turner, the FIA WA committee member who approached the Euroz’s Charitable Foundation to fund the scholarship, said the Emerging Leaders Scholarship would also encourage fundraisers to consider a longer-term future in the sector.

“WA-based fundraisers have a harder time than most accessing training given the costs for them to travel interstate for conferences,” she said.

The scholarship is possible through the donation coming from the Euroz Charitable Foundation. Euroz is a diversified financial services company based in Perth.

Chris Webster, a director of the Euroz Charitable Foundation, said: “We’re delighted to help an early-career fundraiser in Western Australia to increase their skill base through the Emerging Leaders Scholarship. We’re very keen to grow the capital of our foundation so that every year we can give away more and more funds to worthy causes like this one.”

Applications close on Friday, 22 November at 5.00 pm with the scholarship recipient to be announced in December.