Fundraising, marketing, and customer expectations are all evolving at a cracking pace, so with every FebFast campaign we constantly think about how to keep things innovative, fresh and fun – this is how we continue to push boundaries and keep donors engaged.

A hangover at a barbeque a few days before Christmas in 2006 was the inspiration for Fiona Healy’s brainchild, FebFast. As people complained of hangover headaches whilst reaching for another glass of wine, Healy and her friends decided taking a month off alcohol might be a good idea, and the shortest month of the year, February, seemed like a good place to start. In February 2007, Australia’s first ever dry month was born – Healy and a friend raised $910, which they donated to Youth Support + Advocacy Service (YSAS) – Victoria’s largest service provider for young people with substance and alcohol issues.

Since 2007, FebFast has raised over $5.6 million and supported over 40 youth alcohol and drug programs across Australia. In 2012, Healy formally passed the campaign over to YSAS with proceeds raised supporting programs nationwide.

To keep things fresh we put the focus on innovation when considering both the fundraising component and the campaign’s core values – to help people kick start a healthy year. We put a strong emphasis on research to build new insights, ensuring that we are meeting the mark and giving our fasters what they want. In 2013 we found that our fasters were concerned about a number of health issues both societally and personally. Sugar and its impact on health was a key concern as was small screen addiction and the over-use of technology.