Fundraising Institute Australia (FIA) has announced the winners of the 21st Awards for Excellence in Fundraising.  

This year, the awards program featured 13 categories and 173 entries judged by 44 senior fundraisers working for a range of fundraising organisations. Two new awards called the Best Pivot Campaign and Fundraiser of the Year were also added while the Arthur Venn Award has evolved into a lifetime achievement award.  

FIA chief executive Katherine Raskob said the entries were very strong for 2021. She thanked the “amazing judges” without whom the awards would not happen. “We had one of our biggest contingent of judges involved this year, judging our largest number of entries ever,” she said. 

“We saw brilliant work all around, with some categories like Best Pivot Campaign or Initiative and Supplier Team of the Year hotly contested and ending up with joint winners. Congratulations to all winners in 2021 and thanks to everyone who entered this year’s awards,” said Ben Cox, chief executive of Gold Coast Hospital Foundation and chair of the awards advisory committee.  

The 2021 winners of the 21st Awards for Excellence in Fundraising are as follows: 

Arthur Venn Lifetime Achievement Award 

Wendy Scaife, associate professor and director, QUT – Australian Centre for Philanthropy and Non-Profit Studies 

Fundraiser of the Year 

Trudi Mitchell, deputy national director, Australia for UNHCR 

Young Fundraiser of the Year  

Luke Toebelmann, corporate partnerships manager, Brotherhood of St. Laurence 

Volunteer of the Year 

Christopher Brambleby – nominated by Cystic Fibrosis Western Australia 

Fundraising Team of the Year  

Brotherhood of St. Laurence – fundraising and philanthropy team 

Principal Award – Most Outstanding Fundraising Project  

Arts Centre Melbourne – Arts Wellbeing Collective COVID-19 Crisis Appeal 

Most Innovative Campaign 

Bush Heritage Australia – Primed Prospect Conversion By Collaborative Partners Conversr, More Impact, LemonTree and Cornucopia Fundraising 

Impact on a Shoestring  

St John’s Care – St John’s Care Emergency Appeal 

Best Strategic Partnership  

Brotherhood of St Laurence – Brotherhood of St. Laurence and ANZ: Financial Wellbeing for All  

Impact Through Events  

MS Research Australia – The May 50K 

Best Pivot or Initiative Award (joint winners) 

Arts Centre Melbourne – Arts Wellbeing Collective COVID-19 Crisis Appeal and Lifeline Australia – Lifeline’s ’30 Seconds to Save a Life’ Campaign 

Best Supporter Experience 

Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research – MACA Cancer 200 – Ride for Research 

Fundraising Impact through Creativity 

Berry Street – ‘A Sign of Love’ – Tax Campaign 2020 

Supplier Team of the Year (joint winners) 

Donor Republic (nominated by Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research) and Parachute Digital (nominated by Asylum Seeker Resource Centre) 

FIA is a representative body for the $10.5 billion fundraising sector. FIA members include charities and other fundraising not-for-profits operating domestically and internationally as well as the organisations and professionals that provide services to them.