Fundraise For Australia (F4A) is a national fellowship program that connects new & emerging fundraisers with the tools & opportunities that will help them supercharge their careers & deliver transformative change for their communities.
Australia’s rates of giving are low in comparison to similar societies worldwide, but with a new commitment from the current government to double philanthropic giving by 2030, there is a real opportunity to develop a new culture of giving within the country and to develop the infrastructure to ensure this goal is realised.
Fundraise For Australia was formed by award-winning author Ryan Ginard, to identify, recruit, develop, mobilise, and advocate for, many of our nation’s most promising fundraisers to help build a diverse and powerful social sector that can raise the resources needed to support and strengthen our society.
Ginard who recently returned back to Australia after a decade working in philanthropy in the U.S. and quickly noticed the skills shortfall ahead of proposed government reform in the charitable sector.
“We currently see a two-speed challenge with the fundraising profession, the first is that the demand for fundraisers continues to outstrip supply and this has been the case for a long time. The second d is that there is a real need to see further professionalisation of fundraising to ensure that we can continue to achieve new levels of industry excellence and best practice and ensure we have the ability to support and retain our best and brightest fundraising talent.” said Ginard.
He also believes that in order to take advantage of these opportunities and overcome these challenges, they need inspired and engaged individuals who bring energy, creativity, and new perspectives to the sector.
F4A is inspired by the approaches and outcomes of the Teach, Code and Venture For America models, of which Ginard had direct exposure to while working in the US. All of these models are underpinned by a commitment to recruiting values-driven individuals to their respective fields for the betterment of society.
F4A is led by a dynamic group of experienced leaders in Australian philanthropy who represent the many facets of the profession, including fundraising, policy & advocacy, education, nonprofit tech and executive recruitment. One of the group’s advisors is Heather Little, Deputy Director of Development at Monash University.
“The outcomes from the Fundraise For Australia fellowship program will be twofold for our communities. It’s not only about identifying and recruiting new talent and giving them the foundations for a successful career in the field but it’s also about representation. We will aim to recruit individuals in the knowledge that our profession more and more needs to reflect the communities they represent and fundraise for, and on behalf of.” Little said.
F4A will be launching an expression of interest period from September 19th with the first cohort of individuals due to be selected by the end of the year. Participants will then receive over 35 hours of training across 10 sessions and then be supported in securing a good-paying job as a front-line fundraiser in the social sector.