Fundraising Institute Australia has appointed four fundraisers to its board of directors, effective immediately for a two-year term.

Joining FIA’s board of directors are Shanthini Naidoo, chief executive officer of St Vincent’s Curran Foundation, Lisa Allan, head of marketing for The Smith Family; Dan Lalor, executive general manager-supporter impact of MS Queensland; and Rebecca Miller, strategic fundraising manager of South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute.

Shanthini Naidoo is the CEO of the St Vincent’s Curran Foundation, which fundraises for St Vincent’s Health Network and its private hospitals in Sydney and Griffith, NSW. She has over 20 years of leadership, marketing and fundraising experience in iconic Australian institutions, including serving as assistant director of the National Gallery of Australia, head of fundraising at Taronga and Western Plains Zoos, and director of development and marketing at the Sydney Opera House.

Lisa Allan is currently the Head of Marketing at The Smith Family, and a member of their Senior Executive Team. She is responsible for leading the overall strategic direction, development and management of the individual giving program to achieve ambitious growth targets year on year. 

Her experience spans a cross-disciplined team of 55+ in customer experience, strategy, digital and direct marketing, acquisition, loyalty and retention, gifts in wills, mid value, supporter operations, data and analytics, plus two agile squads delivering value to their customers (supporters, team members and volunteers). 

Dan Lalor started his not-for-profit career in 2011 at the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation in Queensland before leading the Ride to Conquer Cancer fundraising events series from 2012-14 as director, raising over $23 million for cancer research. He joined the MS Queensland fundraising team in 2014, where he led the delivery and strategy of 12 events annually, including the MS Brissie to the Bay, Queensland’s largest charity ride since 2015. Dan is currently MS Queensland’s executive general manager- supporter impact, encompassing fundraising and social impact investment strategy and delivery. He is also a member of FIA’s Queensland committee and the Wildlife Wonders experience committee, an eco-tourism initiative of the Victoria-based Conservation Ecology Centre.

Meanwhile, Rebecca Miller has worked in the fundraising sector for over 21 years in both state and national roles. She has managed extensive fundraising programs covering direct marketing, face-to-face fundraising, major gifts, donor relations, gifts in Wills, event management, community, corporate partnerships, lotteries and tele-fundraising programs. Rebecca has been a board member of the Zahra Foundation Australia since 2018 and held positions on the South Australia/Northern Territory state committee of FIA for over 15 years, including serving as the state chair for three. She has also served as a committee member for South Australia’s FIA Showcase and the Northern Territory NFP Forum.

“I’m delighted to welcome these talented fundraisers to our board,” said Katherine Raskob, FIA CEO. “The last year has been a challenging time for all Australians, and the fundraising sector is no different. These new members bring a great skill set, expertise and experience to ensure that FIA is well placed to continue its vital role in protecting, promoting and advocating for the fundraising sector.”

FIA represents charities and other fundraising not-for-profits operating domestically and internationally, as well as the organisations and professionals that provide services to them. FIA advocates for the interests of the sector, administers a self-regulatory Code, educates fundraising practitioners, promotes research and creates forums for the exchange of knowledge and ideas.