Record Numbers and Global Winners at This Year's IFC

Press release (Oct. 24, 2011) — This year’s International Fundraising Congress (IFC) saw the highest ever number of delegates through its doors, attracted by an outstanding programme of events and debates focused on the key issues facing fundraisers today and led by the sector’s most inspirational speakers. Nearly 1,000 delegates attended, taking advantage of the opportunity to learn from the best in the sector and to network with colleagues from all over the world.

One of the highlights of this year’s programme was the Resource Alliance Global Awards for Fundraising which drew together the winners of 10 countries’ national awards schemes to compete to become the ‘Winner of Winners.’ This is the second year of the Global Awards, launched at the IFC last year and supported by fundraising associations around the world. Four categories make up the Awards — two for organisations (Big Idea, Small Budget and Innovative Fundraising Campaign) and two for individuals (The Global Fundraiser and the Outstanding Volunteer).

An organisation which champions poverty reduction strategies and natural resource management — Living Earth, Uganda — won the Big Idea, Small Budget Global Award. The judging panel (made up of five eminent fundraising professionals) cited it as “an excellent example of mobilizing local resources in what has developed into a thriving local enterprise”. And the Innovative Fundraising Campaign Award went to a Diakoni, Frankfurt — an organisation which helps people living with disability, in isolation or facing other life crises. The judges described this campaign as “inspirational” and “creating an emotional connection which everyone can connect to.”

The individual awards presented the judging panel with a difficult decision which resulted in their selection of two joint winners of The Global Fundraiser Award — Melissa Smith of the RMIT University in Australia and Jonathan Irwin of Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation in Ireland. The judges praised Melissa’s personal commitment to social change which they said “secured a gift not only of such magnitude but also from a very new market, earning her a place in the history books of Australian philanthropy.” When it came to Jonathan Irwin, whose organisation provides care and support for children with severe neurological development issues and their families, the judges noted his work as “an outstanding example of a passionate response backed up with the vision to make a big and sustained impact.” They were impressed with the way in which Jonathan “has grown his organisation, taking it from strength to strength with his pioneering approach to fundraising.”

The Outstanding Volunteer Award went to Ada Banks, a volunteer with the Cancer Council in Queensland, Australia. She won the Award, in recognition of her “15 committed years during which Ada has become connected by head, heart and spirit to the Cancer Council.”

All the winners were announced at a special ceremony on 19 October, during the IFC.

For Neelam Makhijani, Chief Executive of the Resource Alliance, organisers of IFC, this year’s event has set a new standard in terms of the record number of delegates, the quality of the programme and the success of the growing Global Awards. Neelam and the team are looking forward to receiving entries for the Global Awards from even more countries next year and countries which do not yet have a national fundraising awards programme can talk to the Resource Alliance for support in setting one up. She says: “We really have raised the bar again for this event. Its success is a testament to the global fundraising community and its sustained commitment to learning and sharing experiences in order to improve performance and face the challenges we all have to deal with in the current climate with innovation and creativity.”