Noah is Founder & CEO, We Are Mobilise “Noah’s bold and creative fundraising strategies have helped transform what started in 2016 as a grassroots movement – friends handing out loaves of bread – into a national force for change,” shares Equitable Philanthropy’s Catherine Brooks, who nominated Noah for Movers & Shakers. Catherine is referring to We Are Mobilise, and its beginnings are just as humble as she suggests. Nine years ago, a 19-year-old Noah, troubled by the homelessness he saw on Melbourne’s streets, started asking local organisations for donations. A bakery responded and Noah and his university friends started giving out food to those in need. Since then, the nonprofit’s…
Debbie is Senior Fundraising Manager — Philanthropy, Médecins Sans Frontières Australia & Médecins Sans Frontières New Zealand ‘Relationship fundraising’ – something often discussed as a fundraiser ‘must-do’, but who is mastering it? For nominator Tom Duggan, Debbie Kosh comes straight to mind. “When Debbie joined MSF [where Tom is Head of Fundraising] in 2023, she could see our direct mail and stewardship-based programs were successful, but she also knew we could raise substantially more by investing in relationships and directly soliciting donors,” says Tom. Tom shares that Debbie’s work on MSF’s high-value programs has been “transformative”, increasing giving by around $7 million over two years. She made the magic happen…
Colin is Chief Philanthropy Officer at Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation “Colin Allen’s fundraising achievements at Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation have set new benchmarks for philanthropy in Australia,” says his colleague at SCHF, Kyle Dean. “Under Colin’s leadership, SCHF’s annual fundraising revenue has skyrocketed from $43 million in 2021 to over $100 million in 2024 – more than doubling in just three years. “Because of Colin’s approach, SCHF has shifted from focusing on smaller, one-off donations to securing transformational gifts. His ability to engage donors at a higher level has led to an exponential increase in multi-year pledges and major gift commitments, positioning SCHF as a leader in strategic philanthropy, moving…
Maddison is Direct Marketing Executive — Individual Giving, Starlight Children’s Foundation Australia Sometimes someone moves into their first fundraising role and shines straight away. Maddison (Maddi) Guthridge is one of those people and it’s apt, because at Starlight Children’s Foundation she’s found a workplace with a value to “shine bright.” The charity’s National Individual Giving Manager, Justine Lewis, nominated Maddi, impressed by her record of consistently exceeding targets over her first two years of fundraising. “At Starlight, the IG team focuses on ‘incremental marginal gains’ — testing, learning, gathering insights and optimising existing strategies,” says Justine. “Maddi used this as her guiding star and as a result every appeal in…
Heather is Chief Philanthropy Officer, Australian Wildlife Conservancy “Do not dwell in the past,” said Buddha, but when it comes to our careers, so much of what has come before shapes what we do next. Heather Little is five months into her role at Australian Wildlife Conservancy and she’s excited about the new challenge (more on that later), but it’s her seven-year tenure rising through the ranks in several of Monash University’s Development teams that philanthropy expert and nominator Aaron McNeilly wants to talk about. “She consistently delivered transformational philanthropic results that exceed expectations, securing multiple principal and mega gifts that shaped Monash University’s fundraising success,” shares Aaron. “Through her…
Erin McCabe Senior Manager — Supporter Engagement, Royal Flying Doctor Service (Queensland Section) Having spent her entire career working in fundraising roles, Erin McCabe feels privileged to have found her vocation early. And her colleagues certainly feel privileged to work alongside her. “Erin McCabe is by far one the most talented fundraisers in the sector. She’s also a brilliant leader and all-round top notch human being,” says Katherine Ash, Executive General Manager, Fundraising & Philanthropy at RFDS QLD. After an initial stint at a disability service, Erin joined Oxfam where she thrived, working on the classic charity event, Trailwalker. Over the years she extended and honed her fundraising skills…
Tom Duggan Fundraising is a team sport. The more senior you become, the broader the team gets. This means the key to success is much less about what you know or how smart you are, but how you and those around you can best work together. When Tom Duggan joined Médecins Sans Frontières Australia and Médecins Sans Frontières New Zealand (MSF) as Head of Fundraising in February 2023, he could not have foreseen that eight months later he would be tasked with leading his team in the largest fundraising appeal the charity had ever developed. He had been brought in to lead a change agenda and take an already…
Lauren Clarke Campaigns Manager, Cancer Council NSW For the last few years, it seems like everything Lauren Clarke has touched has turned to gold. Across FY23 and FY24 every fundraising program she has focused on has experienced significant growth. Let’s look at some of the Cancer Council NSW Campaign Manager’s achievements in closer detail to understand the secrets to her success. In the charity’s peer-to-peer (P2P) 7 Bridges Walk, Lauren has tested new tactics, including an improved supporter experience via two-way SMS conversations — something that has increased fundraising per supporter by 22%. Overall, the campaign raised $2.1 million in 2023, a 16% improvement on the previous year,…
Laura Burton Senior Development Manager, University of Western Australia It’s one thing to nurture fundraising collaboration within your organisation, it’s another to foster a culture of working with peers you have never met in other organisations all over the country. And yet, this is what Laura Burton did in 2023 when she pioneered a professional Trust and Foundations (Higher Education) Network with the aim of positioning Australia as a destination for grant funding in an international fundraising market. “At first I was met with some expected hesitation,” says Laura. “But there was also intrigue and a realisation we needed to promote the benefits of [grant seeking] collaboration in the…
