ANTHEA IVA
The Director of Redstone Marketing asks three nonprofit executives for their perspectives
Megan Corlass
Donor Development Manager, Animals Australia
Economic uncertainty through cost-of-living pressures and a strategic shift in the Animals Australia brand has influenced our fundraising strategy in the last financial year. Our focus has been on better integrating fundraising opportunities into strategic planning and campaign development. This has ensured that our public-facing work delivers not just advocacy outcomes, but long-term financial sustainability for our organisation.
Despite the economic climate, we’re grateful that our donor base remains loyal with retention rates of regular givers remaining strong. This is the case particularly with donors supporting our long-term campaign priorities. However, as our work expands to encompass new opportunities, a key objective is to clearly communicate how these new initiatives align with our vision — ensuring we retain the trust of our existing supporters while also acquiring new donors.
Our digital fundraising programs have faced some challenges due to system overhauls and an evolution in our resourcing from in-house to agency partnerships. We are rebuilding innovative and creative new digital assets that enhance our online engagement strategies and our communications team continues to deliver high-quality, brand-aligned donor messaging. We’re focused on upscaling our systems to better support our teams and enhance donor engagement to help us achieve our fundraising goals.
We’re also seeing strong results from timely, rapid-response email appeals, which demonstrate authentic urgency and tangible impact — key ingredients for donor engagement during uncertain times. And our supporter-facing team continues to evolve our donor care programs to ensure that each of our donors feel seen and acknowledged through direct, individualised contact.
The most important element of our fundraising program work is one that we’re most committed to safeguarding — our cultural approach to authentic and honest fundraising, with our donors at the core of every decision we make. Our programs are built around genuine care and gratitude that has long defined our relationships with our donors and supporters, which has in turn enabled us to remain a trusted voice for animals, both here in Australia and around the world.
Sue Moore
Head of Donor Communications, Mercy Ships
Like many not-for-profits, Mercy Ships Australia has navigated significant challenges over recent years, from bushfires and floods to the impacts of COVID-19 and rising living costs. During the pandemic, with our hospital ship moored in Tenerife and global volunteers sent home, we were unable to deliver in-person healthcare training in Africa. Adapting quickly, we transitioned to online training, successfully expanding our reach and supporting even more healthcare workers across the continent. Recognising urgent needs closer to home, we responded to a call for support from the Pacific Islands. Thanks to generous donations and the shipping industry’s backing, we delivered two 40-foot containers of essential personal protective equipment, providing critical support during a vulnerable time.
While our mission remains focused on Africa, we were mindful of the hardships facing Australians during recent Christmas and End of Financial Year appeals. Our communications reflected empathy and understanding for those affected by disasters and economic pressures. While some supporters were unable to give, we were heartened to see increased generosity from our major donors.
Building on the lessons from the pandemic and our growing impact in the Pacific, we expanded our team to deliver project-based work in other underdeveloped regions. To strengthen our future outreach, we invested in Experian Mosaic 2024 data, offering detailed insights into our supporter base. This information is now informing new marketing strategies aimed at donor acquisition, journey enhancement, retention and reacquisition.
Through these challenges and changes, Mercy Ships Australia remains committed to compassionately serving those in need while staying connected to the evolving realities of our supporters and the communities we serve.
Dhara Barot
Head of Philanthropy, CareFlight
Fundraising is certainly changing with these unsettled times, given the massive change in geopolitical issues to the impacts of climate change to inflation and rising costs. One or all these factors have an impact on how our donors and supporters — whether it be an individual, family foundation or corporate — decide and prioritise which charities to support.
Our donor community is more aware and exposed to a lot of information which enables them to look at charities with a sophisticated lens and make well-informed decisions on how their hard-earned dollars are used by NFPs. They are interested to learn from charities that are having a meaningful impact in the community, that are good stewards of their donations — they really wish to see their dollar go a long way. They understand charities need funding for administration, but they also want the charities to be transparent and agile.
Australia has an ageing population. Our grandparents are the most loyal people on this planet due to their generation and decades of experience, but post-pandemic I’ve seen a shift in loyalty. Donors are not afraid to switch charities if they feel charities are not delivering on their commitments. I remember reading in one report that donors are embracing spontaneous and need-driven giving and increasingly favour causes and issue areas rather than committing to individual not-for-profit organisations.
For me, I find ways to connect with my donors via their preference of communication. A tour of our base and sharing stories about our mission goes a long way in stewarding and cultivating donors.
The challenge for fundraising is to be even more strategic and collaborative to ensure the ongoing health and capacity of our social, cultural and environmental systems, so that communities can respond to the ever-changing needs they see and prioritise.
