Givergy’s Take On The Ever-Changing Fundraising Landscape In Australia

Posted by Ben Crook on 4 December 2017

Givergy Australia’s Head of Business Development, Will Carrick, has given a first-hand account of his experience within the rapidly evolving fundraising industry in Australia. Will has worked for Givergy for 18 months and has helped over 90 causes maximise their fundraising efforts through bidding technology. Having built strong relationships with non-profits and industry bodies, his perspective is both interesting and educational.

1)What do you like most about the fundraising sector in Australia?

The charity industry in Australia feels like its growing and evolving rapidly. A lot of the charities we work with have set themselves steep targets and this definitely wasn’t the case when I first started. Their motivation has inspired our team to take on challenges with the aim of raising more in aid of the charities we work with. Its a growing industry and one that embraces technological advances, the public are becoming increasingly aware of the life changing work charities do and how fundraising technology can benefit them.

Seeing the industry evolve is inspiring people to take action and get involved directly, whether that’s donating money, their time, or using their voice to make a positive impact on society.

2) What is the biggest challenge you’ve had to face?

The biggest challenge I’ve found is that each charity is unique and has different aspirations about what they want to achieve and how they want their fundraising to be run, therefore we have to make sure were very flexible and adaptable.

Our team has found that every charity has very different pressures on them, some of them want an event just to look great, some want to satisfy their committee members that they work for, and others really focus on raising as much as they can. There are a lot of different and unique things that happen, no two days are the same, so you never know what’s around the corner!

3) What is it like to work for Givergy Australia?

At our office in Sydney, we go through phases of busyness; some periods are calmer but then it gets really hectic with a lot of events happening every day. The team I work with are amazing, there are only 8 of us and we all work very closely to ensure the events we support are a success. Were all specialists in our fields, but as were a small team our roles naturally overlap. In the office we all sit around the same desk and because of that, we have developed a strong working relationship which makes coming to work really enjoyable.

The charities I get to meet almost on a weekly basis make doing what we do totally worthwhile, helping to bring them a solution or assist them in reaching a target is a pleasure!

4)What’s the culture like in the office?

It doesn’t matter what your role is, everyone has the autonomy to make their own decisions and we trust one another to do so. I’m lucky enough to have had the opportunity to visit the Givergy HQ in the UK and I’ve found that this isn’t exclusive to us in Australia and that its common across the entire company.

Our team all work really hard and we also do a lot of travelling for events, so its important that everyone is interchangeable and able to pick up the slack if someone is travelling, on holiday or has too much on their plate. Everyone is always up for lunch or a drink after work which is always great too!

5)What charities do you work with?

We work with many charities, from some well-established charities to smaller community foundations. Here is a taster of some of the charities we work with: The Starlight Children Foundation, Sydney Children Hospital Foundation, Australian Heart Foundation to name a few.

We also work with a lot of schools and sports clubs and find ourselves working a lot of different themed events across the country.

6)How does your team make an impact?

Our team in Australia consciously makes an effort to get involved and make an impact to the sector. Most recently, we all pitched in for Giving Tuesday, which is an annual global fundraising initiative, by donating to a local food bank. We’ve also participated in fundraising activities this September, where we all took 10,000 steps per day to raise money and awareness for cerebral palsy. It became really competitive which makes it even more fun!

7)Do you have any recommendations for people that want to get into the industry for the first time?

In the industry, there are many people with tons of experience and they’re almost always happy to help and share because they understand that we all make a positive impact. I would recommend that you make sure you take advantage of this through events, seminars and the people around you, I promise you will learn a lot!

There are also a lot of different elements in what we do, whether its Sales, Account Management or Event Management, I would recommend finding the right path for whatever you want to do, and throwing yourself into it!

If you’re interested in learning more about life at Givergy, or want some more information about how we can help take your fundraising events to the next level through silent auction technology, please contact us.

CONTACT US

Ben Crook

Chief Operating Officer

Ben is at the forefront of every project in Givergy, listing and actioning constant improvements across the business. With over a decade of experience in the charity and events sector he brings a deep understanding of what the fundraising industry needs to operate effectively and efficiently.