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Erryn Stephens

2011 FIA Steve Mourning Scholarship for MDU

Erryn Stephens
Fundraising Manager, Rainforest Rescue

In 2011 I was fortunate to be the recipient of the inaugural FIA Steve Mourning Scholarship which enabled me to attend Madison Down Under (MDU) for the first time. I was very excited to have received this scholarship as I had always wanted to attend MDU. It was also a great honour to have been awarded a scholarship in memory of one of its founding members.

During my attendance at MDU it was evident that Steve Mourning had left a lasting legacy on not only the MDU faculty but other fundraisers who had attended the program. I never got the chance to meet Steve, and I wish I had, as I am sure that I would have found his passion for fundraising inspiring. I am grateful for his commitment to providing opportunities for professional development in the fundraising sector, as without this MDU may not have been. His legacy will live on not only in future MDU conferences but in this special scholarship that honours his commitment to assisting fundraisers to realise their potential.

Having worked in various fundraising roles over the past six years I have always been interested in furthering my knowledge and skills by undertaking various professional development courses and programs. I have found the courses offered by FIA to be very insightful, primarily as the courses are run by professionals ‘working in the field’. I have also learnt a great deal by networking and sharing knowledge and experiences with fellow fundraisers. I have made some great contacts over the years and I look forward to meeting up with them again when I attend the FIA conference and other events.

Currently I am the Fundraising Manager at Rainforest Rescue, a small not-for-profit organisation that has been actively fundraising since 1998, albeit without a formal fundraising strategy. The organisation is currently in a rapid growth phase and with the right fundraising strategy is poised to achieve significant outcomes. It has a solid and loyal donor base, a strong case for support, and a dedicated team of staff and volunteers. My reason for wanting to attend MDU was to consolidate the skills and knowledge that I had already gained over the past six years and to turn this into a fundraising strategy that would be of benefit of Rainforest Rescue.

In applying for this scholarship I decided to attend the track ‘A-Z of Donor Direct’ as I felt this track would consolidate all that I had learnt so far over the course of my fundraising career. And I am so glad that I did. What I found in attending this track was that Rainforest Rescue, despite some minor issues, was actually performing extremely well in comparison to some larger organisations. As we went through and discussed various fundraising programs such as direct mail, face-to-face, telemarketing, bequests, social media etc I felt that everything was finally coming together. I was able to identify what we were doing well, what we could be doing, and what we could be doing better. In effect I left MDU with an outline of a fundraising strategy that I could take back and implement straight away.

What I found to be the most invaluable experience was the networking with my peers. If anything this is the main thing that I will take away with me from MDU. Being able to share experiences, discuss issues, provide advice, and listen to stories of success and failures is what it is really all about. I enjoyed meeting new people from a wide variety of organisations. I also enjoyed meeting and learning from members of the faculty, some who had travelled from overseas to be there. I am, and I am sure all those who have attended MDU can say the same, grateful for the faculty taking the time out of their busy lives to pass on their knowledge and skills. Thank you.

If you have always wanted to attend MDU but for whatever reason have not managed to do so yet, I strongly advise that you do! It is definitely a fundraising experience like no other. You can really feel the ‘altruistic’ nature in the air when you attend MDU. Everybody wants to help everybody else be the best fundraiser they can be. I hope, in time, to be able to attend every track at MDU.

I would like thank the FIA Scholarship Committee for the opportunity to attend MDU 2011 and for awarding me the inaugural Steve Mourning Scholarship. It has certainly been the highlight of my fundraising career so far. I would also like to thank Anne Thompson-Haas, Maurice Henderson and Tracey Finlay, my track presenters, for their inspired teaching. And to my fellow track participants, thank you for sharing your experiences and knowledge with me.

17 January 2012