News Release 21 April 2016

New Zealand Red Cross Take Out FINZ Fundraising Excellence Supreme Award

New Zealand Red Cross won the supreme award and three of the seven category awards at this year’s Fundraising Institute of New Zealand (FINZ) Fundraising Excellence Awards. The FINZ Fundraising Excellence Awards which are sponsored by Soar Print, were announced at a Gala Dinner in Auckland on Thursday 14 April.

This year’s category winners were:
• ASB Award for Excellence in an Annual Campaign:
New Zealand Red Cross for their Project Partners campaign
• Blackbaud Award for Excellence in a Donor Development Campaign:
New Zealand Red Cross for their Nepal Earthquake Emergency Appeal
• New Zealand Post Award for Excellence in Direct Marketing:
St. John for their 2015 Christmas Appeal ‘Mark’
• everydayhero Award for Excellence in Fundraising Events:
Hospice New Zealand for their Caring Connections Christmas Campaign
• Strategic Grants Award for Excellence in Grants:
Living Springs for the project, ‘Founders Field: a platform for greatness
• Xponential Philanthropy Award for Excellence in Sponsorship:
New Zealand Red Cross for their sponsorship programme with New Zealand Post
• Flightdec Special Award:
The Friends of Cancer Society Wellington for their highly successful Diplomatic Ball

The supreme award, the Soar Print FINZ Fundraising Excellence Award, is chosen from the category winners which represent the best in fundraising campaigns from 2015. This year’s supreme award was won by New Zealand Red Cross for their Nepal Earthquake Emergency Appeal. Especially noteworthy was this campaign’s associated donor acquisition and donor retention strategy.

FINZ’s acting Chief Executive Sheridan Bruce said, “FINZ congratulates the Award winners. They showcase best practice and fundraising excellence. In fact, all the entries in this year’s awards were of a high standard. This is testimony to the increasing professionalism of the sector, as demonstrated by an increased commitment to education and robust ethical fundraising practices championed by the Institute.

“The judging panel, comprising two FINZ Fellows and a senior professional fundraiser, said that this year’s entrants presented well-conceived and implemented campaigns that clearly resonated with the entrant’s constituencies. This high standard is a credit to this country’s fundraisers whose innovation and stand out campaigns are world class.”

ENDS

About FINZ
The Fundraising Institute of New Zealand (FINZ) is the professional body for charities and those employed in or involved with fundraising, sponsorship and events in the not-for-profit sector.
Its aim is to promote and uphold professional and ethical fundraising and encourage the development of philanthropy in New Zealand.

The Fundraising Institute of New Zealand serves:
• Charities seeking representation and advocacy to government and the flexibility to send more staff members to professional development courses;
• Organisations working to provide services and raise funds in the charitable and not-for-profit sector;
• Fundraisers and volunteers employed to assist charitable organisations to achieve their mission; and
• The public of New Zealand who donate funds and obtain services from charitable organisations

FINZ offers a variety of exceptional nonprofit professional development opportunities for those new to the fundraising through to seasoned professionals.

The FINZ’s Annual Conference is the premier learning event for fundraisers, charity and community sector leaders, and those doing great things for good causes. This year’s conference was held in Auckland in April and the Soar Print FINZ Excellence Awards were announced at the Gala Dinner on Thursday 14 April..
For more information about FINZ, see: http://finz.org.nz/

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