There’s only a few days to go until we reach the deadline for making nominations for the National Fundraising Awards 2024.
At the Chartered Institute of Fundraising, we know that fundraisers across the country are doing brilliant work that is making the world a better place.
We also know that fundraisers should be recognised for their hard work and amazing achievements, and what better way than to be shortlisted for or to win a National Fundraising Award?!
On the value of the Awards, head judge Katie Docherty, Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Fundraising, says: “The Awards provide a platform to showcase the hard work, dedication, passion, and innovation of fundraisers, and not just to your peers as well – the Awards are a fantastic way of showing your impact to donors, funding bodies, supporters, volunteers, and many other people who come in to contact with your charity.”
Perhaps you could nominate a colleague, team or someone who has helped you. You might have a campaign that you have worked on that you are particularly proud of, or you know a young person that has gone above and beyond in their fundraising. Or maybe you have a new member of the team who is new to fundraising that you’d like to say a ‘thank you’ to and boost their career.
There are 12 categories in this year’s Awards, which are:
- Best Supporter Experience of the Year
- Charity-Business Relationship of the Year
- Fundraiser of the Year
- Fundraising Campaign of the Year
- Fundraising Event of the Year
- Individual Giving Campaign of the Year
- Legacy Campaign of the Year
- Fundraising Charity of the Year
- Best Supplier to the Fundraising Sector of the Year
- Volunteer Fundraiser of the Year
- Newcome of the Year
- Young Fundraiser of the Year (15 years or under).
Each category will be reviewed by a fantastic panel of judges, who will each be looking for something different. Overall, the Awards recognise excellence in fundraising, in the many forms that it takes.
Meredith Niles, Chair of the Showcase of Fundraising Innovation and Inspiration, says: “An entry that details how you’ve learned from the campaign, including the parts that didn’t necessarily go to plan, is far more useful to peers than one that paints a distorted picture by glossing over the hard parts. I think we do the sector a disservice if we celebrate campaigns that look great to an outsider but didn’t actually meet their objectives, so as a judge, I’ll give greater weight to entries that include full results and as much evidence as possible.”
From the Muslim Charities Forum, it’s CEO Fadi Itani will be looking for “the diverse entries which celebrate the impact of faith, personal experiences, different perspectives and that which address systemic change issues and power balances.”
Fundraisers and campaigns which are shortlisted will be able to use the shortlisting to raise awareness of their mission and purpose – the National Fundraising Awards are a powerful way to engage with your community and to show the value of your work.
The winners will be announced at a fabulous ceremony in London, where you will be able to meet other fundraisers, hear about their campaigns, and have a wonderful evening celebrating the very best in UK fundraising with your colleagues and peers.
The deadline for entering is 5pm on Friday 26 January. Don’t miss our guidance on how to create a winning entry and all the category information. We hope to see your work in the entries and to meet you in London in July at the National Fundraising Awards ceremony. Good luck!