Last chance to submit entries to Southern Africa Fundraising Awards

Organised by the Southern Africa Institute of Fundraising (SAIF) and endorsed and supported by the Resource Alliance (UK), the Southern Africa Fundraising Awards will celebrate fundraising excellence in Southern Africa, whilst setting aspirational standards and championing best practice amongst fundraisers in the region.

Entries for the five award categories - Big Idea, Small Budget; Innovative Fundraising Campaign; Social Enterprise of the Year; Southern Africa Fundraiser of the Year; and Outstanding Volunteer - are open until 31 May 2013 for any individual or organisation within Southern Africa (i.e. South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Swaziland and Lesotho).

Sponsors for the awards include Bizcommunity.com, South Africa and Africa's leading B2B website, with a focus on the nation's advertising, marketing, media, retail and associated sectors, and KidzAfrica, whose software DevMan, facilitates fundraising, grant making and bursary management in a single application.

In commenting on the importance of the new fundraising awards, KidzAfrica CEO James Kydd, who has been servicing South Africa's philanthropic sector for the past 15 years said, "With all the pressures facing them, those fundraisers who focus on innovation and excellence deserve our recognition. I'm especially keen to award those who are finding creative ways to grow their individual fundraising base and move away from reliance on the saturated corporate sector".

The nominations will be judged by an independent panel of judges and award recipients will be announced at a gala event on 10 October 2013, during the SAIF National Convention 2013 (7 - 11 October) in Johannesburg.

Winners will then be eligible to compete against other national fundraising award winners from fundraising associations around the globe, at the 2013 Resource Alliance Global Awards for Fundraising in the Netherlands in mid-October.

Neelam Makhijani, CEO of the Resource Alliance said; "We believe that innovation can come from any part of the world and this needs to be recognised and celebrated. We hope that the Southern Africa Fundraising Awards will inspire organisations and raise the bar to do more innovative and effective fundraising."

SAIF believes the Southern Africa Fundraising Awards will help dispel the myth that Africa is dependent on foreign donor funds for financial sustainability. They also believe it will increase credibility, recognition and lead to increased support for those organisations short-listed for an award. After winning an award at the India NGO Awards in 2008, Mobility India said the organisation had seen a sharp increase in individual donations, increased support from the corporate sector and directly led to their appointment by the State Government as an implementation agency.

With thousands of fundraisers mobilising billions of Rands for thousands of causes each year, SAIF's President, Annemarie Barnard believes there is a wealth of talented individuals, running inspired campaigns supported by passionate volunteers, whose contribution to the non-profit sector has gone unnoticed for too long. "These awards are a great opportunity for us to give recognition to those who are excelling in this field and in so doing inspire others to achieve more".

For further information on the awards and application details visit www.saifundraising.org.za or email az.gro.gnisiardnufias@sdrawa