Kerin Welford is the fundraising manager at Assistance Dogs Australia. Over her 5 years in the role, she has grown annual fundraising revenue from under $1.5 million to over $5.4 million. She has implemented numerous fundraising programs that have significantly increased the organization's supporter base from 6,000 to over 90,000 people, regular donors from 400 to 7,000, and regular giving income from $164,000 to over $1.56 million. In the next year, Welford aims to grow regular donors to 12,000 and redesign the organization's website to continue expanding fundraising success.

1. fpmagazine.com.au F&P Magazine | August September 2016 29
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During her 20-year career in fundraising
management, Assistance Dogs
Australia’s Welford has been responsible for
raising over $56 million. “I have been working
here for nearly five years and now manage a
team of seven direct reports – in 2011 it was
just me!” she says. “In 2015 our fundraising
annual revenue target surpassed $5.4 million.
Although Assistance Dogs Australia was
founded in 1996, fundraising only started in
earnest on my appointment in 2011. Prior
to that, the annual revenue target was under
$1.5 million.”
Approaches, achievements and challenges
Welford’s key approach to her work is to
identify opportunities for growth and be more
strategic, making sure she can leverage all
opportunities to provide maximum growth
in the shortest amount of time while taking
calculated risks. In addition, she says creating
a sound supporter base is key in setting
up solid foundations from which to grow
fundraising programs.
She also emphasises the importance of
reviewing the profitability of programs that
are in place, saying, “Not all fundraising
programs are suitable for every charity
– it’s about playing to an organisation’s
strengths and looking at what other similar
organisations are doing successfully.
“Just as important is to ensure growth is
sustainable and steady, and that there are
streamlined systems in place so fundraisers
have more time to spend on raising money.
In my first year, I implemented a new
database and automated our systems.
“This has comprised ensuring our
ecommunications, website, supporter
database and accounting systems, along
with supplier import and export files,
integrate and speak to each other with
minimal human interaction and intervention.”
Prior to her role at Assistance Dogs
Australia, when Welford worked for the
Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of
New Zealand, she quadrupled its income
in four years, increased its supporter base
from 14,000 to 100,000, and grew its staff
capacity by a third.
“Our national cry as an advocacy
organisation was to say ‘100,000 voices
for nature’, which lent weight to influencing
government policy,” she explains.
“I saw an opportunity to do the same for
Assistance Dogs Australia and set about
growing existing fundraising programs and
implementing new ones, such as heavy
acquisition via telemarketing and direct
mail, along with regular giving (including
telemarketing and face-to-face), grants,
bequests, corporate support and major giving,
to name a few. I spearheaded a rebrand of
the organisation and the production of new
marketing collateral.”
Welford has grown the supporter base
from 6,000 to over 90,000 in five years. At
the same time, regular donors grew from
400 to 7,000 and regular giving income from
$164,000 to over $1.56 million. Bequest
income grew from nil in 2011 to $1.4 million
in 2015, while appeal income grew from
$27,000 to over $1.4 million. Apart from
supporter and income growth, the overall
result has enabled the organisation to grow
staff capacity by a third.
Welford admits these results have been
a challenge to implement but that this keeps
things exciting for her. She explains, “I am
always ready for a new day knowing that
I have the capability to create change for
good, and enable charitable organisations to
realise their vision and grow their services in
the community.”
The next 12 months
Welford plans to roll out the organisation’s
face-to-face regular giving program in
earnest with an aim to have a total 12,000
regular donors on board by the end of the
2017 financial year. She will be redesigning
the current website along with growing the
team with specialised staff and further
refining system automation.
“Assistance Dogs Australia’s goal is to
become a $10 million turnover organisation
as quickly as possible to enable us to realise
our dream to help fund the operation of a
new national training centre for assistance
dogs (after a staged capital campaign has
raised the $10 to $15 million needed to build
on a site we have recently purchased),” she
explains. “Continued investment and scaling
up of our current programs will help us
achieve our goal with a major focus on regular
giving, major giving and bequests.”
Kerin’s advice to fundraisers
Fundraising doesn’t happen overnight but it will happen – you need to be patient and
tenacious as slow and steady wins the race. Also learn to harness the power of your
suppliers’ and consultants’ expertise to assist with new fundraising programs or to achieve
greater investment in existing program development. Often advice from people outside the
organisation is valued highly by CEOs and boards so take advantage of that to help get your
business case across the line.
And don’t forget to keep records of all your professional development, time volunteering
for not-for-profits and your fundraising achievements, including income raised, to enable
you to apply to become a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE). It will be one of the
highlights of your career to achieve this international benchmark certification.
KERIN WELFORD
Fundraising Manager
Assistance Dogs Australia
An assistance dog at its graduation… …and a youngster on its ‘learner’ plates!