An established event specialist from Sydney to London, Ashley is celebrated for leading impactful fundraising initiatives. She seamlessly blends enthusiasm with strategic planning. Most recently, Ashley led the SCHF Gold Dinner resulting in a global children’s gala fundraising record. Join Ashley in exploring the art of successful fundraising.
Michelle is an innovative marketing and communications specialist committed to driving impact through events. Her time at Sydney Children's Hospitals Foundation has seen her contributing to record-breaking events like Gold Dinner. Join Michelle as she takes us through industry-leading strategies to propel successful fundraising initiatives and leave a lasting mark on the philanthropic landscape.
Conference Best of Series - Galas are not dead! Key drivers for success of a global-first fundraising gala
For 27 years, Gold Dinner has been Sydney Children's Hospitals Foundation (SCHF) signature event and Australia’s most successful charity gala.
Gold Dinner 2022 reached an Australian record for a charity gala at $9 million. In 2023, SCHF doubled that goal to reach a global children’s charity gala record of $19.2 million.
Whilst these results may seem “blue sky” for some charities, many organisations can successfully apply our tactics, implementing four key strategies: financial outcomes, relationships and collaboration, purpose, and impact. Ensuring the fundraising team is focused on driving business development and collaborating to support ambitious targets, not end-to-end event management, has been part of this game-changing outcome.
Our team at SCHF is excited to share our experience and strategies for you to take away to your teams to help support delivering a successful fundraising result.