National Fundraising Conference for 2012 - Fostering Fundraising Excellence - is on sale NOW!

Attending this conference is an important investment; it will help you to learn new skills and raise more funds for your organisation.

When is it?

• Main conference day: Wednesday, 21st March 2012.
• Masterclasses will take place on the eve of the Conference, Tuesday 20th March 2012.
• **New for 2012** A Networking Dinner will also take place on on the eve of the Conference, Tuesday, 20th March 2012.

Where does it take place?

• Conference and Masterclasses: The Convention Centre, Dublin 1 (North Wall Quay).
• Networking Dinner: The Mansion House/Fire Restaurant, Dawson St, Dublin 2.

Book now and avail of the Early Bird rate!

About the Conference:

This unique conference has been designed for fundraisers by fundraisers who understand the challenges facing our peers in today’s challenging environment.

We have hand-picked a line-up of fantastic fundraising and charity experts from Ireland and overseas who will provide practical advice, tips and essential ‘know-how’ to help you navigate through these difficult times.

Our speakers insights will benefit you regardless of whether you work in the health, community development, overseas aid arts & culture, education or sports fields of the sector and will equally apply to your organisation whether it is staffed by three volunteers or has a full time staff of 300!

Masterclasses:

On the eve of the conference, Tuesday 20th March, three Fundraising Masterclasses will take place. These intensive sessions have been developed for fundraisers who want to take part in an in-depth, challenging workshop.

This year’s Masterclasses will feature Mike Johnston (Founder and President of HJC, Canada) speaking on Integrated Fundraising; Damian O’Broin (Managing Director at Ask Direct, Ireland) and Aline Reed (Head of Creative at Bluefrog, London) on what makes a good direct mail appeal and Beate Sorum (Fundraising Adviser, Digital Communication at Norwegian Cancer Society) looking at the relationship between digital fundraising and social media.

Each of the Masterclasses are restricted to a maximum of 30 participants so early booking is essential.

Read the full agenda, book your place today and avail of the Early Bird rate!

**New for 2012** Networking Dinner

This year, for the first time, we are hosting a Pre-Conference Networking Dinner & Reception on the eve of the Conference. The Reception will take place at The Mansion House on Dawson Street (the official residence of the Lord Mayor) and will be followed by dinner at the adjoining restaurant ‘Fire’. This event will provide an excellent opportunity for you to get to know some of our Irish and international conference speakers - we will have at least one speaker on each table - catch up with old acquaintances and meet some new ones too!

Again, we have a limited number of places available for this networking dinner and places will be granted on a first come first serve basis.

All bookings for this networking dinner must be received in advance of March 2nd.

Add this unique networking opportunity to your conference package: Members: €50; Non-members: €60

Who should attend the conference?

• Anyone engaged in charitable fundraising and donor development across the not-for-profit sector.
• Those new to the sector looking for a kick-start to their careers and those individuals who have significant experience who want to hone their skills and knowledge of specific areas.
• Anyone who has a role in income generation for their organisation regardless of whether they are the Chair, CEO, Finance Manager or Fundraiser.

How much does it cost?

This year we have increased the member discount to 25%! We are also offering a further 15% Early Bird discount to anyone who books before 2nd March.

In addition, we have set an exceptionally low rate (Members: €65; Non-members: €85) for the five-hour optional masterclasses, in order to offer maximum value to our supporters.

Conference Early Bird Rate (Book before Friday March 2nd)

• Member: €170
• Non-Member: €230

To avail of the Early Bird rate, payment must be paid in full by 9th March 2012.

Conference Regular Rate (All bookings after March 2nd)

• Member: €210
• Non-Member Rate: €270

Masterclasses: Add a half-day Masterclass on 20th March to your conference programme. Members: €65; Non-members: €85

Special discounts are available on group bookings of over 5 delegates. Please contact us for more details.

Book your place today and avail of the Early Bird Rate!

Fundraising Ireland would like to ackowledge the support of the following sponsors and exhibitors: MyCharity.ie, Total Fundraising, Persona, Appco, Blackbaud, Idonate, Irish Greyhound Board, Neopost, PCC, Spark Marketing Communications, Fat Beehive, Quadriga Art, Baker Tilly Ryan Glennon, ThankQ.

For sponsorship and exhibiting opportunities, please contact Ed Hurrell, Business Development Manager at:

T: +353 (0) 1 407 1613 or
E: ed@fundraisingireland.ie

Alcohol Concern has launched new dates for the Family Training Programme, a nationwide training programme designed to equip practitioners with the skills to work effectively with children and families affected by parental alcohol misuse.
This specialist training is free of charge and is suitable for practitioners in the alcohol and drug field as well as those from the wider child welfare and social care fields who work with children, parents and whole families affected by parental alcohol misuse.
The training provides participants with the knowledge to apply tried and tested therapeutic methods, approaches and clinical tools for use in frontline practice.

The overall aim of the training is to increase practitioners’ understanding and skills in building resilience among children, engaging with parents whose drinking puts their families at risk and motivating change in the context of risk assessment and safeguarding. This training has been developed by Wendy Robinson, a leading practitioner in the field of families and substance misuse.

The programme consists of four one day training sessions which complement each other to form a comprehensive training module or can be accessed as stand alone courses. The four courses are:

Training A - Working with families to increase engagement and motivation towards change
Training B - Building resilience - working with children affected by parental alcohol problems
Training C - Protective parenting - a realistic approach for alcohol misusing parents
Training D - Alcohol misuse, parenting and risk assessment - collaborative approaches to
safeguarding children
The training will be of most benefit to participants who have the following competencies:

• Demonstrable experience working with children, parents, families and adult substance users
• Basic substance misuse awareness training or experience of working in this area
• Level 1 Child Protection/Local Safeguarding Children training
• Domestic violence and abuse training or experience of working in this area
• Experience of working in partnership with agencies across adult and child sectors

To book onto one or more of the above training courses please follow one of the links below for full details of dates and venues.

Birmingham - April Click here

London - April Click here

Newcastle - May Click here

Manchester - May Click here

Birmingham - June Click here

Bristol - June Click here

London - July Click here

Onsite Courses

If you have 5-16 members of staff at your organisation who would benefit from an onsite training session for this or any other alcohol training, please email the Consultancy and Training Unit: familytraining@alcoholconcern.org.uk

Most organisations recognise the need to have some kind of legacy programme in place. Many organisations find they now have large databases of donors dating back over decades. Legacy potential is there in your database - but how can you effectively target your best legacy prospects on a limited budget? And how can legacy officers establish a proactive legacy programme which will allow them to systematically, logically and sensitively build relationships with legators and prospects?
With examples from North America, Latin America and Europe, Mike will show an alternative to traditional legacy programming with a programme which scores your donors to reveal the highest potential in legacy and major gifts.

About Mike Johnston

Michael Johnston is the founder of the global fundraising consultancy, Hewitt and Johnston Consultants. He has been a fundraiser for 24 years, and has worked with 100’s of organizations in Canada, the U.S., Europe, Latin America, and Asia Pacific. Mike is an expert in fundraising innovation and integrated campaigning - most especially in the use of digital technologies and their integration with traditional fundraising methods - from sustainer to legacy gifts. He is the author of two books: The Fund Raiser’s Guide to the Internet and The Nonprofit Guide to the Internet and the editor of two books: Internet Strategies: Best Practices for Marketing, and Direct Response Fund Raising: Mastering New Trends for Results. Mike was a founding Board Member of the Washington-based e-Philanthropy Foundation, and was its first chair of its Education Committee. In addition, Michael was the founding Foundation Chair for the first global charity online lottery, www.globelot.com.

To book your place at the conference, please visit http://www.fundraisingireland.ie/whats-new/events/the-national-fundraising-conference-2012-fostering-fundraising-excellence/#regg

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Director Fiona Ryan said: “We know in Ireland that we have a difficult relationship with alcohol. We know because one in 11 children - enough children to fill Croke Park - tell us their lives are being negatively impacted by a parent’s drinking. We know because half of us are drinking at levels currently jeopardising our health - over 2 litres of pure alcohol a year above maximum low risk limits. We know financially because it is costing us €3.7 billion a year in alcohol-related harm with over 2,000 hospital beds a night being used in connection with alcohol.

“The National Substance Misuse Strategy has created a blueprint of recommendations that if implemented will go a considerable way to protecting the health and wellbeing of children, young people and families in communities across Ireland. In the end, however, they are just a set of recommendations, it will take significant political will to turn a blueprint for change into a real plan of action.”

Referring to the report’s recommendations, Ms Ryan said they reflected the World Health Organisation’s evidence on the most effective measures to reduce alcohol consumption and related harm.

“Recommendations around tackling pricing, availability and marketing including sponsorship are not empty policy gestures but real ways to make a difference.  Alcohol marketing impacts on young people’s decision to drink alcohol and the amount they drink which is why the report emphasises restricting marketing.

“In the debate that follows this report, education will no doubt be presented as an alternative to restricting alcohol marketing.  Unfortunately, the evidence from the World Health Organisation doesn’t support education by itself as a solution for alcohol-related harm - in fairness, how could it?

“Over €60million a year is spent in Ireland alone on marketing and promoting alcohol through sports sponsorship, television, internet and social networking sites. It would be difficult for any country to counterbalance the millions spent on promoting alcohol.”

Ms Ryan underlined the fact that pricing was key to promoting alcohol and welcomed the recommendation setting a floor price so that alcohol would not be sold at ‘pocket money’ prices.

She said: “Concern over young people’s drinking and the impact on their physical and mental health is one of the prime motivators for the recommendations contained in this report. We should remember that there is another group of children rarely seen, rarely heard and rarely the subject of official reports. These are the one in 11 children whose lives are currently being impacted by a parent’s drinking to the extent that it can become a child welfare and protection issue.  One in seven children in care in Ireland, are there primarily because of parental substance misuse and this is liable to be an underestimation.

“Alcohol Action Ireland has actively campaigned for these children to be seen and heard. At the very least, this strategy recognises these children, the challenges they and their families face and the right of these children to be seen and heard by State services. Agencies need to work together to deliver services for children that are consistent and appropriate: a child’s right to help should not be dependent on whether his or her parents are accessing services.

“Despite the urgency of these children’s plight, we are only at the start of this process. Northern Ireland already has its Hidden Harm strategy in operation to address the needs of these children. A child should not have to wait and suffer in silence because their parent may not or want to recognise they have an alcohol problem.”

For more information contact: Joanne Dunne at (01) 878 0610 or Fiona Ryan 087 219 5723

Note to the editor: Alcohol Action Ireland has actively campaigned for minimum pricing for alcohol - that campaign is backed by the following organisations: Barnardos, The ISPCC, Foroige, the National Youth Council of Ireland, The No Name Club, St Vincent De Paul, Focus Ireland, Faculty of Public Health Medicine, Royal College of Physicians, The Irish Medical Organisation, Rape Crisis Network Ireland, The Irish Cancer Society, The Irish Heart Foundation, The North West Alcohol Forum and the Ballymun Local Drugs Taskforce and the Irish Association of Suicidology.

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We all know that it’s far easier and cost-effective to hold onto an existing donor than recruit a new one. Yet how many charities can claim to have the first class donor care that’s needed to keep, delight and develop donors? In fact, how good are Irish charities at donor care, compared to their counterparts in the UK and elsewhere?

Drawing on a massive international mystery-shopping of leading charities’ donor care practices across 6 different countries (Ireland, UK, U.S, Canada, New Zealand, & Australia) Damian O’Broin (Managing Director at Ask Direct) and Mark Phillips (Managing Director at Bluefrog, London) will illuminate what charities are doing well, what they’re doing badly and what they need to change now to keep the donors that they have.

Monday/Tuesday - 27th/28th Feb
Monday/Tuesday - 5th/6th March
Monday/Tuesday - 12th/13th March
Enrollments now taking place. For further Information or to secure a place on the above event: Telephone: 01-8728405 or email dkhuwais@thefriary.ie
Enrolments now taking place. For further Information or to secure a place on he above event: Telephone: 01-8728405 or email dkhuwais@thefriary.ie

For further Information or to secure a place on the above event: Telephone: 01-8728405 or email dkhuwais@thefriary.ie

Whilst the devastating effects of domestic violence on women are well documented, far less is known about the impact on children who witness a person being subjected to violence. Research shows that children who are exposed to violence in the home may suffer a range of severe and lasting effects.

Violence in the home is one of the most pervasive human rights challenges of our time. It remains a largely hidden problem that few countries, communities or families openly confront. Seeking to address the problem, the European Commission is in its third phase of the Daphne Programme, aiming to prevent and combat all forms of violence towards children and women.

This timely International Symposium will analyse the existing challenges in shaping comprehensive and holistic strategies and toolkits for assessing, preventing and protecting children from violence and abuse in a domestic environment.

For further details about the symposium, please refer to the enclosed event brochure. Do feel free to circulate this information to relevant colleagues within your organisation.

In the meantime, to ensure your organisation is represented, please complete and return the registration form at your earliest convenience in order to secure your delegate place(s).