The winners of the inaugural National Fundraising Awards were named in a ceremony in Dublin on Tuesday evening. Over 200 hundred representatives from the Irish charity sector were in attendance at the event in the prestigious Four Seasons Hotel in Dublin 4 and were said to have throroughly enjoyed the opportunity to network with fellow fundraisers from across the country.

The Fundraiser of the Year Award went to Peter Ireton of Bóthar, a charity that specialises in providing livestock to families in developing countries. The judges were impressed by both his innovative approach  and  the  sustainable nature  of  Bóthars campaigns. “The winner’s approach of non-duplication of efforts and promotion of efficiency within the NGO sector is to be commended,” the judging panel wrote in their comment.

Concern, a charity focused on providing emergency humanitarian and development aid, won the Fundraising Campaign of the Year Award for their campaign “Help Concern without spending a cent”.

A second award was made to Legacy Promotions Ireland in a sub-category for smaller organisations.

The Volunteer Fundraiser of the Year Award was shared by Caroline Downey (for Exploration Station and others) and Maureen Forrest (for the Hope Foundation).

Developed by The Wheel, Fundraising Ireland and sponsored by the Vodafone Ireland Foundation, the awards is the highest accolade for fundraisers working in Ireland’s community, voluntary and charity sector.
 
“Fundraising is a very honourable profession and fundraisers enable organisations to provide support to the poor, vulnerable and excluded; culture and the arts; preservation of heritage; provision of social services and much more,” says Deirdre Garvey, CEO of The Wheel.

Source: Fundingpoint.ie