Nest Fest: Inspired, engaged, grateful
Yesterday marked the inaugural Nest Fest Down Under, hosted by The Fundraising Nest!
Here are the insights that we, Tessa and Javi, gathered from this groundbreaking event:
From L to R: Tessa O’Neill, Michelle Berriman, Javi Medel
On arrival, we were warmly welcomed by Chief Nester, Michelle Berriman. We were truly inspired by her dreams of creating an environment where everyone feels welcome to be their authentic selves. She promotes a powerful sense of inclusivity and community, which radiated throughout the entire day.
The opening session, hosted by Lynne Wester, had the room absolutely captivated. She offered high energy, lots of laughs and an unparalleled depth of insight into strategic and curated donor communications.
Rodney Ferro hosted a masterclass of marketing and the customer buying cycle. This session provided impactful, but easy to implement, initiatives to drive engagement and reach.
One of our highlights of the day was hearing the amazing successes of Bully Zero, thanks to Janet Grima's work with Hailey Cavill-Jaspers and Georgia McIntosh of Be Partner Ready. We found ourselves engaged with every element of their corporate partnerships journey, that has eventuated in great successes that have enhanced Bully Zero's capability to support bullying reduction strategies.
Simon Oats inspired us through highlighting the neurological affects of storytelling, and how this can be utilised to curate compelling fundraising collateral.
Ian MacQuillin provided the opportunity to be inquisitive and curious, touching on common ethical dilemmas within the fundraising sector. We could have easily listened to his insights all day!
Overall, our biggest highlight was the people! We are so grateful to have had the opportunity to connect with some of the finest in fundraising. It was wonderful connecting, getting to know each other and sharing ideas.
We were thrilled to be part of the first ever Nest Fest Down Under! Michelle's hard work has created space for an impactful and supportive community to form. We have no doubt that she will continue spreading her wings and inspiring people across Australia and NZ.
Thank you for having us!
The Q&A Panel at Nest Fest