Inside ASI-AP

ASI is pleased to announce the recipients for the September round of funding for the ASI SMART Company Scholarship Fund.

The Fund yet again recieved a solid stream of applications and was pleased to be able to assist seven very worthy recipients from across Australia.

Recipients included:

Amy Amato, Wildlife Victoria
FIA Skills 1

Cathy Holland, Hear & Say Centre
FIA Skills 2

Luke Williams, The Crusader Union of Australia
FIA Skills 1

Stefania Rochford, Australia Zoo Wildlife Warriors
FIA Skills 1

Liz Balogh, Bush Heritage Australia
Major Gift Fundraising (Artful Fundraising)

The Fund received an impressive number of applications requesting more than $14,000 in funding in the March round. And yet again the quality was exceptional. In fact the Review Panel (that included Andrew Kennedy as the rotational ASI staff representative) made the unprecedented decision to extend the allocation of scholarships awarded for this round. We are pleased to announce 12 scholarships were awarded with a total value of more than $7,000.

Approximately $18,000 will now be made available for the next three rounds of funding for 2009.

Congratulations to the following Scholarship recipients:

We are pleased to announce the Review Panel for the 2009 ASI SMART Company Scholarship Fund.

Our Review Panel of Paul Ramsbottom and Julie Willett will be joined each funding round by a rotating panellist selected from ASI staff.

March 2009
Paul Ramsbottom - ASI Managing Director (and Chairman of the Fund)
Julie Willett - ASI HR/Facilities Director
Andrew Kennedy - ASI Project Manager

June 2009
Paul Ramsbottom - ASI Managing Director (and Chairman of the Fund)
Julie Willett - ASI HR/Facilities Director
Clara Leonardi - ASI Consultant

September 2009
Paul Ramsbottom - ASI Managing Director (and Chairman of the Fund)

MEDIA RELEASE

January 22, 2009

25,000 Reasons for Non Profit Professionals to be Happy in 2009

This is shaping up as a very happy new year indeed for the latest five recipients of Advanced Solutions International’s ASI SMART Company Scholarships.

The December round recipients will attend a major conference, undertake training in fundraising and develop their skills in training and assessment courtesy of the scholarships.

“The December 2008 round was one of the most competitive in the fund’s three-year history, so these recipients can be particularly proud,” says Paul Ramsbottom, ASI Asia Pacific managing director and fund chair. “With a fresh $25,000 of funding available in 2009 we are looking to more scholarships, more smarts and more smiles.”

The final round of funding for 2008 the ASI SMART Company Scholarship Fund closes on Wednesday 10 December 2008. This is the perfect time to apply for your 2009 training. Funding is available to attend FIA Skills 1,2,3 courses as well as a number of courses for IMIS customers in Part B and open funding under Part C of the fund. For details go to www.advsol.com/ap/scholarship or contact Marla at ASI on 03 9869 7503.

The deadline for the September 2008 round of funding for the ASI SMART Company Scholarship Fund has been extended to Friday 12 September (from Wednesday 10th Sept).

This is the time NFP staff can apply to attend FIA’s Fundraising Leadership Program (FLP)- an intensive four day program covering advanced professional issues in fundraising and philanthropy, transformational leadership and social marketing.

One full scholarship is available along with up to 5 part scholarships (25% of early bird member rate registration fees). More details about the scholarships is at www.advsol.com/ap/scholarship and the FLP at www.fia.org.au.

MEDIA RELEASE

July 22, 2008

Second Birthday Celebrated With Gift Giving Spree
Biggest round yet for ASI SMART Company Scholarship Fund

The ASI SMART Company Scholarship Fund has celebrated its second birthday by awarding nine more non profit professionals from across the not for profit sector and across the country grants worth $11,000. This round of funding was one of the most competitive on record with $40,000 worth of funding requested, resulting in some tough decisions for the review panel.

“Demand is increasing so we must be doing something right,” says Paul Ramsbottom, managing director ASI Asia Pacific and instigator of the scholarship fund that aims to strengthen non profit sector professionals. “More not for profit professionals are seeking ongoing professional development than ever before and that’s good news.”

The Fund received applications requesting more than $40,000 in funding in the June round. We are pleased to confirm nine Scholarships were awarded with a total value of more than $11,000. Approximately $9,000 will now be made available for the final two rounds of funding for 2008.

Congratulations to the following Scholarship recipients:

Part A – Fully Funded Education Scholarships

Claire Black - The Wilderness Society
FIA Madison Down Under

Tarnya Van Driel - Asthma Foundation of SA
FIA Madison Down Under

Elaine Young - Australian Red Cross
Diploma of Business (Volunteer Management)

The Fund received applications requesting approximately $9,000 in funding in the March round. We are pleased to confirm six Scholarships were awarded with a total value of more than $5,000. Approximately $19,000 will now be made available for the three further rounds of funding for 2008.

Congratulations to the following Scholarship recipients:

Part A – Fully Funded Education Scholarships

Kennie Ward - OBJECT
FIA Skills 1 (NSW)

Judith Williams – Australian Breastfeeding Association
FIA Skills 1 (VIC)

Part B – Education Subsidies for ASI Customers

Janita Suter - Caritas Australia

I was interviewed recently for an article that has now been published in the February issue of Business Community Intelligence (BCI). The article, "Small Investment - Big Change: making a difference as a small to medium enterprise", discusses corporate responsibility and specifically our efforts in establishing a program including the ASI SMART Company Scholarship Fund.

A copy of the article in full is available to ASI staff at this private link.

Business Community Intelligence is an initiative of Our Community (www.ourcommunity.com.au). BCI is Australia's Premier Corporate Responsibility Newsletter designed specifically for the Australian business scene, with an eye to best practices and cutting-edge corporate responsibility thought leadership from this country and abroad. Issued quarterly, it provides case studies, community engagement ideas, insights, tools, and information on what works and what doesn't.

The March round of the ASI SMART Company Scholarship Fund has now closed. We received a total of 9 eligible applications for a range of funding with some very impressive applications coming through.

Joining Paul and Julie on the review panel for March is Leo.

As you may be aware, a different member of staff is selected to join the review panel for each funding round.

Previous guest panelists have included:

December 07 - Greg
September 07 - Jay
June 07 - Jason
March 07 - Jana

December 06 - Kevin B
September 06 - Mick
June 06 - Lindsay

This year the following staff have been selected to participate:

On Tuesday, Sue-Anne Wallace (CEO of the FIA) and I attended the Sydney luncheon to announce the state finalists of The Prime Minister's Awards for Excellence in Community Business Partnerships. ASI and FIA jointly submitted a nomination for this award, which I had posted about a few months ago.

Unfortunately, we did not win the state award, so that's it for us for this year. But it was really a good thing to be part of, and already Sue-Anne and I have started to make notes on how we can improve our community partnership so that we can nominate again next year.

We have now signed a 3 year sponsorship agreement with the FIA (www.fia.org.au), the Fundraising Institute of Australia. While we have been principal corporate sponsors for a few years now, it has only ever been on a year to year basis. This year, we have signed for 3 years, which actually works out better for both of us.

This is a 6 figure sum for us over the 3 years, so it is a substantial investment in the fundraising profession and sector generally.

The sponsorship includes the usual ASI branding on all printed and electronic materials, website home page, chapter invitations, etc.

As reported on the www.asismartcompany.com Scholarship Fund blog site and in the media release posted here, scholarship award winners for the second quarter of 2007 have been announced. The Scholarship Fund received applications for more than $20,000 in funding, and a total of 7 scholarships with a total value of more than $6,000 were awarded. Special thanks to Jason who was on the review panel for this round.

Congratulations to the following Scholarship recipients:

Part A – Fully Funded Education Scholarships
Melinda Warnecke – Monash University Medical Foundation - FIA Skills 2

July 16: Advanced Solutions International Honoured with Prime Minister’s Community Business Partnership Award Nomination

Advanced Solutions International (Asia Pacific) has been honoured with a nomination for a 2007 Prime Minister’s Community Business Partnership Award by the Fundraising Institute Australia.

The nomination recognises the fruitful relationship between ASI, which provides software to the non-profit sector and the FIA, which represents the sector’s fundraisers. At the heart of the partnership is the innovative ASI SMART Company Scholarship Fund which funds training courses, conference attendance and professional development for individuals working in the non-profit sector.