Sydney Fundraising Banquet 2021 raises AU$106,575 in one night

“What we do here tonight does matter — not just for the immediate needs of this day, but for transforming thousands of tomorrows,” ICM CEO David Sutherland opens his Keynote message at the Annual Sydney Fundraising Banquet entitled “Standing on Hope” held at the Aqua Luna Waterfront Dining last June 4.

While the world continues to recover, some countries are slowly going back to normal. A little over a month ago, we were happy to finally see our generous donors and partners in Australia after almost two years. It was our first momentous event since the pandemic graced by almost 200 attendees. There was a real buzz in the room as everyone finally caught up with friends old and new! This was a successful night thanks to our incredible team of volunteers, our emcee Nick Foord, Julie Turner for her testimony, and our Board of Advisors for filling the room with 154 Sydney Fundraising Banquet guests.

Unlike our events pre-pandemic, the Sydney Fundraising Banquet was our first hybrid corporate event since we started getting back on track. David shared his Keynote message virtually with our donors on-site while he was in a hotel in Uganda before they commenced visiting the Transform communities. Our donors have always been a vital part of ICM’s growth. True enough, we raised an outstanding amount of AU$106,575 in one right — that’s significantly higher than two years ago. Our donors are on a roll!

A Night of Giving

Our guests bought 23 items in the Silent Auction raising AU$9,625. This is made possible by those who generously donated the prizes. We generated AU$26,400 worth of sponsorships for the Transform Program of more than 240 families comprising of about 1,300 members. Our donors funded AU$2,400 for two Medical Funds which saves dozens of lives. We received AU$4,020 for Family Academy programs providing a great start to 60 pre-schoolers. Our donors gave AU$5,400 for 12 Business-in-a-Box kits helping jumpstart hundreds of micro-businesses. We raised AU$14,250 from the Pink Pigs, providing 342,000 meals to malnourished children (beyond our 300,000 target).

On top of these, donors generously gave more than AU$10,700 on the night and AU$18,300 a few days after the Banquet to the area of greatest need. With our partner Entrust,  all online donations from the Banquet coming from Australia were processed without charge. It enabled us to offer donors tax deductibility, providing our donors more room to give. The Sydney Fundraising Banquet is just one symbol of normalcy. As we move along, we can’t wait to see more of the wonders that we can do for the ultra-poor communities in the Philippines, and now in Uganda and Guatemala. Check out our Facebook page for more photos.