Strong Voices

Not everyone could handle it, knowing that people were depending on you to raise $14 million in a year. But IHC’s National Manager of Fundraising Greg Millar likes having a target. “It’s always somewhat challenging,” he says.

Last year 35,500 IHC donors gave $14.2 million – $1.8 million more than in the previous year.

It’s that kind of tally that helped Greg to win the top award from the Fundraising Institute of New Zealand (FINZ). Greg was made a fellow at the FINZ Conference 2022 in August. FINZ Co-Chair Gwen Green said Greg was a strong advocate for innovative and best-practice fundraising and an enthusiastic supporter of individual fundraisers across New Zealand.

“He is an internationally recognised fundraiser with over 30 years of experience in the not-for-profit sector and has brought a wealth of overseas knowledge and expertise to the New Zealand fundraising space.

“Under Greg’s management, IHC holds an organisational membership for the fundraising team. He strongly encourages the team to participate in FINZ events and opportunities.”

Greg says one of the things he likes about fundraising is trying something new and then evaluating it to see if it’s working. “It’s not exactly easy. I am now a great believer in looking at the data,” he says.

Greg has worked as a fundraiser in the non-profit sector in New Zealand and overseas for more than 30 years. His first job in fundraising was in London for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. He worked for UNICEF in Geneva between 1999 and 2003 before coming back to take up a role as National Fundraising Manager for IHC. In 2007 he returned overseas to work with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Rome and Washington. He rejoined IHC in 2017.

Greg’s New Zealand-based work includes roles as Head of Fundraising for the World Wildlife Fund and Fundraising Manager for Auckland City Mission.

“I think people do gravitate towards organisations who have learned to know how to communicate the meaning of what they do and the impact of their donation. Sixty percent of the people who give to us have no close connection with intellectual disability,” he says.

“We have 22,000 monthly donors and all of them are amazing, and you try to talk to them in a way that is meaningful to them and respectful.” Last year Smile Club members gave $7.154 million.

IHC’s fundraising activities pay for programmes to enhance the quality of life for people with intellectual disabilities and their families, including support from Family Liaisons and the IHC Library, and friendships made through IHC Volunteering.

Another of IHC’s flagship fundraising programmes, the IHC Calf & Rural Scheme, celebrated its 40-year anniversary in May. The scheme has raised more than $40 million, mostly from around 10,000 dairy farmers. In the past year it brought in $1.1 million to support IHC’s work in rural communities.

Caption: IHC fundraisers Trilby Benge, Josie Durney and Greg Millar celebrate at the Fundraising Institute of New Zealand Conference 2022 gala evening.