McDowall resident Ryan Ginard has received the 2025 Philanthropy Innovation Award at this year’s Queensland Philanthropy Awards.
The award, presented before more than 1000 guests at Brisbane City Hall, recognises exceptional leadership, creativity and long-term social impact in the philanthropic sector.
Ryan said the recognition was extra special after returning home after 13 years working in the philanthropic sector in the United States.
“It was pretty surreal, especially in a packed City Hall,” Ryan said. “This award helped reaffirm that it was the right choice to take that big leap of faith to return to Brisbane and validates the time and energy we put into professionalising fundraising and expanding resources in regions that have historically received less attention.”
Ryan was honoured for founding Fundraise For Australia (F4A), the country’s first dedicated fundraising fellowship and training platform. The social enterprise was born from his observation of a significant skills shortfall in Australia’s fundraising sector, noting that locally, only six per cent of all philanthropic giving reaches Queensland.
“The shortage of trained fundraisers is a pressing issue,” Ryan said. “Without sufficient professional fundraisers, nonprofit organisations may struggle to secure necessary funding, leading to reduced services and support for communities in need.
“After having exposure to learning cohorts such as Teach for America, I thought, ‘How can this model be applied to the fundraising field?’ and so this led to the creation of Fundraise For Australia (F4A), a social enterprise aimed at recruiting, training, and empowering new fundraisers to build a diverse and powerful social sector capable of supporting and strengthening society.”
As a result of F4A, Ryan said he had seen individuals earn promotions, secure seven-figure gifts and return to university to further their philanthropic studies.
“We’ve trained new fundraisers from remote, rural, First Nations and under-resourced communities,” he said. “This isn’t just about building skills – it’s about strengthening the entire for-purpose ecosystem across Queensland and beyond.”
He said F4A was a complement to building a culture of giving in Australia.
“Philanthropy is not a term reserved for those that give big gifts, it’s a word that can be inclusive if we decide to reclaim it,” he said. “That includes gifts of time, talent, and treasure. I would encourage anyone that wants to make a difference in their communities to step up and be counted – there’s no better time than now to get involved, because people need our help more than ever.”
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