Community Leader: Heiko

Meet Heiko Plange-Korndoerfer, Chuffed.org's first ever star Community Leader, based in Perth. Heiko is a Senior Philanthropy Advisor with twenty years experience in fundraising. Read on to see what other experience he brings to the Chuffed.org community....

Tell us a bit about yourself and your career (or life) so far.

I graduated from the University of Western Australia in 1994 with a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in management and marketing. As one of the top students in my year, I was awarded the Challenge Bank Prize for Strategic Marketing in 1993.

Over the past twenty years, I have gained an extensive background in developing, implementing and managing strategic fundraising and corporate partnership programs. I have worked in senior leadership roles managing PR & marketing, community engagement and fundraising staff within health, medical research, education, and community organisations across Australia.

Taking a three-year break from fundraising, I broadened my business acumen managing a successful start-up business servicing the Western Australian mining and construction industries. In 2006, I also completed a Graduate Diploma of Applied Finance Investment with the Financial Services Institute of Australia.

In 2011, I was awarded a Qantas scholarship to undertake further study in the inaugural Certificate of Social Impact program at the UWA Business School. This program has expanded my interest in contemporary philanthropic trends and fundraising practice including venture philanthropy, social impact investing and crowd-funding.

I’m a Fellow of the Fundraising Institute of Australia (FIA) and represented Western Australia on the State Executive. I also teach the FIA Certificate in Fundraising and speak regularly on fundraising and philanthropy at conferences.

My achievements and contribution to the fundraising industry were recognised internationally with the fundraising certification of CFRE in 2015.

Why did you decide to become a Chuffed.org community leader?

I am passionate about 'democratising philanthropy'. Far too often I hear people say that philanthropy is limited to the rich and famous. We all know that this is not true. Crowdfunding is a wonderful way to invite people to give to a cause you are passionate about and feel part of a 'tribe' that is making a real difference!

How did your crowdfunding journey begin?

I first became interested in crowdfunding when our local Primary School approached me to help them raise $40,000 to install a Climbing Dome on the school oval. Please check out our successful campaign here. 

What social cause are passionate about and why?

I am currently as the Senior Philanthropy Advisor at the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research. Perkins focuses on Cancer, Heart Disease and Diabetes. I lost my mother at a young age to cancer and I am very passionate about contributing to make a difference in this area of research.

What relevant fundraising or other experience do you have that you can share with participants in the workshop?

Early in my fundraising journey I was taught three things:

1. If you follow a process - probability will favour success.
2. People do not fund needy causes, they fund causes that meet people's needs.
3. In real estate it is all about location, location, location - well in fundraising it is is all about leadership, leadership, leadership.

I am looking forward to sharing my learning's across these three truisms with you at the next Chuffed workshop.

What social cause project or campaign on Chuffed will the funds raised through the workshop support? 

I am participating in the 2017 MACA Ride to Conquer Cancer in support of the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research. 100% of the proceeds from my workshops go towards my fundraising goal of $2,500.00. For more information please click here. 

Heiko's next Crowdfunding for Social Causes Workshop is on the 15th of August at Spacecubed! Register here.