Sue Hunt: Fundraising for the future

In 2010, after 20 years of working in senior executive positions and holding board memberships at many of the country’s leading arts and cultural organisations including the Sydney Opera House, Queensland Theatre Company, Geelong Performing Arts Centre, and CarriageWorks, Hunt felt she wanted to do more for others and moved back to her home state of Victoria. Here she joined The Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation (RCH Foundation) as Executive Director (CEO).

Since Hunt began, the RCH Foundation has raised over $100 million, supported ground-breaking research projects, and funded the purchase of state-of-the-art equipment as well as many family care initiatives. In the last financial year, the RCH Foundation raised $37 million through a range of activities and initiatives, and 2014 is on track to be another successful year of fundraising.

Third Sector spoke with Hunt about her career, what’s next for the RCH Foundation, and the phenomenal support of the Victorian community.

What lured you away from the arts and to the fundraising sector?

I have two passions in life – performing arts and community. When the position at the RCH Foundation came up, it spoke to me as a way to bring the skills I had from the arts world to an amazing cause and a wonderful institution. Leading the fundraising for the hospital was an opportunity I couldn’t refuse and not surprisingly, as soon as I started, it was immediately rewarding.

Philanthropy is embedded in The Royal Children’s Hospital’s (RCH) history. For such an established organisation, do you feel there is room in the fundraising marketplace for increased support?

The RCH is one of the best paediatric facilities in the world. In partnership with the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and the University of Melbourne Department of Paediatrics, the campus pursues medical, research and academic excellence. People want to be part of this. They want the Melbourne Children’s – as we are now calling the integrated academic health science centre – to be on the world stage, and a big part of what we do at the RCH Foundation is to harness that desire. We play our part in ensuring that today’s children and youth have the future they deserve and that generations to come will experience our legacy.

How strong is community support?

Fundraising is the voice of the community, acknowledging the remarkable work that the RCH does. The generosity of Victorians is astounding and outstanding. Our supporters have a desire to develop, protect and preserve the hospital and we can never underestimate the value and importance of what the hospital means to individuals and groups in the community.

The strength of the support never ceases to amaze me. Liat Harrower is one particular supporter who exemplifies fundraising for the future. In 2008, her son, Mitchell, passed away from Niemann-Pick Type C, a rare metabolic storage disorder for which there was no treatment or cure. Despite this adversity, Liat has found the strength to lead a 200 km fundraising walk across Victoria which has raised over $200,000 for the Victorian Paediatric Palliative Care Program and provides support for other families.

We are blessed and honoured to have this level of committed support.

What does the future look like for you?

I was fortunate to travel to a number of world-leading hospitals last year and one paediatric health foundation doubled their income in ten years. This funding boost meant that the impact was astounding. It meant that they were able to carry out major capital works, support academic research, health science and care and I would invite all Victorians to come with us on the journey to deliver this for our RCH and the Melbourne Children’s campus.