Associate Professor Wendy Scaife

Doctor of Philosophy (Queensland University of Technology), Master of Business Management (Queensland University of Technology), Bachelor of Business Communication (Queensland Inst. of Technology)

Wendy (Bachelor of Business Communication, Master of Business Management, PhD) has worked in, studied and taught philanthropy and fundraising for three decades and presents internationally on these topics.  She leads the Australian Centre for Philanthropy and Nonpofit Studies and the Social-Purpose research team in QUT's Centre for Future Enterprise. Her work at ACPNS spans the cause/giver spectrum (see http://eprints.qut.edu.au/view/person/Scaife,_Wendy.html), including national project leadership of Giving Australia, book chapters on giving in Australia, and a comparison of fundraising in 26 countries.  Wendy led a 10 year research partnership with the Perpetual, Corbould and Gluyas Foundations on aspects of planned versus spontaneous giving. She has also conducted indepth research on bequests, major gifts, foundation decision making, nonprofit boards, CEOs, and performance measurement as well as about giving to specific areas such as medical research, education, women and girls, Indigenous needs, and the arts.  She is part of several international research project groups. Wendy served on both the Research Australia Philanthropy and National Compact Steering Committees.  Volunteer roles include the Association of Fundraising Professional’s Research Council (US), Good2Give Research Committee, and chairing the National Workplace Giving Awards judging panel.   Prior to joining ACPNS Wendy was a state CEO/national Deputy CEO of a major health nonprofit.  Previously she lectured in QUT's School of Communication and worked in-house and as a consultant.  Her Master's thesis focused on corporate support of community causes and her PhD on improving the marketing and funding for Australian medical research. Recent team and individual work includes:

• Giving Australia https://eprints.qut.edu.au/171803/
• Performance measurement in perspective: An exploratory study of Australian foundations’ approaches
• Who's asking for what? Fundraising and leadership in Australian nonprofits
• Foundations for giving : why and how Australians structure their philanthropy
• A Transformational Role : Donor and charity perspectives on major giving in Australia
• Mapping Australia's philanthropic investment in women and girls
• That's what governments do : exploring fundamental barriers to public–philanthropic interaction : the example of indigenous well-being
• Keeping giving going : charitable bequests and Australians

Wendy is a Fellow of Fundraising Institute Australia and a Fellow of the Public Relations Institute of Australia.  She serves on the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Nonprofit and Public Sector Marketing.  She received a Vice-Chancellor's Performance Award in 2016 and a Vice-Chancellor's Excellence Award in 2017.  She was named the FIA Arthur Venn Lifetime Achievement Award Winner in  2021 for "outstanding contribution to FIA and the fundraising sector in Australia, and consistent excellence and best practice through her actions, leadership, and intellect".

Research interests

• Philanthropy
• Fundraising
• Nonprofit marketing and communication
• Trust design

Projects (Chief investigator)

• Charitable Bequests
• EducatePlus: Benchmarking Survey
• Giving and Volunteering in Australia: Environmental Scan
• Giving Australia
• National Fete Research Project
• Philanthropy and philanthropic foundations

Additional information