JourneyOnline
At the Fundraising Institute of Australia National Awards last month, Lifeline Community Care Queensland was honoured with an Excellence in Fundraising award for the infamous Lifeline Brisbane Bookfest.
Billed as the biggest book fair in the Universe, and titled “23 years on: Increasing the success of the Lifeline Bookfest”, the winning submission described Lifeline Bookfest as one of Brisbane’s iconic events, growing from humble beginnings to become what is considered to be the world’s biggest second-hand book sale.
With the objective of raising funds through increased attendance and sales, the series of over 40 events since 1986 have relied strongly on volunteer participation. The event itself is held at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre in two exhibition halls spanning over 10,000 square metres and hosting over four kilometres of tables with over two million second-hand books.
The Bookfest is held every January and June with up to 150,000 people attending each event.
The success of the Bookfest is due to the smooth operation ensured by passionate staff and hard on-the-ground work put in by over 1000 loyal volunteers.
Combined with a creative PR and media strategy, the Bookfest remains a prominent and exciting event within the Brisbane community.
NACRO Chairperson, Cathy Bray congratulated Lifeline for its ingenuity. “The Lifeline Bookfest is a sterling example of charitable recycling at its best. It raises much-needed funds for Lifeline Brisbane’s free counselling services and a support program for women, children and families.
At the same time this event provides a significant environmental service and the satisfaction of a bargain for those with a love of books.”
From humble beginnings, the event now brings in around one-third of Lifeline Brisbane’s selffunded income, with the majority of profits coming from the sale of second-hand clothes in Lifeline Shops.
