Ray Villarica is the Annual Giving Manager at Western Sydney University, a position he has held for 5 years. Like many, Ray was called to fundraising from a different career trajectory, having completed a computer science degree at the University of Technology Sydney. His first role in advancement was Alumni Database Manager at Macquarie University, eventually leading the Advancement Services team there with responsibility for alumni appeals. Ray worked at Blackbaud Pacific for a time, responsible for university clients in Australia and New Zealand. At Western Sydney, Ray has helped establish successful Staff Giving and Giving Day programmes intended to form the foundations for a strong culture of philanthropy.