NFP Benchmarking Survey Report

Published Tue 15 Aug 2017

Our auditing partner Pitcher Partners and Russell Kennedy Lawyers have now released results from their Benchmarking Survey Report. The aim of the survey is to provide NFP organisations and charities with the ability to benchmark themselves against their peers across a range of governance and operational metrics. The survey research covers topics such as governance, strategy, fundraising, risk management and the use of volunteer and professional resources.

Executive Summary

A commercial and agile NFP sector is a thriving sector

As roles traditionally managed by government are transitioned to the NFP sector there is great opportunity as well as challenge.

For NFPs to evolve and thrive in a rapidly changing environment, they need to review their governance and financial frameworks. Only then should they consider how they meet their increasing levels of compliance requirements.

Major issues affecting the sector:

increased need for strategic plans, financial plans and risk management frameworks to be implemented
a need to both preserve culture and evolve it to a more commercial one
fragmentation of the broader NFP or ‘giving’ sector
need for less reliance on Government funding
increased compliance requirements

Board members are becoming more skilled and specialised, and NFPs will need to consider recruitment methods that draw on a broader pool of talent.

The NFP sector provides a wide array of social and community benefits and remains highly relevant and necessary. The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, having seen through uncertain times, is now perceived as valuable due to its involvement in activities such as striking off charities or calling to account rogue operators. NFPs appear to be on the right path, with frameworks and plans on the rise, a greater level of external auditing and increases in executive personnel to better manage outcomes.

There remains scope for a greater appetite for measured risk to meet funding requirements and community expectations.

Download the NFP Benchmark Survey Report 2017