Future Confidence Survey Revealed

Australia’s Not for Profits expect large increases in demand for their organisations’ services in the next twelve months but expect donation levels to stay the same, according to Pro Bono Australia’s Future Confidence survey.

The online survey pointed to donor fatigue caused by drought appeals, bushfire and now flood appeals as the cause of donations remaining static. One survey respondent says the high demand and competitiveness for the donor dollar and the high incidence of emergency responses made this even more evident at the beginning of 2011.

Another respondent says natural disasters have sucked the oxygen out of the donation bottle.

Some 85% of respondents say they expect moderate to substantial increases on the demand for their organisations services in the next 12 months while 60% believe donations will remain the same or be moderately less.

A number of participants predicted that some NFPs who receive Government funding cuts and a drop in donations will have to fundraise to make up the difference and contact with the business sector will have to increase to fill this need.

As many as 71% of Not for Profits says they will increase their engagement with the business sector in the next twelve months to make up the dollars.

And some 20.5% of those surveyed say they will have to ‘significantly’ increase their engagement with the business sector.

More cynically, some said they needed to negotiate arrangements with the corporate sector that added real value, rather than facilitate the appearance that corporates are fulfilling social responsibility at the expense of real results.

As well many organisations expressed concern that those needing services will ‘fall through the welfare cracks’ as funds remain the same or government funding is cut.

Philanthropist, social entrepreneur and Australian of the Year, Simon McKeon outlined the top issues he believes will shape the Not for Profit sector in 2011 to Pro Bono Australia readers.

McKeon listed public accountability, embracing technology, managing volunteers and reaching out to Australian business as the ‘hot topics’ in the charity sector in the coming year.

The survey respondents placed public accountability (71% saying it is important or extremely important) and embracing technology (70% saying it is important or extremely important) on the top of their list, with reaching out to Australian business in third place (66% saying it is important or extremely important) and managing volunteers fourth (52% saying it is important or extremely important).

Many organisations explained that they were embracing new technologies in fundraising, communication and public education. However resourcing the use of these new technologies remained a big issue. Some 62% of respondents believe that new technologies will play a moderately important role in the delivery of their services while another 20% believe there will be a substantial increase in the use of new technologies to deliver services in the future.

Summing up one respondent wrote that the challenge for the sector will be to manage growth expectations in the context of more natural disasters and increasing global civil and political unrest.

Respondents will receive a copy of the survey results next week, and the full results will be available on the Pro Bono Australia News page.