The recent 2015 NDS CEO Conference in Brisbane saw the launch of the new ACNC Data Portal. This interactive website provides access to a huge online repository of relevant data right across the Charity and Not-for-Profit sector. With the ability to show high level consolidated figures at a national level along with numbers related to state and individual industry detail, the website has created significant interest. Organisations can look to use the information to gain a perspective on their relative performance within the wider sector environment.
With the imminent roll-out of the NDIS in July, some of the stats presented made a compelling statement with the disability sector claiming $51.1 billion in income or just over 50% of the total charity sector income of $101.9 billion.
Big Numbers and even Bigger Changes
The significant numbers presented show the importance of this sector to the national economy. With the overall downturn in the minerals sector, the emerging importance of the disability sector cannot be underestimated.
Employment within the area is also a revealing statistic. As of 2014, the disability sector employed 560,859 paid staff – however, volunteers within the industry outnumbered paid employees by close to 10.8% with a whopping figure of 696,530 volunteers working alongside paid employees.
It will be interesting to monitor these figures as the funding changes away from block funding to the end user model. The need to retain staff, traditionally paid at lower than equivalent market sector rates, will become another important focus. One of the biggest impacts will be the cultural change needed by the industry to bring their staff into a modern customer focused mindset. A good example of the positive effects of this change can be seen in the recent article CEO’s Exchange Ideas at the NDS conference.
What has been quitmore/news-blog/item/ceos-exchange-ideas-at-nds-conferencee evident – especially over the past few months – is the increase in desire to seek out new technologies to assist with the transition. HR packages, Case Management Systems and effective Reporting Tools all have been in big demand as organisations endeavour to be ready for the NDIS.
A Shift in Position
The true impact of these numbers is still to be seen, but as the time frame for the NDIS shortens, information from the trial sites all point towards a genuine need for NFP organisations to re-position themselves to suit the new environment.
Again the statistics show some interesting figures with the top 25.3% of Charities bringing in over 97% of the total sector income with the other 3% of income split between the remaining 74.7% of charities. It is not hard to see the precarious position many of these smaller organisations are placed in. It is an unfortunate reality but after looking at the UK, where a similar funding environment has been in place for a few years, many smaller NFPs will either be swallowed up or just shut down if they fail to adapt to the new environment.
It’s one Thing to Have Information, but it’s another Thing to Actually Use It!
The ability to put this information to good use will prove important for any organisation wishing to remain sustainable. Early indicators of position, be it financial or competitive, must be taken advantage of in order to maximise the limited time available. It is one thing to have access to information but the ability to use it proactively and with purpose is a skill that can only be enhanced with strong reporting structures and solid decision-making policies. Calxa provides the tools for this to happen. The ability to show re-forecasted budgets and scenario plans can make the difference between being left behind or picking up the ball and making ground against considerable odds.
Leadership from the CEO and a strong Board with enhanced decision-making capabilities are vital element in any dedicated move towards sustainability. Is your organisation ready to meet the challenges ahead?