Most innovative NFPs announced
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The 2017 GiveEasy Innovation Index has reported a 9 per cent increase in innovation performance for Australian not-for-profits in the last 12 months. The Index, released today, reveals an innovation score of 63.3 — up from 58.3 in 2016.
Jeremy Tobias, CEO of digital giving provider GiveEasy, said the latest research into innovation performance of the sector shows clear cultural and behavioural changes in the NFP organisations.
“Pleasingly, we can see that NFPs have pivoted from keeping up with innovation to embracing and embedding innovative practices into their organisations. While there is certainly still room to further increase, it is clear that progress is being made.”
Supporters of the 2017 Innovation Index are Australia Post, Westpac and Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM) — enablers and champions of transformation and innovation in the not-for-profit sector.
The highest performing vector from this year’s Innovation Index was technology. NFPs see technology as a key driver of innovation, with more than half of NFPs recognising that the speed of digital transformation is driving technology innovation within their organisation.
“NFPs are now morphing into digital businesses, as the analogue approach is slow and time consuming. The digital economy speeds up the process of bringing new products to market, providing access to a wider donor community and new opportunities for collaboration. At GiveEasy, we are seeing the sector shift to digital giving,” said Tobias.
One of the key vectors measured in the index to assess the level of innovation, Stakeholder Centricity, jumped an astonishing 11.5 points (increase of 23%) to 2017. In previous years, this was the lowest performing vector, measuring 50.1 in 2015 and 50.7 in 2016.
“As NFPs exist to serve their beneficiaries, improved stakeholder focus is great news. Highly innovative NFPs are collaborating more with their communities, employees, volunteers and beneficiaries. Increasingly the service experience is more approachable, more human, which matches the public perception of the sector,” said Tobias.
Organisational culture was also measured and has a huge impact on innovation success, with high innovators encouraging and measuring innovation year-on-year.
“Highly innovative groups encourage employees and incentivise knowledge sharing. Leading innovators are moving away from financial targets towards recognising and rewarding innovative and collaborative ways of working,” said Tobias.
The 2017 GiveEasy Innovation Index is being launched on Thursday at a social sector event of innovation leaders, ‘Unlocking Innovation in the Third Sector’, hosted by the AGSM in Sydney. Guest speakers from highly innovative NFPs will explore how findings from the Index can help charitable organisations optimise innovation.
The most innovative NFPs identified in the 2017 Innovation Index:
Top NFP innovators based on index scores (Top 4)
1. Cure Brain Cancer Foundation
2. Movember Foundation
3. Cerebral Palsy Alliance
4. Breast Cancer Network Australia
Top NFP innovators voted by their peers (Top 3)
1. Thankyou
2. Movember
3. Beyondblue
The 2017 GiveEasy Innovation Index provides the NFP sector with a year-on-year assessment, to track and measure the innovation journey of this vital sector. The analysis celebrates achievements, and highlights areas for improvement.
With 1,409 respondents, the survey set out to define the approach to innovation in the not-for-profit sector in Australia.
