Boost Attendance Of Offline Events Online

When planning live events, a common error that many nonprofits make is only to use offline resources to promote their in-person events. For example, if you are throwing a gala, a concert, or other live event, you might publicise it in your local newspaper and media outlets, and use flyers and other tangible, physical means of communication to get the word out and boost attendance. While these methods of promotion do still work, you will get better results by using online promotional tools and combining them with your in-person efforts. Consider using some of the following online tools and strategies to increase the number of guests that show up and participate at your next live event.

Create Pages Specifically for Your Event

One way to promote your upcoming events online is to create additional pages on your NFP’s website that are specifically for the event. Create a “Save the Date” splash page where invitees can sign up for reminders and updates so that your upcoming occasion stays top of mind. Use an online registration form that’s simple and easy to complete, as well as mobile friendly, and make sure that you are funnelling visitors to the appropriate pages where they can learn more about your cause and go ahead and make a donation to support your work.

Use Social Media to Spread the Word

Once you’ve created your event pages, use your social media profiles to promote your event to your online followers. Share your event on your Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter Accounts. Use a custom event hashtag to make it easy for your supporters to find conversations online that relate to your event. Ask your followers to repost and retweet your event to their connections to increase the reach of your messaging. Use your social media to build excitement for the event as the date draws near by posting reminders and updates about planned activities, VIP guests and entertainment acts expected to attend and participate.

Use Twitter to Send Updates and Reminders

Due to Twitter’s design, it’s the perfect platform to use for alerts, so encourage your followers to check your Twitter feed regularly for late-breaking news, contests, polls and other news that relates to the big day. Twitter is also great for helping increase interest and engagement in your supporters that can’t attend. Live tweet your event to keep everyone in the loop!

Use Email Campaign to Build Excitement

In addition to reaching out via social media, create an email campaign to communicate with your supporters at regular intervals leading up to the vent to encourage more signups, greater engagement and to urge your supporters to go ahead and donate now, ahead of the event.

Live Stream Events

No matter how well you plan your event and how amazing the venue, food and entertainment happens to be, not all your supporters will be able to attend. Keep them interested in your work and boost your donations by streaming the event live on your own website, as well as any social media that you might have, such as Facebook Live, your NFP’s YouTube Channel, Periscope or similar platform to allow virtual attendance.

Wrapping Up

Use your social media profiles to thank your donors and other supporters for their contributions and attendance. Use an online third party to send online tokens to key donors as a thank you. This way they can redeem their online swag cash for gift certificates or small prizes from their favourite retailers that they choose. Send a follow-up email thanking each supporter, and, asking them to consider signing up to make a recurring or repeat donation.

A Modern Approach to Fundraising with Facebook

Most nonprofits receive the bulk of their donations during the last quarter of the year. The last two weeks are especially critical if you want to capitalise on the spirit of generosity, goodwill and concern for others that is so prominent during the holidays. Use the following strategies to avoid the pitfalls and put Facebook to its best use in your end of year fundraising campaigns!

Help Your Supporters to Create and Share Personal Stories

Most Facebook users like to share content with their family and friends that show them in their best light. Help your supporters to spread the news about your nonprofit and the work that they are doing with you to help your cause. Create text and images that show what a difference a supporter’s donation or volunteer effort is making in your community and invite your volunteers and donors to use them on their own Facebook pages and other social media and ask their connections to join in and help them help you increase your impact!

Expand Your Reach with Facebook Ads

Even if you are on a tight marketing budget, Facebook Ads can be a cost-effective way to expand your audience and increase your donations. Use demographics and other built-in Facebook tools to target who is likely to see your ad and increase the chances that they will respond with a donation or other form of support.

Show Your Gratitude

Facebook isn’t just a place where you can share your nonprofit’s stories and engage with supporters. Don’t forget that it’s a great platform for expressing your thanks for the work and efforts of your volunteers and advocates as well as calling attention to donations big and small from donors of all levels. Use Facebook to give thanks to everyone that is involved in your cause and helping your community on a regular basis.

Seek Balance in Your Approach

Many nonprofits fall into one of two camps when it comes to using Facebook. They either ignore it altogether or, they use it exclusively and ignore all their other communications channels. Seek a balanced approach when it comes to using Facebook to build your brand and raise funds. Make sure that you integrate your Facebook marketing efforts into your overall marketing strategy and use a voice that brings all your messaging on all your channels into alignment with your mission and the impact that you wish to create in your community!

Want to learn more about how to create a Facebook page for your nonprofit that will improve your brand and increase your connection with your supporters? Check out our article New Facebook for NFPs, published on our sister site for more tips and tricks on using the platform to boost your results!

Why do Volunteers Stay?

It’s not enough to attract talented individuals to your organisation. When your turnover rate is high, you must spend extra time trying to recruit and train replacements, wasting your resources and decreasing your NFP’s effectiveness. The following strategies will help you improve your volunteer program and increase your retention rate.

Offer rewarding work

Many nonprofits spend a lot of time, effort and money to find and onboard volunteers only to give them tasks to complete that many consider to be “busy” work. Your volunteers don’t just want to be helpful – they want to do work that matters!

Look for ways to give your volunteers meaningful work, and, always connect their performance and the results to the impact they are helping your organisation achieve in your community!

Give them the training and tools they need to perform well

One way to guarantee that your volunteers will be unhappy and tempted to leave is to make their environment as difficult as possible. Your volunteers need training, guidance and coaching to help them develop the skills that they need to perform well. In addition to education, show your volunteers that they matter to you and that you respect them, by giving them all the tools, equipment and resources that they need, especially when it comes to software, hardware and IT.

Using outdated equipment and apps not only slows down your processes and increases the chances of errors, but it will also frustrate your volunteers and increase the chances that they look for opportunities to volunteer that are less stressful.

Express your appreciation

Do you thank your volunteers for their work and effort on a regular basis? Do you have an established means of thanking them for exemplary performance that is both public, and, heartfelt? Have you considered offering your volunteers perks and benefits, such as partnering with third-party businesses to give them discounts and small gifts that show your appreciation? Everyone likes to see their hard work acknowledged, and, rewarded! Keep your volunteers excited about the help that they provide your organisation and its beneficiaries by establishing a rewards and acknowledgement program for your volunteers so that you both show, and tell, each one just how much their work matters!

Follow up

One of the most common reasons that volunteers leave an organisation is that they don’t feel that their opinions matter. Encouraging open dialogue, and, asking for feedback on a regular basis, shows your volunteers that you value their input and advice. It’s also an excellent way to gain insight from the front lines, so you can identify potential issues quickly and develop “real world” solutions that work!

Sit down with your volunteers regularly and talk with them about their performance. Ask them if there is anything that you can do to make it easier to complete tasks. Ask for feedback about your program and ask them to suggest steps that you can take to make volunteering a more enjoyable and rewarding experience. Don’t forget to thank them for their suggestions and ask them to return and consider volunteering with your NFP for the long-term!

Gift Giving Ideas for Your NFP

One way to increase the number of individual donations that your organisation receives is to offer your donors a small gift in exchange for donating a set amount. Not only is it a nice gesture to show your appreciation for their contribution, but it’s also a great way to increase your donor’s sense of connection to your cause.

When you give them a tangible benefit for their gift, it makes them feel that they are a member of an exclusive set or club. Why not try one or more of the following gift-giving ideas to boost your results during your next fundraising or membership drive?

Offer Donors a Choice

Instead of sending out the same gift, why not partner with a third-party vendor to produce a selection of gifts that donors can choose from based on their level of giving? Allowing your donors to pick their own gift ensures that they really will like and enjoy the incentive that they will receive and increases the chance that they will use it where others will see your logo and messaging.

Custom Drinkware

Mugs, tumblers, water bottles and insulated beverage carriers are great choices, because they are something that your donors or members might use every day. Just be sure to customise them with your nonprofit’s logo and tagline to build brand awareness and loyalty. These types of gifts also help to keep your cause top of mind because it’s likely that recipients will use them daily, and possibly in public settings, such as the workplace, helping to increase interest in your NFP.

Embossed T-Shirts and Hats

Apparel is another thoughtful gift that helps your donor feel more involved in your work while raising awareness of your brand. In addition to your NFP Logo and tagline, consider embossing these types of gift items with a fun, lighthearted image that’s eye-catching but true to your nonprofit’s mission. Doing so will increase the appeal and “collectability” of your gift.

Carry-Alls and Cover-Ups

Messenger bags, packs, totes, jackets, blankets, towels and umbrellas are items that might be a little costlier to send to multiple donors, but their popularity and usefulness make them great gift choices to imprint with your branding images.

Fun Incidentals

Smaller items, such as addresses labels that are customised with your donor’s information, or pens, keyrings, notepads and calendars that are branded with your logo and contact information are all low-cost, budget-friendly items that allow you show your appreciation to your donor.

Meaningful Experiences

Finally, don’t forget that some of the best gifts that any of us receive involve unique events and experiences. Rather than sending a tangible item to your donors, consider offering them exclusive access to information, or a fun occasion, to show your gratitude for their contribution. Give your donors the VIP treatment and invite them on special tours to see the inner workings of your organisation. Consider hosting events and look for ways to give your donors unique experiences that will be memorable and enjoyable. For example, if there are entertainers or other celebrities at your event, invite your top donors backstage to meet with them personally.

How to Become a Volunteer Treasurer

Are you already interested in a specific cause, or directly involved in a nonprofit’s activities? If so, becoming a volunteer treasurer is likely to be very easy. If the position is currently open, and you already have a background in accounting or finance, all you will likely have to do is simply volunteer to serve!

Recruiting for this position is notoriously difficult for many nonprofits. Some nonprofits might post the position on websites that help connect volunteers with nonprofits that are looking for people with specific skills and backgrounds. Other times,  the executive director or board members will reach out to their circle of contacts to find a good candidate. When this happens, you might not even have any experience, or even formally apply for the spot,  but find yourself “drafted” into the position by the board.

Before applying for, or accepting, the position the first thing that you should ask yourself is whether you have what it takes to be a great treasurer.

Are You Organised?

One misconception about the job is that you must be a licensed accountant, or, come from a background involving banking, or even bookkeeping, to be successful in the role. This common misconception simply isn’t true. What you will need, however, is the ability to think logically. You will also need to be very detailed oriented, and able to perform your duties is a very methodical, step-by-step manner. It will also help if you are good at math and performing calculations and can be depended upon to handle cash.

Are You  Dependable and Trustworthy?

Can your nonprofit count on you to do your best to fulfil the role? As a volunteer treasurer, you are an officer of your board, and will have the same the fiduciary responsibilities shared by all board members. You and every other board member are responsible for ensuring that your nonprofit operates in a legal, financially sound and sustainable manner and that all your actions are to serve your NFP’s core mission and benefit the public good.

Will You be Comfortable in the Role of Watchdog?

The treasurer is responsible for the oversight and protection of their nonprofit’s finances. Many times, in a small nonprofit, you will be responsible for the management of all areas of your NFP’s finances. This means that you will handle the cash, write the cheques, disperse funds, track and record transactions, and take steps to secure your NFP’s financial documents and other important information. There may also be other duties such as creating the budget, reporting before your board about the nonprofit’s financial health, and ensuring that your NFP is meeting all of it’s required regulatory obligations such as filing super and calculating GST among others.

In larger NFPs, you may have a finance committee and staff members to assist you in your role, but ultimately the burden and responsibility to see that everything is done legally and according to your nonprofit’s internal charter, bylaws and policies, rests squarely on your shoulders.

Can You Act as a Detective When the Need Arises?

Ideally, the outgoing treasurer will meet with you before you begin your duties, and all your nonprofit’s past records will be presented in a straightforward, accurate and organised manner. This often isn’t the case. Before your arrival, your nonprofit may have experienced mismanagement, turnover or other upheavals, so you should be prepared to use your analytical and organisational skills to uncover errors or even deliberate malfeasance. You should be prepared to make corrections and update your NFPs accounts and other records. While some mistakes can be attributed to human error, others may be the result of planned actions by those inside or outside of your organisation. You will be expected to use your critical thinking skills to help uncover activities that carry the risk of loss and take steps to reduce these risks and secure your NFP’s finances.

Can Your Board Count on You to be a Wise Counsellor?

One of the most important functions of the treasurer is to present financial information to the board in a way that is both accurate, and, easy for board members and other stakeholders to understand. You will need to be prepared to make regular reports on the NFPs finances to the board. You will also need to make yourself available to answer questions about the past, present and expected future status of your nonprofit’s finances. You should also be prepared to use this information and experience to assist in your board’s strategic planning sessions and provide your perspective and opinion when important decisions are being made that will impact your nonprofit’s financial stability.

While some of these responsibilities can seem daunting and overwhelming, especially to novice treasurers, take comfort in knowing that Admin Bandit is here to support you. Our software has been created with your needs especially in mind and is designed to help walk you through the steps of many of the duties that you will need to perform to fulfil your role. Getting started is fast and painless. Give our 55-day trial a chance today, at no charge to you,  to see how quickly and easily you can manage your nonprofit’s finances!

Planning Your NFP Impact

As we go about our days, it’s very easy to get caught up in the busyness of our everyday routines. Sometimes, we may become so focused on performing specific tasks that we may forget about the real reason why we are working so hard. Everything action that we take, no matter how big or small, should ultimately contribute to making meaningful change.

Before we can make a difference in our communities, we first need to create a plan. The following steps will help your NFP identify needs and issues, discover and implement solutions, and measure the results.

Identify Needs in Your Community

The first step to defining your impact is first to clarify what problem or issue you are trying to solve. Do you understand the real needs in your service community? How is your NFP uniquely positioned to help? What expertise, resources and assets can you leverage to make a difference? Activities such as conducting a needs assessment can help you discover problems as well put you on the path to discerning their root causes.

Determine Outcomes

Ultimately, who do you want to benefit the most from your work? What is the expected outcome of your work in both the short and long-term? How can participants build upon short-term success to create more enduring change over time? In addition to considering your beneficiaries, think about other stakeholders, and what actions you may need them to take to help you achieve your objectives.

Map the Path Forward

When planning the steps that you need to take to reach the desired result, always keep in mind that your planned outcome should be the driver of all your activities and efforts. Use outcomes to help you determine your specific objectives, and what individual steps you and others must take. Each objective should be realistic, measurable and achievable.

Don’t Forget About the Importance of Culture in Creating Change

Long before your NFP can make a positive difference in the lives of others, you will likely need to change your culture to one that is less focused on costs and move from a scarcity model of operations to one that is outcome-driven. To create a culture of impact, encourage your people to continuously seek ways to provide greater value to your members. Make it safe for them to take some risks and experiment with new ways of doing things to find better, more effective methods. Encourage and facilitate life-long learning, open communication and skill development to help your team grow both personally and professionally.

As your team strengthens their core competencies and becomes more flexible, they become better at evaluating their own performance as well as that of your programs and services. Empower them to make direct decisions on the front lines and use their new insights and abilities for your NFP’s best advantage!

Monitor and Evaluate Your Progress

At the outset, you should create benchmarks that will help you measure your NFP’s progress as it works towards achieving specific objectives. It’s also a good idea to periodically re-evaluate them to see if these goals are still relevant and necessary to achieve the desired outcomes.

Sometimes, it’s tough for nonprofits to have the unbiased insight necessary to objectively evaluate their performance and the impact made by their programs and services. If you suspect that this is the case with your organisation, you might wish to consider bringing in an independent consultant or evaluator to help your NFP understand the difference that it makes, and, to help you identify areas that you should focus on to increase efficiency and effectiveness.

Tapping Into Nonprofit Members Through LinkedIn

In NFP circles, we talk a lot about the importance of using social media to build support for your nonprofit and its work. While there are plenty of articles and podcasts out there that discuss how to put Facebook and Twitter to its best use for your NFP, LinkedIn is one really useful platform that’s often overlooked. The following strategies will help you unleash the power of this social media channel to benefit your nonprofit!

Why LinkedIn? Look at the Demographics Your NFP Can Tap!

According to Omnicore’s recent research, LinkedIn currently boasts 562 million users, and adds two new users every second! 45% of users who read posts on this channel occupy the top leadership and management posts in their organisations, making it an excellent platform to discover potential new board members and other top talent for your NFP!

41% of millionaires also use the site, making it the go-to location to connect with this demographic and potentially recruit key donors to your cause. It’s also a great marketplace to interact with younger, highly-skilled and educated individuals and encourage them to advocate for your cause, as 13% of millennials, and 40 million college students or recent graduates, have a LinkedIn profile!  This same fact makes the channel a great place to find talent to fill your open volunteer and staff positions!

Align Your Profile and Messaging with Your Mission

To get started using LinkedIn, you will need to create your nonprofit’s profile. Keep your messaging in alignment with your mission, as well as be consistent in tone so that it matches the messaging on your other social media profiles. Use keywords that are in sync with your values, goals and overall purpose to make it easier for others to find and connect with you. Don’t forget to include a link to your nonprofit’s official website, along with links to your NFP’s other key social media profiles on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

In addition to creating an official profile for your nonprofit, your key members should also create personal profiles and connect with your organisation, to help raise awareness and support for your work! In this way, board members, directors and other prominent leaders in your organisation can create and connect with a community of like-minded professionals that can support your NFP through advocacy, donations, volunteering and more!

Move Past Your Profile

Many organisations invest the time to create a winning profile on the platform, and then quickly abandon it to spend more time on other social media such as Facebook and Twitter. When creating your profile, you should keep in mind that LinkedIn isn’t just a networking platform or job search engine. It also offers users the ability to build their credibility, establish their position as thought leaders and increase their reputation by facilitating conversations where members can discuss ideas, events and trending topics as well as ask one another for opinions and advice.

Best Practices to Create Content that’s Relevant to LinkedIn Users

When used correctly, LinkedIn can be a great platform for you to tell and share your nonprofit’s best stories. Invite your key members to share their personal accounts of how your organisation has impacted their lives and the lives of others in your service community. Create articles that others will find useful and interesting. Currently, lists and how-to articles tend to perform best on this channel.

Unlike other forms of social media, research shows that the articles that do best on LinkedIn don’t include videos. That’s why you will want to limit the visual portion of your content to include only one, or possible two high-resolution, captivating photos at most. If it will help to simplify complex data or processes, you may wish to embed only one clear and concise infographic later in the text of the article to make the content easier to understand and remember.

Realising the Potential of Your Donors

While they can be difficult to identify and recruit, major donors are potential game changers when it comes to gaining the level of funding that you need to significantly advance your cause. In fact, studies have shown that nearly three-quarters of the donations that most nonprofits receive each year are made by a small handful of key contributors.

The following strategies will help you to find and connect with major donors and encourage them to actively engage with your NFP and its work.

Identification

If you have existing donors who are giving recurring gifts to your NFP, it’s likely that you’ve already connected to at least one or two donors that can make substantially larger gifts to your NFP. Screen your existing connections to see if you have any good prospects among your current donors, volunteers, members, board members and advocates.

Use any public information to look for key indicators of wealth as you research your prospects. Investigate their real estate holdings, level of giving to your NFP and other nonprofits as well as their current or past political contributions.

In addition to screening your current donor’s list, reach out to your board members, trustees, and third-party partners and ask them if they have connections that may be interested in your cause and that have the money to give substantial gifts.

Cultivation

Major donors usually only give significant contributions to causes that they feel a personal connection, so you will want to focus on establishing rapport, and building genuine relationships with your prospects. Look for ways to give your prospects the “inside track” at your organisation so that they feel greater affinity and attachment in your NFP’s success. Ask for their input, give them access to special events and give them the full details of your organisation’s current and past achievements as well as your future goals. Encourage direct involvement with your NFP and its activities so that your prospects can see for themselves just how important your work is, and how they can join in and be a part of something wonderful that is making a difference in the lives of so many in your community!

You could also assemble a major gifts team comprised of individual board members and other key figures in your NFP leadership to oversee relationship development with specific prospects. Host a variety of formal and informal events that will appeal to your major donor prospects such as a charity auction or gala. Use your NFP brand to develop its own society to attract the attention of potential major donors and give them the recognition that they likely crave as part of their involvement with your work.

Crafting Your Proposal

If you want to be successful at attracting and retaining your major donors, you must first understand that it is a time-consuming process that takes a great deal of effort over a long time to bear fruit. Focus on relationship development before you ever ask your prospects for a large contribution, with the understanding that it might take 1 to 3 years to develop the relationship to the point where your prospect will be comfortable in making a large donation.

As you create proposals, keep in mind that major donors typically look at their large gifts as an investment in their community. They want the money to be well-spent on something that will generate real change. Create a strategic giving plan that identifies each major donor’s specific needs and goals. Include research and data that defines the problem you are trying to solve. Include detailed information and visual aids in your proposal that will illustrate how a significant contribution will help your NFP be able to achieve specific goals.

Stewardship

Your relationship with your major donors doesn’t end with one large gift. Your goal should be to continue your relationship with them indefinitely as you look for ways to encourage continued active engagement with your nonprofit and the community that you seek to serve. These contributors make good candidates for leadership posts within your organisation and can be a source to turn to when seeking new candidates for your board and volunteer programs since they have already proven their level of interest and commitment to your work!

Continuing Education

Would you like to learn more about how to create a more engaging major donor program for your NFP that will encourage greater donor engagement and giving at all levels? Sign up for this webinar from Donor Search: Flash Class: Are Big Foot and Major Gifts Mere Legends? Three Truths About Setting Up A Strong Individual Giving Program. This event will be held on Thursday, October 25^th, 2018 from 6:00 AM – 7:00 AM AEDT.

Be Collective – An Innovative Free Volunteer Software

Several sites exist that seek to match volunteers with opportunities. What sets Be Collective apart from these other platforms is its additional useful features that transform it from a simple volunteer search engine into a social portal for positive change. The following overview describes how organisations and individuals can use it to increase their impact.

How Does Be Collective Benefit Volunteers?

It’s a social media channel that’s free for everyone to use. It makes it easy for volunteers to find volunteer positions based on their skills, passions, background, experiences, availability and location. It also gives users the chance to meet new people who share their interests.

When volunteers create a profile, they can apply for positions, as well as host their own events to increase support for their nonprofits. Be Collective also allows individuals to message directly with those who share their concerns on the local, regional, national and international levels, bringing together people from all over the world and encouraging them to work together to make a genuine difference.

Both individuals and organisations can use the channel to build their social reputation so that it’s easier than ever to gain real-world experience solving difficult problems while also gaining recognition for your hard work to strengthen communities. Not only does this help volunteers learn new skills and enhance existing ones, but it also allows individuals to be able to demonstrate and verify the experiences that they have gained through volunteering, further strengthening their career opportunities in both the for-profit and not-for-profit sector.

Users can connect with the causes that they care about, as well as other organisations, so that they can see their group memberships at a glance and share it with others to increase support for their favourite causes.

How Be Collective Benefits Nonprofits, Social Enterprises and Other Organisations

Be collective makes it easy for NFPs to manage their volunteer program. Not only can nonprofits list their opportunities for volunteering, but the platform allows users to allocate social credit to individual volunteers so that they can be recognised for completing specific tasks and rewarded for continuing to volunteer over the long-term.

Communicating with individuals and groups is easier, as automated features make it easy to send and receive alerts, notifications and custom messages that improve the flow of information between the organisation, single or multiple locations, and individual as well as groups of volunteers.

The site also features robust analytic tools so that NFPs can track engagement throughout their volunteer program at every level, so that its easier to spot trends and take actions to bolster support for the cause. Users can also customise lists and folders so all the information that they need to administer their program is easy to access.

Unlike many other social media channels, the platform puts privacy permissions directly in the hands of its users, so that each individual user has control of how their personal information is used.

Harness the Full Power of Your Events and Activities

Both individuals and organisations can use the platform to improve their storytelling so that it garners more attention for their work. Users can upload documents and even bring the entire recruiting processes online. Verification of hours worked, tasks accomplished, the giving and receiving of feedback, and issuance of references, can all take place directly from this platform. The system even makes it easier to ensure that shifts are completely covered with notifications of shortfalls so that everyone involved can pitch-in to help, without duplicating their efforts. Volunteers can also use this feature to help them keep track of their shifts and avoid scheduling conflicts so that they can better manage their time.

Who Created Be Collective?

The platform is sponsored by the Wise Family of the Wise Foundation, the creators of the Body Shop and the same people who funded the Big Issue in Australia. The site has been actively used by individuals and volunteers in Victoria and New Zealand, and popularity for the program is spreading throughout the country. Just as LinkedIn can be thought of as a professional networking platform for employers and job seekers, Be Collective can be viewed in a similar way, with the added bonus that it’s designed specifically to highlight philanthropic activities. It can help call attention to some of society’s most significant issues, and bring together everyone in an effort to discover and implement real solutions to benefit everyone and encourage greater volunteering in the country.

Is Your NFP Innovative?

According to the results of the recently released Give Easy 2018 Innovation Index, innovation in Australian nonprofits has increased just over 10 points in three years, going from 57.7 to 66.0 this year. The survey revealed that Australia’s most innovative nonprofits include: Burn Bright, the Cure Brain Cancer Foundation, Culture at Work, Thankyou, along with the Australian Red Cross and the Fred Hollows Foundation.

How does your NFP compare to the nation’s most innovative organisations? What qualities do these nonprofits have that allows them to stand out and make a real difference in the world?

Innovative Traits

Innovation doesn’t happen by accident. It requires creativity, which means that organisations must bring together talented, original thinkers, and give them an environment rich with resources, open communication and the freedom to take risks and try out new ideas.  The most innovative organisations are known for giving their teams the freedom to experiment with processes and procedures. Burn Bright, for example, is constantly pushing the envelope in the methods that it uses to deliver its leadership programming to teenagers, to hold their interest and strengthen their learning abilities.

An additional trait that the most innovative NFPs share is that they truly have the welfare of their communities close to their hearts. Their concern is part of the values of their organisation, informing their mission and showing in every program and service that they offer. Their values are apparent in every action that they take. The Fred Hollows Foundation, for example, was created to put an end to avoidable blindness, and has now saved the sight of millions in Australia and 25 additional countries around the world!

Innovative nonprofits are also confident, because their entire organisation is focused on achieving a shared purpose. They believe in their cause, and the work that they are doing to help their communities!

Does your nonprofit encourage your team to experiment with new ways of thinking and doing things? Do you have a system in place to capture new ideas? Are you focused on your mission, and are you giving your team all the resources that it needs to connect with its community and increase support for your cause?

Tips to Encourage Greater Innovation in Your Nonprofit

The best thing that every organisation can do to encourage greater creativity, cooperation and innovation is to help their associates to share their thoughts and ideas. Look for ways to develop a system to gather new ideas from multiple areas of your organisation.

This means encouraging your staff, volunteers, and beneficiaries of your services to give you feedback on your performance. What are some areas that need to be changed or altered to be improved? What are their best ideas on how things can be made better?

When analysing feedback, don’t settle on just one or two concepts. Instead, narrow your list down to several great ideas. Develop a plan to implement each of them, at least on a trial basis. You can then monitor your change initiatives, tweaking performance as you go along and perfecting it before you “roll-out” the best ideas organisation-wide!

As you try out new ideas, processes and procedures, keep in mind that you will fail at least some of the time, and this is okay – it’s to be expected! Don’t let these setbacks derail your overall change process, however, but learn from these mistakes and use this information to improve the process and create just the right environment where innovation can flourish!