NFP Study to Create Best Practice Benchmark Tool
27 May 2014 at 10:33 am
Melbourne researchers are calling on the social sector to help create benchmarking tools for both philanthropists and Not for Profit organisations to compare their funding and work practices to industry best practice.
Participants are being asked to take part in the online survey that is now open.
In 2012, researchers Liz Gillies and Dr Joanna Minkiewicz, from the Melbourne Business School conducted a review of philanthropic and industry grant making and grant seeking practices in the arts sector.
The resulting Margaret Lawrence Review developed a research tool to explore philanthropic and grantee perspectives around funding trends and grant making processes.
“In the process of developing and utilising this benchmarking tool, the findings of the Margaret Lawrence Review determined that projects that were funded in a more strategic manner to support catalytic change exhibited a much greater level of social impact,” Gillies and Minkiewicz said.
“These results reflect a trend in wider philanthropic practice that has been emerging over the last decade across the entire Not for Profit sector. Nationally and internationally, the sector has become increasingly sophisticated and there has been a move away from a more charitable focus to grant making that has strategic intent.
“In general, grant makers are focused on more than satisfying immediate needs by seeking results that deliver longer term strategic outcomes for the sector and social impact for the wider community.
“The aim of this project is to refine and extend these previously developed research tools developed in the context of the arts sector and apply them to the entire Not for Profit sector.
“The ultimate aim is for the refined and validated research tools to be able to be used as benchmarking tools for both philanthropists and Not for Profit organisations in comparing their funding and work practices to industry best practice. This will be of significant benefit in terms of comparing performance to date and in identifying future priorities and opportunities.
“This tool will be of considerable benefit also in terms of providing the sector with a resource that they can utilise to benchmark their practices with industry standards and set goals towards the achievement of best practice.”
To complete the survey before June 10, click here.
The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete. Responses will remain anonymous and once aggregated and analysed, all data will remain anonymous.
The research is approved by the Melbourne Business School Human Research Ethics committee.
For more information contact the researchers Dr Joanna Minkiewicz, via email (j.minkiewicz@mbs.edu) or on 9349 8236; or Liz Gillies, via email (l.gillies@mbs.edu) or on 0416 112 703.
