Our Community Pulse Poll
Our Community regularly runs a membership poll to take the pulse of the not-for-profit sector on a range of topics.
Results are published in Our Community's membership newsletter, Our Community Matters. To subscribe (it's free!) click here.
Past Polls
January-February 2015:
We asked not-for-profits about the size and gender composition of their board.
1. How many board (committee) members does your organisation have?
2a. Do you think this is too many board members, too few, or about right?
2b. Why do you say that? (optional)
3. What percentage of your board members are women?
This poll is now closed. The results will be published simultaneously here and in the next issue of Our Community Matters, out on Wednesday March 4, 2015.
November-December 2014:
We asked not-for-profits about the diversity of their funding sources.
Think about the source of the biggest single chunk of your organisation's funding (e.g. a local government grant, a private philanthropic grant, your annual trivia night). What percentage of your total funding does it provide?
a) 1%-25% (No single source accounts for more than a quarter of our funding)
b) 26%-50%
c) 51%-75%
d) 76%-99%
e) 100% (All our funding comes from one source)
October 2014:
We asked not-for-profits how they measure their impact.
Which statement comes closest to describing how your organisation measures its effectiveness in achieving its mission?
a) We keep doing what we've always done, and it seems to be working.
b) Once a year, we count how many clients/members we've served/recruited, and we report on our bank balance.
c) We regularly measure our impact through surveys/counts/focus groups/investigations/special reports, and we compare the results with the KPIs in our strategic plan and business plan.
August 2014:
We asked not-for-profits what they thought of the Abbott Government's plan to replace the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) with a Civil Society National Centre For Excellence.
The federal government plans to abolish the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC), which regulated the sector, and establish in its place the Civil Society National Centre for Excellence, which won't be a regulator at all. How much need do you see for a Civil Society National Centre for Excellence?
July 2014:
We asked not-for-profits about their interactions with governments at all levels. A summary of the results appears in the three images below. More information will be released on this poll soon.
May-June 2014:
Anecdotal evidence suggests that more and more not-for-profits are coming under pressure to merge. We asked our members what their experience had been.
March-April 2014:
Funding insecurity appears to be a growing issue in the Australian not-for-profit sector. We wanted to know how many groups were affected. We asked:
Are you worried about funding losses as a result of Federal Government budget cuts?
And has your funding already been reduced as a result of Federal Government budget cuts?
October-November 2013:
The new Abbott Government has signaled its intention to dismantle the newly formed Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC), in line with its policy position outlined before the September election. What do you think about the Federal Government's plans to cut the Australian Charities & Not-for-profits Commission?
November-December-January 2012-13:
What names do you use to describe your governance group and the sector your organisation operates within?
August-September-October 2012:
Should there be separate incorporation and fundraising rules in every state, or would you prefer one Australia-wide model?
June-July 2012:
In his speech at the 2012 Communities in Control Conference, Dr James Whelan told us that ready or not, the UK's "Big Society" may well be heading Australia's way. What do you think about "Big Society"?
March 2012:
A not-for-profit leader in the UK is calling for more not-for-profit representation on corporate boards. What do you think of that proposal?
February 2012:
Do you use social media? If so, which ones do you use?
December-January 2012:
What do you think about the Federal Government's decision to fund a payrise for community sector workers to the tune of $2 billion?
October-November 2011:
Why do you work in the community sector?
