Research plays pivotal role in developing NFP sector

Yesterday, Dr Tessa Boyd-Caine who is the Deputy CEO of Australian Council of Social Service and a recent graduate of the Fulbright Professional Scholarship in Non Profit Leadership reflected on the report’s findings, along with the use of the charity register data in the USA.

“The Curtin report is an incredibly valuable contribution to our understanding about the size and shape of Australia’s charitable sector. It confirms how significant Australia’s charities are both socially and economically,” says Dr Boyd-Caine.

“The report provides the most significant update to what we know about the sector since the 2006 figures relied upon by the Productivity Commission in its seminal study into the contribution of the not-for-profit (NFP) sector.

“It is a strong testament to the value of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) in producing fit-for-purpose data, research and information about Australian charities.”

“American charities report a huge amount of information in return for their tax concessions. That tax reporting produces comprehensive, reliable data about the sector’s activities that are a critical form of accountability by American charities,” says Dr Boyd-Caine.

“The more we develop reliable, relevant information about Australia’s NFP sector, and resources for the public like the ACNC’s charity register, the more we can build the trust and confidence of the communities that support and sustain the work of our charities.”

ACNC Commissioner Susan Pascoe AM also spoke about the importance of the report’s findings, saying data provides evidence to support good-decision making and reveals insights into the sector, including the level of red tape burden faced by charities.

“Reporting obligations affect charities differently, with ten per cent of registered charities experiencing about 80 per cent of the total reporting burden,” says Pascoe.

“The ACNC is committed to reducing red tape for all charities with a report once, use often approach. Charities spend a lot of time reporting to Commonwealth agencies, so we are working to reduce duplication in this area, including through the successful launch of the Charity Passport.”

The Charity Passport allows for information collected by the ACNC to be provided electronically to other government agencies, reducing the need for charities to repeatedly provide the same information to different bodies.

The findings support the outcomes from the Ernst & Young Red Tape report which was released in October 2014. The report confirmed red tape is an issue for charities, and found a key source was government funding agreements.

Sarah Harding

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