# nfpSynergy publishes innovation guide for charities

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2004/09/28/nfpsynergy-publishes-innovation-guide-charities/
- Published: 2004-09-28T23:00:00+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

Research agency nfpSynergy has published ‘Innovation Rules! A roadmap to creativity
and innovation for not-for-profit organisations’. The organisation hopes that the
report “will provide charities with a greater understanding about what innovation
could do for them on a day-to-day basis.”

The free 48-page report, written by Elisha Evans and Joe Saxton, includes sections
on issues such as innovation myths; innovation versus creativity; reducing the barriers
to innovation and how innovation is linked to mission and vision.

The author’s admit that it is not the first or last word on creativity. “While it
contains many excellent ideas,” they write, “the vast majority are taken from other
people. Our aim here is to produce a (free) report that will help not-for-profit
organisations turn their innovation rhetoric into reality.”

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As part of the report’s research the author’s 700 people in the UK voluntary sector
and found that 87% of respondents agreed that innovation is important to my organisation,
with 44% agreeing strongly. However, the survey found that “the higher up you are
in a voluntary organisation, the more likely you are to feel positive about your
organisation’s ability to innovate.” Innovation was not gaining ground at lower 
levels in the sector.

The author’s concluded that “this would indicate that voluntary organisations are
still operating as traditional hierarchies with most of the key ideas and decisions
being imposed from the top.”

UK Fundraising’s Howard Lake was one of a range of people who contributed to the
report. He is quoted as saying “As someone keen to see charities exploit the internet
effectively, I remain surprised how in 2003 so few are using it in an innovative
manner. A national charity publishing an e-mail newsletter for the first time is
sadly still newsworthy!

Following the report’s launch, nfpSynergy will be running a series of one day seminars
on innovation and creativity for not for profit organisations between November 2004
and March 2005. The seminars are designed to help voluntary sector organisations
become more innovative.

They will include sessions on ways in which the vision and values of an organisation
can drive innovation; exploring which environments are most conducive to innovation;
and creative thinking techniques including which ones to use to tackle certain problems.

The seminars will be open to all not for profit organisations and the rates will
be based on the size of the organisation. A mximum of 20 delegates will be accepted
for each seminar.

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