Innovation considered essential to charities’ survival, says Charity Innovation Report
Howard Lake | 10 June 2014 | News
Charity staff are well aware of the importance of and need for innovative business practices, according to the first Charity Innovation Report, published today.
Indeed, 61% of charity staff who responded to the survey said that organisations would not survive unless they became more innovative. Indeed, 71% believed that, without an innovative approach, charities would suffer financially by missing out on opportunities for new and increased income streams.
As a result, new projects and services would not be developed, resulting in charities failing to fulfil their missions.
How critical is innovation to your charity’s future?
Charity Innovation Report
The research was conducted by marketing expert Zoe Amar and innovation expert Lucy Gower, in association with online fundraising platform Guess2Give. The survey ran from 27 March 2014 to 14 April 2014, and received 298 responses.
Although much has been written on innovative approaches within charities, there was little research in how charity staff viewed innovation.
Benefits of innovation?
What could a more innovative approach help your organisation do?
Respondents suggested the following benefits if innovation were allowed to flourish:
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- creating new sources of income (79%)
- developing better services and projects (67%)
- taking more measured risks and not being scared of trying new things (63%)
- raising more funds from existing supporters (60%)
- achieving the organisational strategy more quickly and effectively (56%)
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How established is innovation in charities?
Survey results showed how many charities had a person or team responsible for innovation:
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- 37% had a person or team
- 58% did not
- 5% did not know
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How can charities support innovation?
The survey asked charity staff how charities could support and enhance innovation. A number of factors were cited:
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- a culture that supports and encourages innovation (58%)
- time allocated for creative thinking (58%)
- leadership from the board and executive team (44%)
- a better understanding of what organisations’ audiences want (44%)
- fewer silos and more collaboration (42%)
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Mark Chandler, CEO of Guess2Give said:
“Our research shows that innovation holds the future for charities of all sizes. Charities need to actively test new approaches to service delivery and income generation to ensure they stimulate their supporters and engage with new ones.”
Full details of the Charity Innovation Report can be downloaded at no charge.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.