All Clusters Community Cluster Not-For-Profit Operations Hub
Community Cluster · Hub 01

Not-For-Profit Operations. Run a not-for-profit as a business that delivers what it promises.

Not-for-profit organisations across the spectrum — services, advocacy, peak bodies, support organisations — and the operational realities of running an NFP that has to deliver outcomes, manage staff, and keep the lights on. Australian NFPs are overwhelmingly small to mid-size and chronically under-supported on the operational side. This Hub is for Members running not-for-profit organisations and the specialists who help them.

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About this Hub

Run a not-for-profit as a business that delivers what it promises.

Not-for-profit organisations across the spectrum — services, advocacy, peak bodies, support organisations — and the operational realities of running an NFP that has to deliver outcomes, manage staff, and keep the lights on. Australian NFPs are overwhelmingly small to mid-size and chronically under-supported on the operational side. This Hub is for Members running not-for-profit organisations and the specialists who help them.

Start with a Pillar

Three starting Pillars. Pick the one closest to your situation.

Each Pillar is a structured pass through one part of running this kind of organisation. Five questions, five dimensions, a clear read on where you stand. Take the Pillar; your Facilitator routes the result to the right specialist.

Pillar 01 · Free · 5 minutes

NFP Operations Health

Five questions across five dimensions. A read on whether your organisation is delivering on its mission with the operational backbone it needs.

Mission clarity
Could every staff member describe what your organisation actually does in two sentences — and would they all agree?
Service delivery
Are you delivering the outcomes you committed to in your funding agreements, with evidence?
Financial sustainability
How many months can the organisation operate from current cash if grant income paused?
Workforce position
How exposed are you if a single key staff member or key volunteer left tomorrow?
Governance and compliance
Is the board functioning as a board, or as a committee that signs off on what staff have already decided?
Pillar 02 · Free · 5 minutes

Funding & Sustainability

Five questions across five dimensions. The honest read on where the money comes from, where it might come from next, and how exposed the mission is to a single source.

Funding mix
What proportion of your income comes from government grants, philanthropic grants, donations, fees, and trading — and how exposed are you to a single source?
Funding pipeline
How many funding applications are currently live, and what is your historical hit rate?
Donor and supporter base
How many active regular donors do you have, and what is the trend over the past three years?
Reserves position
Do you hold the reserves your governance body and your sector recommend?
Trading or fee income
Does the organisation have any income stream that does not depend on grants or donations?
Pillar 03 · Free · 5 minutes

Governance & Board Strategy

Five questions across five dimensions. The board, the management line, the risk view, and the renewal plan that keeps the organisation running for the long haul.

Board composition
Does the board have the skills, diversity, and engagement the organisation needs at this stage?
Board operation
Are board meetings producing decisions and direction, or only receiving reports?
CEO-board relationship
Is the line between governance and management clear and respected on both sides?
Risk and compliance oversight
Does the board have visibility of your top three risks and confidence they are being managed?
Board renewal
Is there a deliberate plan for board renewal, succession, and term limits — or are seats filled when someone resigns?
The Twelve Spokes

Twelve specialty zones inside this Hub.

Each Spoke routes Members to a specialist Service Provider once a Pillar surfaces what they need. Spokes are the destinations the Pillars route into — full Spoke pages come online once Pillars are operating at the full standard.

Service Delivery NFPs Coming soon
Advocacy & Peak Body Operations Coming soon
Support & Helpline Organisations Coming soon
NFP Governance & Board Coming soon
NFP Funding Mix & Diversification Coming soon
NFP Workforce & Volunteer Mix Coming soon
NFP Tax & ACNC Compliance Coming soon
NFP Communications & Storytelling Coming soon
NFP Mergers & Amalgamation Coming soon
NFP Property & Asset Management Coming soon
NFP Insurance & Risk Coming soon
NFP Sale, Wind-Up & Succession Coming soon

Talk to a Facilitator about this Hub.

Twenty minutes. Tell us what you run inside this part of the community sector, and we will route you to the right Pillar, the right Spoke, and the right specialist inside the Community Cluster.

Book a Facilitator →