PwC: Rising demand for services worries not-for-profits

By Rob Starr, Content Manager, Big4.com

According to a new report released today by PwC and the Centre for Social Impact (CSI), 80 per cent of Australia’s 60,000 not-for-profit organisations do not feel confident they will be able to meet demand for their services in the next six months. Expectations for high levels of demand and low confidence in ability to meet that demand are the major causes of low confidence for Australian not-for-profits, with the sector having a Demand Index score of -13.

Worryingly, the Social Services and Development and Housing industries are significantly concerned at their ability to meet demand for their services, with Demand Index scores of -37 and -36 respectively. These results demonstrate that in difficult economic conditions more Australians require support for accommodation and social service support.
Religious organisations have the lowest level of confidence within the sector with a People Index score of -22, followed closely by the Health industry with a People Index score of -18. Both industries are experiencing difficulties in attracting and retaining employees with the expectation that this challenge will increase over the next six months.

The PwC-CSI Community Index is a biannual measurement of confidence in the Australian not-for-profit sector, across 10 industries like Housing and Development, Health and Social Services. The inaugural report shows Australian not-for-profit organisations are somewhat pessimistic, with an overall score of -5. The research assesses confidence over four components to determine an aggregate confidence score. The four components are demand, people, funding and relationships.