While individual cases may vary, the statistics don’t lie: NFPs in Australia are, in general, making more money than they need. With an average surplus of more than $1 million each year, the largest 5% of charities are receiving 80% of the entire non-profit sector’s $122 billion annual income.

With 86% of non-profits expressing a need for more volunteers and the rate of volunteering amongst younger generations at historically low levels, there is a distinct opportunity for non-profit organisations to create more value out of volunteers by (a) aligning the experience with what millennials want and (b) using skilled volunteers to provide services that a non-profit would traditionally have to pay for such as marketing, financial, or legal services. If skilled volunteers can be unlocked, then a non-profit can begin to allocate the money reserved for the now pro-bono services and instead use that money towards delivering their program or conducting further research.

Unlike numerous for-profit businesses, almost all non-profits have a very clear reason for existing. Whether it’s research to find a cure or programs to offer support, guidance, and/or rehabilitation, a non-profit never lacks for purpose. As such, the allocation of resources should be a fairly simple task:

Allocate as many funds as required to delivering program/supporting research
Left-over funds can be used to support ancillary programs or support services

Unfortunately, however, some non-profits pursue funds for the purpose of fulfilling priority #2 in the hopes that a solid marketing strategy, financial plan, or any other professional service will mean that they can raise more funds and deliver a more effective program in the future. Commercially, this doesn’t make sense. Continuing to build a business that doesn’t focus on delivering its core purpose is a trap, and non-profits often fall into the “raise funds to help our organisation” over “raise funds to help our cause” trap far too often.

Why not, then, take the money out of the equation when it comes to building your non-profit organisation? There are hundreds of thousands of professionals in Australia and around the world who are willing to donate their time to causes that they care about but simply don’t have the opportunity. At Vollie, we’ve had volunteers donate an average of $1,149 in value per project at an average project commitment of twenty-two hours. The implication is this: skilled volunteering services like Vollie provide you with more valuable resources more quickly and more efficiently than many fundraising programs.

With the traditional volunteer model leaving many volunteers frustrated, Vollie is successfully engaging an ever-increasing community of young professionals who are looking for flexible volunteering opportunities that give them the support and engagement that they need to make an impact through online skilled volunteering. Our growing non-profit family take solace in the fact that Vollie is quick and easy to use, and by sourcing skilled volunteers on behalf of a charity, we’re freeing up valuable time for non-profit staff.

If you are a part of a non-profit organisation, big or small, then please get in touch with us. We believe that non-profits make the world a better place, and we’re here to support you. If you are a for-profit or philanthropist, then we’d also encourage you to get in touch. Vollie requires a relatively small subscription fee that many small non-profits cannot afford, and as such we offer sponsorship opportunities for brands and companies who want to support the little guys :)

Non-Profits Don’t Need Money, They Need Volunteers