Not-for-profit survey 2025
How NFPs are reshaping their future
2025 reveals a sector in transition, with not-for-profits (NFPs) adapting to significant operational pressures while seeking new collaborative approaches to ensure sustainability. Unsurprisingly, rising operating costs have emerged as the primary challenge facing these organisations, prompting strategic shifts in how they pursue their missions while maintaining financial viability.
Australian NFPs have the chance to reshape their sector during 2025 and beyond by addressing some of the immediate challenges highlighted by the survey respondents:
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Rising operational costs |
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Changing stakeholder expectations |
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Cybersecurity |
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Environmental, social and governance |
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Generative Artificial Intelligence |
As the sector continues to evolve, organisational resilience and adaptability have become essential qualities for NFPs looking to thrive in 2025 and beyond. The most successful organisations are those developing innovative strategies that balance mission fulfillment with operational efficiency, leveraging collaborative opportunities while strengthening their capacity to respond to an increasingly complex operating environment.
Download the full PDF report or find out more about the survey.
Soaring operating costs and economic uncertainty have left not-for-profits tightening their budgets. Our survey reveals Australian NFPs are responding by seeking to diversify their funding, collaborate with other organisations and invest in technology.
Responding to changing external stakeholder expectations has grown as a key challenge for the sector in our 2025 survey. This increase highlights the growing importance for NFPs to adapt their strategies to meet the evolving demands of donors, communities and suppliers.
Imagine a scenario where a NFP organisation falls victim to a cybersecurity attack and loses access to all its data. This would lead to significant operational disruptions, increased operational costs, and strategic setbacks, much like any business.
The NFP sector can greatly benefit from focusing on ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) principles. As transparency and accountability become more important, early investment in ESG will help NFPs enhance their impact, attract support, and secure their future. Learn more about how NFPs can leverage ESG for success.
Generative AI technologies have made significant inroads across industries, but the NFP sector is approaching this digital revolution with measured steps. The survey findings indicate that while NFPs recognise generative AI’s potential to enhance operations and engagement, adoption remains strategic and focused on specific applications.
About the surveyAt Pitcher Partners, we’re passionate about seeing not-for-profit (NFP) organisations thrive. That’s why we’ve connected with sector leaders through our survey conducted in February 2025, to understand how NFPs are navigating today’s ever-shifting landscape and give you meaningful insights you can benchmark against. Thank you to everyone who contributed their valuable time and insights. We hope this report serves as a practical resource to support decisions and help you continue making a difference in the communities you serve. |
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