NGO Benchmarking Model: Thank you for the feedback!

The NGO Benchmarking Model, created by the Social Innovation Council, is a self-assessment tool that aims to help NGOs deliver efficient, high quality and innovative programs and services.

Assessment against the benchmarking model will help NGOs identify operational strengths and areas for improvement, which can be used as a guide for strategic planning, business operations and staff capability development programs.
 
Feedback from the sector is now in from the latest round of consultation and NCOSS will keep members informed about this ongoing work ahead of the Model being implemented later this year. Here are some key things to know about the aims of the Benchmarking Model:

It's designed to be used by any service, on any budget

The purpose of the NGO Benchmarking is to fill gaps as there is currently no on single framework in place that covers the field of Standards sought by Government. For many NGOs, existing options are cost prohibitive and non-essential under their funding arrangements. The NGO Benchmarking Model was developed in response to a request from the sector for a cheap, efficient framework in the absence of suitable existing options.

NGO representatives and all relevant government agencies participated in the development of the model. It is designed to be used by all government funded NGOs, not just FACS funded NGOs. The Standards have been agreed upon by all government agencies as being relevant to the work they fund NGOs to deliver.

It's designed to avoid duplication

The Model specifically avoids increasing additional administrative burden on NGOs because the fields pre-populate against identified frameworks. Where agencies and NGOs have only recently nominated additional frameworks, these can easily be mapped into the Model. As with all continuous improvement frameworks, this will not be a static framework, but rather one that will respond to a dynamic sector.

The Model is the only one that will directly link the work of NGOs to measurable outcomes for clients, demonstrate the critical ongoing place of government funded NGOs in our service delivery continuum, and support the identification of continuous improvement opportunities within the sector.

Thank you to everyone who gave their feedback

This is an opportunity for all services in the sector - whichever stream/s of funding they receive, and be they small, medium or large - to have the best possible chance of success in new funding environments and operate on an equal playing field.