Not-for-Profit & Charities

The shape tilts toward Brand & Positioning (73.7) and away from Data & Tracking (58). That tilt tells you where the industry's marketing dollars have gone and where they haven't. The businesses that correct the tilt first will see outsized returns because they're fixing the constraint that's holding everything else back.

Dimension Breakdown

How NFPs market on a fraction of commercial budgets

The NFP composite of 66.4 is remarkable when you consider the budget context. These organisations typically spend 5-15% of revenue on fundraising and marketing, a fraction of what commercial businesses invest. Yet they score above the all-industry average on multiple dimensions.

Brand at 73.7 is the highest brand score outside of top-tier commercial sectors. NFPs are brand-building machines. Mission storytelling, impact communication, community engagement and media relations create brands that resonate emotionally in ways commercial brands cannot replicate. Think of what World Vision, Beyond Blue, Vinnies or the RSPCA evoke. That is decades of brand investment.

Retention at 68.2 with 30% weight reflects the sector's focus on donor relationships. The best NFPs treat major donors like key accounts, with dedicated relationship managers, personalised impact reporting and exclusive engagement opportunities. Regular giving programs with well-designed stewardship reduce attrition to 5-8% annually, compared to 15-20% for poorly managed programs.

The digital divide in the sector is stark. Large NFPs (World Vision, Cancer Council, Salvation Army) have professional digital marketing teams running sophisticated multi-channel campaigns. Small NFPs (<$1M revenue) often rely on a single generalist doing everything. The composite averages these two worlds.

Acquisition at 65.2 with 25% weight is driven by events (fundraising walks, galas, giving days), digital campaigns (Facebook fundraising, Google Ad Grants), media coverage and peer-to-peer fundraising. Google Ad Grants, which provide $10,000/month in free Google Ads, is the most underleveraged acquisition tool in the sector. Many eligible NFPs have not applied.

Conversion Efficiency at 62.4 with 20% weight. The industry gets attention but doesn't convert it. If your shopfront has a thousand people walking past and only a handful walking in, the problem isn't traffic. It's the shopfront.

Where you sit in Education & Community

Explore deeper in Hub

Cross-cut Not-for-Profit & Charities data by taxonomy, compare dimensions across sectors and see where this industry sits nationally.

Frequently Asked

Where does your business sit in this picture?

Not-for-Profit & Charities scores 66.4 on average. That's one number across 6 dimensions. Your number will be different, and the breakdown will tell you exactly where to invest and where to stop wasting money.