governance

Governance

Reforming an NFP Service Provider: It Starts with the Board


Published: July 4, 2019

Read Time: 4 minutes

31465

Remember the halcyon days of government outsourcing, before the introduction of individualised, contract funding for social services? This was a time when the not-for-profit service provider could maintain ‘business as usual’ in the satisfying knowledge that the next government grant was due, in advance, for defined services, to a specific client cohort.

Back then, governance and accountability were within the ability of community committees. There was little need for unitary costing, transaction cost economics, growth strategies and grand marketing plans. What’s more, there were few incentives to innovate and sophisticate business practices.

The ‘good’ times were not so long ago. The introduction of government-funded social services like the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) that tied funding directly to the individual consumer, in conjunction with governments’ demand for greater efficiencies from providers, has moved many not-for-profit service organisations away from their community-oriented focus and towards a ‘business model’.

Commercial professionalism and business acumen are now required to drive strategic growth, develop competitive advantage, understand risk analysis, maintain quality performance, drive efficiency and provide increased administrative and public accountability.

For the not-for-profit, organisational reform must start with the board.

This is not just a hypothetical argument, but a lived one as well. It draws from my experience as the Chair of The Junction Works Ltd., which was amongst the first wave of not-for-profit organisations to transition from government block funding of its disability service to the NDIS in 2016.

The NDIS is proving to be a great disrupter of established not-for-profit disability services, shaking out organisations that have been unable to adapt to the new commercial environment and encouraging the merging of others. It has reset and reshaped the board’s thinking and approach to our business model, governance risks and required director skill sets.

The Junction Works not only managed to survive the disruption; it has taken advantage of opportunities. In 2018 for instance, it took over the failing Share Care Disability Services. Within less than 12 months’ this development increased The Junction Works’ revenue by 34 per cent and brought Share Care back to surplus.

There are many lessons learned from the organisational reform that occurred across The Junction Works as we developed new business models, invested in IT infrastructure, strategically developed staff capabilities and culture, and importantly, built Board capacity, engagement and skills.

For not-for-profit service providers, boards need to:

  • Be able to articulate the organisation’s mission, and be clear as to the framework and parameters within which the mission operates. This is particularly important to ensure the autonomy of organisations that derive income primarily from government contracts.
  • Spend more time exploring, discussing and defining what the future of the organisation looks like – the opportunities and risks, how can we achieve this, and remain client focused – this means continually refining and adapting our strategy.
  • Ensure they really understand the client’s needs and options in a market environment. This has grown the client base and created a number of new services.
  • Create a comprehensive board skill matrix that looks beyond the horizon while getting people with the right mix of skills and experience who are aligned to their culture. Board renewal entails recruiting to missing skills sets. Utilising specialist recruitment organisations is money well spent.
  • Develop and live board performance measures, including impact indicators “Drivers of Change”, activity indicators progress toward goals, capacity indicators “Things are getting done”. They should also ensure operational indicators are aligned, feeding into and deepening the board’s knowledge of progress.

None of the above is possible without an open, committed and engaged board strongly supported by a proactive and aligned CEO and management team.

For not-for-profits with a social service purpose, the pressure is on to balance the commercial practices required of contemporary businesses while maintaining the features of purpose and passions that distinguish the not-for-profits from both the (bureaucratic) public sector and the (profit chasing) private sector.


Greg Smith was a speaker at the Better Boards Conference 2019, held in Brisbane on 1-4 August.

Author

Director
MorrisonLow
About

Greg Smith is the Chair of the Board of The Junction Works Ltd joining as a Director in 2012, and Chair of TJW’s subsidiary, Share Care Disability Services Ltd. The Junction Works is a not-for-profit provider of disability, youth, community and children’s services within South West Sydney. Greg is a CPA with extensive executive management, leadership and project delivery experience and knowledge of local government, electricity and the not-for-profit sectors. He has been responsible for strategic, operational and service delivery functions and has a proven track record in initiating and delivering business change through strategic corporate projects, service delivery reviews, business process improvements and innovation through ICT and partnerships. His experiences extends to financial modelling frameworks for operations and property development. Greg is a Senior Consultant with Morrison Low, and has held senior positions with Parramatta City Council and Evolve Housing. Greg has a Master of Business and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Found this article useful or informative?

Join 5,000+ not-for-profit & for-purpose directors receiving the latest insights on governance and leadership.

Receive a free e-book on improving your board decisions when you subscribe.

Unsubscribe anytime. We care about your privacy - read our Privacy Policy .