INTHEBLACK February 2025 - Magazine - Page 42
F E AT U R E
Increased demand for services
across the not-for-profit sector
is not currently being met with
more funding or resources.
Inflation, rising interest rates
and the high cost of living
have seen more demand for
charitable services while also
restricting public donations.
Diversification and investment
in technology are helping the
sector rise to the challenges
it is facing.
Challenge:
accepted
The not-for-profit sector gives more than it receives, and pressure has
been building since the pandemic. How can NFPs rise to the challenge?
Words Susan Muldowney
Meriem Idris CPA knows how to do
more with less. As CFO of GenWest,
a not-for-profit organisation delivering
services to redress gender inequity and
help victim-survivors of family violence
in Melbourne’s west, she is adept at making
every dollar stretch.
In the 2022–23 financial year, GenWest
distributed A$3.4 million in flexible support
packages as part of its family violence service
to help cover the costs associated with
relocation, schooling, household appliances
and clothing. However, Idris sees further
challenges on the horizon, with government
funding becoming increasingly competitive,
especially for small-to-medium organisations
that rely on grants to help cover their
operational costs and implement programs.
“Funding comes with performance
measures that we have to meet,” says Idris,
42 INTHEBLACK February 2025
who has worked for the organisation
since 2010. “However, it does not address
other administrative expenses like finance,
HR, IT, quality improvement, risk
management and compliance.
“We are just stretching all the time
and trying to construct our resources
as best we can to achieve our goals.”
Not-for-profits make a huge
contribution to the social fabric, economy
and employment of countries across the
globe, but the sector is facing significant
challenges that have increased since
the pandemic.
The inflationary environment, rising
interest rates and the high cost of living
have seen more demand for not-for-profit
services while also restricting public
donations and intensifying the competition
for government funding.
