For the past 9 years, the Long Island Nonprofit Survey has enabled Nonprofit organizations to: benchmark their performance; gain insight into what practices other organizations may be conducting; and determine their value proposition in the context of the sector as a whole. Taking the time to complete this year’s survey will help you inspire thought processes in developing responses, and potentially encourage reevaluation of your current practices. Much can be gained from the information contained in the survey, which could then be used to make improvements and strengthen both your organization and the not-for-profit sector as a whole.
The survey contains questions covering a variety of topics, including volunteer involvement in the organization, how the organization is utilizing social media as a means of promotion for purposes of raising awareness to its message and fundraising events, and examining changes in donor sentiment. The survey may also be a very useful tool for evaluating your organization’s performance in terms of prospective raises for staff personnel, and how long your operations would be able to continue if funding suddenly stopped. The survey offers an opportunity for self-evaluation in many areas of performance, such as internal controls implementation, board involvement, usage of technology, fraud prevention, etc. It also allows an organization to see what potential policies may be in place at other organizations and consider whether or not they should begin to implement those policies, such as an ethics policy, conflict of interest policy, and whistleblower policy. Taking the survey also brings attention to certain legislative and regulatory changes which may potentially influence the organization, such as the NY nonprofit revitalization act or Medicaid compliance regulations.
When the results of the survey are published during November, it will allow nonprofits to gauge their own answers against those of other organizations, to gain insight into how their own performance measures up to others in the sector. By examining the responses of all organizations to the survey, it becomes possible to see the current trends and issues facing the sector. This allows for intuitive conversation with politicians and funders for resolutions or improvements. This kind of evaluation allows for change not only for the organization within itself but throughout the industry as a whole, and is an invaluable resource for helping to strengthen the nonprofit sector.
Please take the time to complete the survey. It is a valuable tool for your organization and the sector as a whole.
