Organisational bureaucracy is preventing charities from being as innovative as they could or should be, according to a new report by nfpSynergy.

The survey found that only 20% of staff felt that innovation was important to their charity, citing fear of risk and being too caught up in operational duties as the main factors. However, a different perception was had by chief executives, with over 60% of those interviewed believing that innovation was an essential part of their organisation. The authors of the report conclude that the higher up the charity ladder you climb, the more likely you are to perceive your organisation as innovative.

Elisha Evans from nfpSynergy said: “When we consider that the charity sector is populated by passionate people fighting for a cause that is not being addressed adequately in the public or private sectors, it would seem the natural ground for innovation – what better area for challenging the status quo and forging creative solutions?

“However, many organisations are either too mired down in the day-to-day running of the organisation to realise the wealth of opportunity that is out there, or are too afraid of the risks. The problem is that without risk, there is no progress, there is no change. As far as we are concerned this brand of risk should be far less scary a prospect than that associated with inconsequentiality, antiquation or missed opportunity.”

The full report looks at the importance of generating innovation through vision, values and strategy, and uses a step-by-step approach to guide charities through the processes needed to inspire their whole organisation to follow suit. A programme of seminars on the subject has been scheduled for January and February. For more details visit www.nfpsynergy.net/innovation.html For a free copy of the report email reports@nfpsynergy.net