Not-for-profit groups rank behind only police and doctors in public trust according to a new study from the Australian Not-for-profit and Charities Commission (ACNC).
And while public trust in the not-for-profit sector is high, the study also found it is further increased when people have a better understanding of the ACNC’s role.
The survey of more than 1600 people found trust and confidence in Australian not-for-profit groups rose from 6.6/10 to 7/10 when respondents understood the role of the ACNC.
Only doctors (7.1/10) and police (7/10) received higher scores for public trust and confidence.
ACNC Commissioner Susan Pascoe said the strongest driver of public trust for a not-for-profit organisation was honesty.
“The public has high levels of trust for charities that are open about their activities, structure and the ways funds are distributed,” Ms Pascoe said.
The survey also found:
The release of the study findings coincides with the July 11 launch of the ACNC Register of Australian not-for-profit organisations.
“The ACNC Register is the official searchable database of Australian charities, providing a platform for 57,600 registered charities to list information including their beneficiaries, financial information and reports,” Ms Pascoe said.
The study also found significant public support for the ACNC Register, with roughly 80% of respondents believing a public register of not-for-profit organisations would be “very important”.
Detailed information available on the Register will come from the Annual Information Statements of not-for-profit organisations, with the first statements due in December 2013.
Prior to its July 11 launch the ACNC Register operated using basic information on not-for-profit groups, including the legal name, Australian Business Number (ABN) and the State or Territory of registration.
