Center for Nonprofit
Organizations and Social Impact Open main menu
Hintere Außenansicht des D2 Gebäudes

Management and strategy support

Management in nonprofit organizations has experienced a surge in professionalization over the past decades. In many respects, the management of NPOs today does not differ significantly from that of for-profit companies. On the other hand, NPOs exhibit specific characteristics that require specialized expertise, whether in financing, impact measurement, volunteer management, and so forth. We support organizations in developing impact-oriented strategies and in creating foundations for management decisions.

Strategy Support
Strategy processes are important for the long-term planning of organizations. They help organizations sustainably achieve their intended social impact. We accompany organizations either through process facilitation—such as participating in and supporting the preparation and follow-up of strategy meetings—or on an ad hoc basis through stakeholder surveys, environmental analyses, etc.

Process Facilitation (selected examples):

  • Strategy support for the General Secretariat of the Austrian Red Cross (2013, 2020-2021)

  • Scientific support of the strategy process "Voluntary Engagement" of Caritas Archdiocese Vienna (2015-2020)

Stakeholder Surveys and Analyses (selected examples):

Customer satisfaction survey in the health and social services sector of the Austrian Red Cross (2020)

Customer satisfaction survey at the Austrian Red Cross in the health and social services sector (2016/17)

Human Resource Management
Salary Benchmark: Since 2008, we have conducted the NPO Salary Benchmark five times, creating a comparative basis for NPOs. The concept has been continuously developed in cooperation with participating organizations. The most recent benchmark was conducted in 2020 (using data from 2019). The results are available to the participating organizations. Selected examples:

NPO Salary Benchmark – Compensation Study 2020

NPO Salary Benchmark 2016

    Employee Surveys: Regularly surveying one’s own employees is now standard practice in many NPOs, whether regarding job satisfaction or specific topics. Selected examples:

    Job satisfaction at the Austrian Red Cross (2019)

    Evaluation of the time value account at Caritas Vienna (2017)

    • Employee survey at Diakonie Flüchtlingsdienst gem. GmbH (2015)

    • Survey on employee job satisfaction at Karl Schubert Haus (2009)

    Governance
    NPO Governance Code: NPOs are expected to align their governance practices with those of for-profit organizations. To support NPOs in this, we co-developed the Austrian NPO Governance Code in 2012-2013. It serves as a recommendation for the design of leadership and supervision within an NPO and the associated rules and practices. Additionally, it provides a basis for potential organizational development or strategy processes in the spirit of good governance. More information:

    • Austrian NPO Governance Code (2012-2013)