The first Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) Six Month Progress Report designed by Brand It Effect has just been released and it makes for very interesting reading.

Did you know that the not for profit sector contributes $14 billion GDP and employs 890,000 Australian wide with a further 6.1 million Australians working as volunteers?  Those figures are astounding and it just goes to show how much registered charities are a part of our heritage.  Nationwide there are 57,500 registered charities with 34% based in NSW, 24% in Victoria, 18% in Queensland, 10% in WA, 8% in Tasmania, 2% in ACT and 1% in the Northern Territory.

Since the inception of the ACNC, 500 new charities have registered and of those, 77% are small charities with an annual revenue of less than $250,000.  Advancement of education and relief of poverty are two sectors which feature strongly in the new charity categories.

Needless to say the ACNC have been kept very busy during their first six month period.  4000 people attended a face to face session with the ACNC and they held 20 community consultations and 28 information sessions in over 27 towns throughout Australia.  And there looks to be no slowing down.

They seem to have a strong social media presence on Facebook and Twitter, which will work well in their favour particularly in terms of communication and education.  They are also working hard to boost the public trust and confidence particularly in terms of complaints and compliance.

While they are still relatively new to the not for profit arena, their mission is very clear and focussed: promote confidence in charities, help charities to understand their obligations, support the health of the sector and streamline reporting and reduced red-tape.

For more information on the ACNC and the work they are doing visit their website at http://www.acnc.gov.au/.