Productive efficiency of not-for-profit organisations: empirical evidence using Australian branches of a global charity

Abstract

The not-for-profit (NFP) sector of the Australian economy, of which charities form a major subset, has been the subject of a number of enquiries since 1994. These enquiries have shown that NFPs make a significant economic contribution to the Australian economy. A major motivation for the study described in this thesis was the increasing demand by the NFP sector in Australia for greater recognition of that sector's contribution to the Australian economy. The study has analysed factors affecting productivity and efficiency of an NFP organisation, using The Gideons International in Australia (TGIA) as a case study. The thesis provides empirical evidence regarding the productive efficiency of the activities of the branches of TGIA.