Knowledge Management Enablement in Australian Not for Profit Organisations (NFPs)

Abstract

Not for profit organizations (NFPs) in Australia operate in an increasingly competitive marketplace for funding, staff and volunteers and donations. Further, NFPs, both in Australia and internationally are growing rapidly in number in response to increasing needs for humanitarian services and environmental sustainability that local and national governments and established international aid organizations cannot or struggle to provide effectively. In this context, many NFPs are being driven to adopt more commercial practices in order to improve their donor appeal, staff retention and service delivery. Knowledge Management (KM) is one such commercial practice, business strategy, being explored to address the competitive environment. Although the concept of knowledge management may be basically understood in NFPs, the detailed implications and strategies to pursue this practice in an NFP context are under explored at this time.