New statis­tics panel: Context crea­tes clarity?

The non-profit sector in Switz­er­land is diverse, commit­ted and constantly chan­ging – but despite pionee­ring achie­ve­ments, there is still a lack of broad-based, constantly updated and suffi­ci­ently detailed data.

Added value

This is precis­ely where the new statis­tics panel comes in: Non-profit orga­ni­sa­ti­ons and grant-making foun­da­ti­ons use it to track seven key figu­res once a year. The data coll­ec­ted enables not only an aggre­ga­ted sector analy­sis, but also indi­vi­dual bench­mar­king for each parti­ci­pa­ting orga­ni­sa­tion. This crea­tes a data-based over­view of phil­an­thropy in Switz­er­land – and speci­fic added value for each indi­vi­dual organisation.

The data coll­ec­ted includes assets, number of staff, funding volume, number of program­mes or grants and thema­tic prio­ri­ties. Once the evalua­tion is complete and the data is exten­sive enough, parti­ci­pa­ting orga­ni­sa­ti­ons receive updated compa­ra­tive figu­res every year, which are analy­sed anony­mously and in aggre­ga­ted form.

Scien­ti­fic monitoring

The statis­tics panel is a joint project with a broad range of spon­sors: Swiss­Foun­da­ti­ons and proFonds support the call, while the Center for Phil­an­thropy Studies at the Univer­sity of Basel and the Centre en Phil­an­thro­pie at the Univer­sity of Geneva are assis­ting with the scien­ti­fic evalua­tion. This is the first time that a tool is available that can be used across all sectors – for opera­ting and funding orga­ni­sa­ti­ons, for large and small sponsors.

One thing is certain: the more orga­ni­sa­ti­ons that take part, the more precise and useful the data will be – for ever­yone. This is because the aggre­ga­ted results show trends, gaps and deve­lo­p­ment poten­tial in the sector. At the same time, a basis for compa­ri­son is crea­ted for each parti­ci­pa­ting orga­ni­sa­tion, which helps them to better under­stand their own role in the field and to further deve­lop it strategically.

Trans­pa­rency and security

Data secu­rity has top prio­rity: all infor­ma­tion remains confi­den­tial, is not published and is only proces­sed anony­mously. Bench­mar­king is only acti­va­ted once the criti­cal number of 300 parti­ci­pa­ting orga­ni­sa­ti­ons has been reached – a deli­bera­tely set thres­hold for statis­ti­cal significance.

Parti­ci­pa­tion is free of charge and open to all chari­ta­ble orga­ni­sa­ti­ons with a profile on StiftungSchweiz. Those who are alre­ady regis­tered can complete the statis­tics panel directly in their orga­ni­sa­tion profile. If you are new to the plat­form, you can create a free login in just a few steps and claim or create your organisation.

Regis­ter now.

Further infor­ma­tion on the statis­tics panel can be found here.