NFP LEADER'S REPORT - STRATEGIC PLANNING IN 2026 Leaders are making difficult strategic choices
This report provides a sector snapshot and practical guidance for NFP leaders and boards
What leaders told us this year
- 65% of organisations made difficult strategic choices in the past year
- Workforce capacity is now the greatest execution risk
- Cost pressure and financial sustainability are the biggest barriers to strategy
- Only 24% of organisations have succession plans in place for key leadership roles
Not for Profit Leader's Report - Strategic Planning 2026
Download your copy to explore practical insights from the report
Download the reportWhat this report helps you to do
- Sense check whether your strategy is still fit for today’s conditions
- Prepare for board discussions on trade offs, risk appetite and priorities
- Identify where execution is likely to stall before it becomes a risk
- Focus effort on the people, data and governance capabilities that matter most
What’s in the report
- Strategic direction and planning timeframes
- The hardest trade‑offs leaders are making
- Barriers to execution and how organisations are responding
- Measurement, data and decision quality
- People, leadership and succession risk
- Technology, cyber risk and preparedness
- Governance effectiveness and board engagement
About the authors
Our specialist not for profit team, understand the practical realities of balancing purpose, funding, people and accountability. Led by Aidan Smith, Head of Not for Profit Australasia, our Sydney team of more than 40 specialists works alongside organisations to strengthen financial stewardship, manage risk and support sound, sustainable decisions. They works closely with boards and executive teams across the sector on strategy, governance, risk and financial sustainability.
Contact us
About the Not For Profit Leader's Report
HLB Mann Judd Sydney publishes the Not For Profit Leaders Report twice a year. Each edition is based on surveys with NFP leaders and focuses on either strategic planning or financial management, offering practical insights to support decision making across the sector.
About HLB Mann Judd Sydney
HLB Mann Judd works closely with not for profit organisations across Australia, supporting boards and leadership teams as they navigate financial, governance and strategic challenges. Our specialist not for profit team, understands the practical realities of balancing purpose, funding, people and accountability. Led by Aidan Smith, Head of Not for Profit Australasia, our Sydney team of more than 40 specialists works alongside organisations to strengthen financial stewardship, manage risk and support sound, sustainable decisions.
We support not for profits across audit and assurance, strategy and advisory, governance and risk, tax, sustainability and digital assurance, providing practical advice that reflects the sector’s complexity and constraints. Our focus is on helping organisations build capacity, use resources well and support long-term impact.
The Sydney firm is a member of the HLB Mann Judd Australasian Association. HLB Mann Judd has offices in most of the major business centres in Australia and New Zealand and is a member of HLB International, the global advisory and accounting network.