Ethics and Professional Conduct Policy
1. Policy Statement
Peter Hewitt Care for Africa Foundation Inc (CfA) wishes to ensure that it has appropriate policies governing Ethics and Professional Conduct. The following Ethical Principles have guided development of CfA’s Principles and Standards of Fundraising Practice. The principles of Fundraising Practice conform to the International Statement of Ethical Principles of Fundraising and serve to mark the aspirations of CfA.
2. Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to guide CfA ensuring that it addresses its corporate governance responsibilities and act, in all things in an ethical and professional manner.
3. Ethical Principles are:
3.1 Honesty CfA will act honestly and truthfully so that public trust is protected, and donors and beneficiaries are not misled.
3.2 Respect CfA members and volunteers should act with respect for the dignity of their profession and their organisation and with respect for the dignity of donors and beneficiaries.
3.3 Integrity CfA members and volunteers should act openly and with regard to their responsibility for public trust. They shall disclose all actual or potential conflicts of interest and avoid any appearance of ethical, personal or professional misconduct.
3.4 Empathy CfA members and volunteers should work in a way that promotes their purpose and encourages others to use the same professional standards and engagement. They shall value individual privacy, freedom of choice, and diversity in all its forms.
3.5 Transparency CfA will issue and promote clear reports, about the work CfA does, the way donations are managed and disbursed, and cost and expenses, in an accurate and clear manner
4. Professional Conduct of Fundraising
4.1 CfA complies with the International Statement of Ethical Principles in Fundraising which is set out on CfA’s website for the information of CfA members and volunteers and members of the public.
4.2 A Fundraiser must not engage in activities that may harm an Organisation, a Donor, a Beneficiary or members of the public.
4.3 A Fundraiser must not engage in activities that bring the profession of fundraising into disrepute. If a Fundraiser becomes aware of any such activity by any CfA member, they should make a complaint in writing to CfA’s Chief Executive Officer so that it can be dealt with under the CfA Complaints Process.
4.4 A Fundraiser must recognise their individual boundaries of competence and be truthful about their professional experience and qualifications.
4.5 A Fundraiser must not engage in any activities which conflict with their fiduciary, ethical and legal obligations to the Organisations they represent.
5. Dignity and privacy of Beneficiaries
5. 1 Fundraisers must not threaten the dignity and privacy of a Beneficiary of an Organisation. For the purposes of this section a threat to the dignity and privacy of a Beneficiary includes, but is not limited to
a) A Fundraiser passing a comment unnecessarily or negatively on the impairment, dependency or disability of a Beneficiary
b) a Fundraiser using language which suggests that the client is to be pitied or feared
c) a Fundraiser using children on Promotional Materials to raise funds for adult services, giving the impression that the clients are childlike;
d) a Fundraiser stating or implying a falsehood regarding a Beneficiary; and
e) a Fundraiser depicting a Beneficiary’s image or identity in Promotional Materials without that Beneficiary’s written permission
5.2 Despite section 5.1a, a Fundraiser may use a term in relation to a Beneficiary where that term:
a) Is technically correct
b) Is used only for the purposes of describing an impairment or disability that affects a Beneficiary.
6. Confidential Information
6.1 A Fundraiser must not disclose to any member of the public CfA’s
a) Financial information (other than disclosed in CfA’s annual reports);
a) Security access codes or passwords into electronic data processing systems;
c) List of Beneficiaries;
without the written permission of CfA.
7. Organisation Identification
7.1 Wherever identification of CfA is required by this Principle a Fundraiser must provide CfA’s
a) full name;
b) corporate registration number (ABN number)
c). logo.
8. Promotional Materials
8.1 A Fundraiser must ensure that any Promotional Material used;
a) is factually accurate, truthful and not likely to deceive or mislead any person;
b) identifies CfA and its contact details for which the Promotional Material will be distributed;
c) identifies the objective of CfA;
d) complies with the relevant Commonwealth and State legislation; and
e) is approved by CfA
8.2 Where a Fundraiser discloses a cost of fundraising in Promotional Materials, that cost must be fully accurate
8.3 A Fundraiser must make the current annual report to CfA freely available upon reasonable request.
8.4 Promotional Materials should not be sent knowingly to children under the age of 18 unless they have been requested in connection with a School Fundraising Activity
8.5 Despite anything else in this section Promotional Materials may be part of a positive campaign by a Fundraiser to build public awareness, understanding and support for the Objects of CfA.
9. Compliance and Management of Complaints
9.1 A Fundraiser must not engage in an activity during their fundraising work that reasonably appears to the fundraiser to be a criminal offence or would constitute Professional Misconduct under this Principle.
9.2 A Fundraiser must not engage in an activity during Fundraising that does not comply with fundraising legislation in their State or territory or appears to be a criminal offence.
9.3 Where a Fundraiser must comply with anti-discrimination legislation regarding decisions based on race, sex, marital / personal relationship status, disability or religious belief.
9.4 All complaints will be reported at our monthly Board of Management meetings and investigated in accordance with CfA Complaints Handling Procedure.
CFA-P8.V1 Ethics and Professional Conduct Policy – Effective Date: 26 April 2020 Document Approved By: Board of Management.
Controlled Document — Printed Versions are not controlled.