Our Standards of Accountability
- 1 - A Declared Christian Ministry
- 2 - An Independent Active Governing Board
- 3 - An Independent Audit
- 4 - Public Financial Disclosure
- 5 - An Audit Review Committee
- 6 - Pursuit of Integrity
- 7 - Declared Stewardship Policy
- 8 - Program Effectiveness & Efficiency
- 9 - Code of Accountability
Certified Membership Application Form
CCCC Standards of Accountability
Standard 7: Declared Stewardship Policy
The organization shall guide and assist individuals in the stewardship of property which the Lord has entrusted to them. To carry out this role, the organization shall provide or make available adequate training for its stewardship representatives and consultants. The organization shall have policies which provide or state that:
- No portion of the remuneration of stewardship representatives and consultants shall be based on gifts received by the organization or gifts committed to it;
- Donors are advised and encouraged to seek independent professional advice before making a gift to the organization which, in the opinion of the organization's stewardship representative or consultant, might significantly affect the donor's financial position or income or might adversely affect the donor's relationship with family members;
- Donors are provided with comprehensive and current information regarding the organization and its ministries;
- Gifts which are restricted to the support of a particular ministry of the organization, or gifts which are to be used for a particular program or project approved by the organization, are used solely for such purpose or purposes;
- Gifts will not be accepted for projects or purposes which are not within its objects or have not been approved by the organization;
- A contribution restricted to a particular approved program or project will be used for the purpose for which it was given subject to certain specific situations such as when a project is oversubscribed or terminated. The organization shall publish its donor restricted funds policy on all appropriate fundraising materials;and
- The organization shall maintain confidentiality of all information about donors and mailing list addresses. The contributor or prospective contributor list will not be exchanged, rented or otherwise shared with other organizations.
Commentary
Standard 7 addresses the need for the organization to have declared policies pertaining to its stewardship practices. These apply in relation to its own property, to the property of a donor, or to the manner in which its stewardship representatives approach and deal with a prospective donor. The interests and dignity of the donor must always be held foremost in mind when interacting with a donor.
Related to point 1, compensation policies for fundraisers are to be consistent with the policies and practices that apply to all the organization’s personnel;
Related to point 6, and to avoid being legally precluded from using restricted funds for other projects where for example a project is oversubscribed or is terminated, the following policy (or similar wording) must be published in the charity’s fundraising literature and website:
Spending of funds is confined to programs and projects approved by the organization. Each contribution restricted for use is such an approved program or project will be so used with the understanding that when the need for such a program or project has been met, or cannot be completed for any reason as determined by the organization, the remaining restricted contributions will be used where needed most.
"Going through the rigour of getting the seal and maintaining the seal and looking at the standards is immensely helpful."
- Malcolm Burrows,
Scotia Private Client Care
