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...As a member of the Fundraising Institute of Australia, St Vincent's Hospital Toowoomba has the 'tick of confidence' issued by the national peak body for charities.
Does your charity of choice have the ‘tick of confidence’ from the national peak body for charities - the Fundraising Institute Australia (FIA)?
“This is the question all those generous Australians who donate to charities have the right to ask,” FIA chairman Leo Orland said today.
“If the answer is ‘yes, my charity has the FIA tick of confidence’, then you can check exactly how your charity should be operating by glancing through the FIA’s code of practice launched today.”
Mr Orland said the FIA’s code of practice – the Principles & Standards of Fundraising Practice – empowers donors.
“We want Australians to know they have the power and the right to ask if a charity is a member of their peak body - the FIA,” Mr Orland said.
“And we want Australians to know they have the right to be reassured their charity is fundraising and managing their funds in a transparent and accountable manner,” Mr Orland said.
“The FIA’s code of practice for charities is really a bill of rights for donors.
“Donors should look for the symbols of FIA membership [see at end of release] or at least ask if their chosen charity or its fundraisers are FIA members.
“Donors have rights too. It’s their money they’re donating, and they have the right to be confident it’s being used carefully, wisely and ethically.
“Just like the red tick on food means it’s good for your heart, when you see the FIA tick of approval for a charity, it means your donation will be used carefully and wisely – and in keeping with why you donated in the first place,” Mr Orland said.
FIA CEO Chris McMillan said the Principles & Standards had been developed in consultation with FIA members and were “very comprehensive”, endeavouring to cover every aspect of fundraising including bequests, telemarketing, direct mail, overseas aid and face-to-face.
“We constantly monitor and update our code of practice, and are just finalising our guidelines for using social media to fundraise,” Ms McMillan said.
Federal Minister for Social Inclusion, the Hon Tanya Plibersek MP, welcomed the public launch of the FIA’s Principles & Standards of Fundraising Practice.
"Australians are generous when it comes to donating to charities, but they want to be sure their money is doing the maximum good." Ms Plibersek said.
"FIA's Principles & Standards will give Australians further confidence when it comes to
donating to charity.
"FIA's Principles & Standards complement the Gillard Labor Government's not-for-profit sector reform agenda which aims to deliver smarter regulation, reduced red tape and improved transparency of the sector.
"The Gillard Labor Government recognises the invaluable role charities and not-for-profit organisations play in enriching Australian communities.
"A strong, innovative and accountable non-profit sector is essential to building an inclusive
Australia." Ms Plibersek said. |
