Purpose
The purpose of this policy to guide indigo foundation to make a clear separation between development and non-development objectives and activities. This policy addresses indigo foundation’s obligations to accurately represent our activities to people we work with, and when communicating with or soliciting donations from private donors and the public.
Scope
The Policy is intended to apply to all indigo foundation activities and is applicable to add indigo foundation staff and volunteers. Where possible, we will also seek to ensure that this policy is applied by indigo foundation’s community partners overseas.
Definition of development and non-development activities
Development activities
indigo foundation is committed to addressing the root causes of poverty and global injustice and ensuring that funds and other resources designed for the purpose of development are used only for those purposes. In doing so indigo foundation applies our Guiding Principles to development activities – community ownership, transparency, sustainability and equity.
Non-development activities
The following definitions of non-development activities include:
- Welfare activities: those that provide direct assistance because of a need to maintain individuals in a particular condition on a long-term basis. They generally seek to address immediate needs rather than address broader development needs, have no strategy for integration into a broader community development program and are implemented independently of other sustainable community development activities
- Evangelism activities: those with the intention of promoting a particular religious adherence or converting individuals or groups from one faith and/or denominational affiliation to another.
- Partisan political activities: include political, lobbying and advocacy activities, that are carried out for the sake of, or in aid of, a particular political party.
Our commitments
indigo foundation supports and is committed to the following principles to ensure that:
- Our activities are represented accurately to the communities we work with, donors and the public.
- Our fundraising for development purposes is not used to exploit people or communities who are vulnerable and does not place any conditions or obligations on beneficiaries in terms of non-development, religious or political outcomes that would affect their access to participation in activities.
1. We will have a clear separation between development and non-development activities
Procedures:
- indigo foundation will appraise all project proposals to determine whether they include non-development objectives or activities as part of our due diligence activities
- Our appraisal process will record any issues, which must then be followed up to ensure the policy requirements are satisfied before the project is approved.
- Our appraisal process will record any aspects of the project that should be closely monitored over the life of the project to ensure its compliance with this Policy.
- Partner capacity assessment processes will require indigo foundation to identify whether the partner is engaged in non-development activities, and if so, how is it to manage and account for them separately to development activities.
- Components of projects that represent non-development activities will be reported and accounted for separately to development components.
- In-country project monitoring will include, where relevant, monitoring of the separation of non-development activities from development activities.
2. This separation will be clear in all fundraising, programs and other activities, in public communications and in all reporting including Annual Reports.
Procedures:
- Guidelines are in place that address appropriate reporting in organisational promotional materials.
- All articles written by overseas community partners, or photographs supplied by the partners for reporting materials, will be reviewed for differentiation between development and non-development activities.
- Communication materials will be reviewed prior to the publication to ensure separation of reporting and fundraising for aid and development and non-development activities.
3. Any fundraising initiatives that include reference to both development and non-development activities will provide donors with the choice of contributing to development activities only.
Procedures:
- Fundraising materials will be reviewed prior to publication to ensure that solicitations make a clear distinction between development and non-development activities.
- Where fundraising solicitations include reference to both development and nondevelopment activities, they will be reviewed to ensure that the donors are provided with the choice of contributing to development activities only.
4. Signatory organisations will ensure that any such separation in fundraising, programs or other activities, in public communications and in reporting, extends to partner and implementing organisations and is documented.
Procedures:
- Communications with new partners will state indigo foundation’s position on support for non-development activities and our partners will receive a copy of this Policy
- Our Commitment Agreements will include clear definition of development activity and nondevelopment activity and will require our partner to agree that indigo foundation support is designated for aid and development purposes and will not be used to fund any non-development activities.