Canadian Christian charities working to ensure donor trust

More charities show concern in light of recent scandals

in the wake of recent charity scandals – think Ravi Zacharias International Ministries and the ongoing WE Charity investigation here in Canada – Canadian Christian charities are taking a long look inward.

Curtis Towns, head of accreditation at the Canadian Centre for Christian Charities (www.CCCC.org), says now is the time for organizations to thoroughly examine their governance structure, policies and overall culture to ensure transparency and accountability. And that is exactly what they’re doing.

“I’ve seen an uptick in terms of specific questions and an increase in CCCC’s accreditation. Ministries are looking for some outside accountability to affirm their policies and procedures are strong.”

CCCC’s accreditation process is a rigorous third-party review that brings charities into alignment with CCCC’s Standards of Accountability, including ethical fundraising, diligent governance, organizational integrity, financial oversight and transparency, and a commitment to the Christian faith.

Historically the greatest strength of Christian charities has led to the downfall of some – inherently high trust among board members and staff.

“That trust is a beautiful thing,” Towns explains, “because we accomplish a lot when we trust one another, but because it’s so inherently high we don’t always take our role seriously when it comes to the oversight we’re supposed to have as board members.”

His advice to Canadian organizations is threefold – ensure board members understand their role by providing adequate training and orientation, foster a cohesive relationship between senior staff members and the board, and implement some type of external accountability, such as an external financial audit.

Another important piece is having an open door for donors and supporters to interact with the charity. “Charities need to make sure they have a mechanism in place to address concerns or questions, including an escalation process so that if someone is dissatisfied, there’s a documented process of where that concern would go,” says Towns.

Compassion Canada, a charity that operates in over 25 countries to help pull children out of poverty, says they rely on accreditation to demonstrate transparency with donors. Tim DeWeerd, Compassion Canada’s chief financial officer and executive director of business services, likens the process to regular exercise for the body. “It provides helpful guidelines and checklists for our organization, from board governance and ethical fundraising to operational integrity, to ensure we’re actively maintaining organizational health.”

DeWeerd says the benefits are clear. “We maintain our accreditation because it helps to foster trust with our supporters, and it also connects us with a community of practice within our sector that champions integrity in a time when integrity and trust are of utmost importance.”

“Ministries are looking for some outside accountability to affirm their policies and procedures are strong.”