Our governance is formed around our core values, ways of working and code of conduct that characterises the work of our Board, management team and employees. It encompasses our organizational structure, leadership, decision-making powers, responsibilities and employee competencies, as well as the internal and external controls that govern and regulate our work.
Our statutes are also available for your reference.
Reach for Change has one global strategy that applies to the whole organization. Our current strategy is Vision 2021 (2017-2021). You can read more about our Vision 2021 and related milestones here.
In order to guarantee that our activities are carried out as efficiently as possible and in accordance with our mission, vision, strategy and all applicable guidelines, agreements and regulations, we place a strong emphasis on having a robust governance system with all necessary internal and external controls in place. This includes, amongst other things, continuous quality assurance in strategy implementation, ongoing dialogue with partners, internal skills development and further development of processes and support. This has resulted in a high awareness of the importance of Reach for Change’s values and ways of working that are integrated into all aspects of our organisation.
In this section you can read about how our organization is governed both internally and externally.
External quality assurance
Reach for Change is a member of Giva Sverige (The Swedish Fundraising Association), a trade organization that works to ensure transparency and ethical standards in fundraising. As members, we comply with Giva Sverige Quality Code, which sets out best practice for governance of charitable organizations including internal controls that must be in place. Reach for Change conducts a bi-annual external audit as an external verification that Reach for Change complies with such requirements, and also publishes an annual Giva Sverige Impact Report that verifies and highlights progress made towards our long-term impact goals. In this way, our partners can feel safe that our governance standards are in line with industry best-practice.
In line with Giva Sverige requirements, a number of our policies are to be made publicly available and these can be found below and in the internal controls section:
Salary and remuneration of highest official
Giva Sverige Impact Report 2016
Giva Sverige Impact Report 2017
Giva Sverige Impact Report 2018
Giva Sverige Impact Report 2019
Giva Sverige Impact Report 2020
Giva Sverige Impact Report 2021
Reach for Change also has a 90-Account at the independent inspection authority, the Swedish Fundraising Control or Svensk Insamlingskontroll. Having a 90-Account means that our operations are verified by Svensk Insamlingskontroll and we meet the requirements of the Authority with regards to how fundraising income is used and acts like an additional stamp of approval with regards to our fundraising policies and processes. For all organizations that have a 90-account, a maximum of 25 percent of total costs may be used for fundraising and administration. The Authority carries out an annual check to ensure we meet their 90-Account requirements. In 2019, Reach for Change used 12% percent for fundraising and administration.
Our annual external audit also takes into account our internal controls and processes as part of their review.
Internal Controls
Internal control is part of the financial and operational management at Reach for Change. The continuous development, improvement and quality assurance of Reach for Change’s internal controls is overseen by our Finance and Operations Director, and followed-up with our management team and our Board of Directors on an ongoing basis.
Procurement - Our Procurement Policy defines requirements for competitive procurement, procedures, thresholds, vendor selection and award for the procurement of goods and services.
Fundraising - Our Fundraising Policy sets out the principles and requirements that we apply to our fundraising activities.
Investment - Our Investment Policy establishes the rules, objectives and organisation applying to Reach for Change’s management of its funds.
Anti corruption - Our Anti-Corruption Policy defines different types of corruption and sets out guidelines for reporting and risk management.
Conflict of interest - Our Conflict of Interest Policy dictates how to act in the case of potential conflict of interest.
Whistleblower - At Reach for Change we are committed to the highest possible standards of openness, honesty and accountability. In line with that commitment, our Whistleblower Policy sets out our requirement and process for employees and others that we deal with who have concerns about any aspect of the organization’s work to come forward and voice those concerns.
Code of Conduct - Reach for Change wants to create a workplace where each employee achieves the highest business and personal ethical standards and where employees feel proud of our operations. Therefore we comply with the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, the Children’s Rights and Business Principles, and the Global Compact Reporting Guidance on the 10th principle to develop a strong commitment against corruption. The Reach for Change Code of Conduct exists to ensure that all our employees, social entrepreneurs, and affiliates share Reach for Change’s commitment to such responsible business practices.
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