EMERGENCE BENEFACTORS

CODE OF ETHICS

Personal and Professional Integrity

All officers, employees, Board Members, and volunteers of Emergence Benefactors (the “Corporation”) shall act with honesty, integrity and openness in all their dealings as representatives of the Corporation. The Corporation shall promote a working environment that values respect, fairness and integrity.

Mission

The Corporation has a clearly stated mission and purpose, approved by the Board of Directors, in pursuit of the public good. All of the Corporation’s programs support that mission and all who work for or on behalf of the Corporation understand and are dedicated to that mission and purpose. The mission is responsive to the constituency and communities served by the Corporation and of value to society at large.

Governance

The Corporation has an active Board of Directors that is responsible for setting the mission and strategic direction of the Corporation and for oversight of the finances, operations, and policies of the Corporation. The Board of Directors:

  • Ensures that the Corporation works towards achieving the mission and purpose;
  • Ensures that its Board members have the requisite skills and experience to carry out their duties and that all members understand and fulfil their duties acting for the benefit of the Corporation and its public purpose;
  • Has a conflict of interest policy that ensures that any conflicts of interest or the appearance thereof are avoided or appropriately managed through disclosure, recusal or other means;
  • Is responsible for the hiring, firing, and regular review of the performance of the CEO, and ensures that the compensation of the CEO is reasonable and appropriate;
  • Ensures that the CEO and appropriate staff provide the Board with timely and comprehensive information so that the Board can effectively carry out its duties;
  • Ensures that the Corporation conducts all transactions and dealings with integrity and honesty;
  • Ensures that the Corporation promotes working relationships with Board members, staff, volunteers, and program beneficiaries that are based on mutual respect, fairness and openness;
  • Ensures that the Corporation is fair and inclusive in its hiring and promotion policies and practices for all Board members, staff and volunteer positions;
  • Ensures that policies of the Corporation are in writing, clearly articulated and officially adopted;
  • Ensures that the resources of the Corporation are responsibly and prudently managed; and,
  • Ensures, so far as is possible, that the Corporation has the capacity to carry out its programs effectively.

Legal Compliance

The Corporation shall remain to the best of its ability in compliance with all applicable local, national, and international laws, codes, regulations and conventions.

Responsible Stewardship

The Corporation and its subsidiaries shall manage their funds responsibly and prudently. Probity in this regard shall include the following considerations:

  • The Corporation shall spend a reasonable percentage of its annual budget on programs in pursuance of its mission;
  • It shall spend an adequate amount on administrative expenses to ensure effective accounting systems, internal controls, competent staff, and other expenditures critical to professional management;
  • The Corporation shall compensate staff, and any others who may receive compensation, reasonably and appropriately;
  • The departments of the Corporation that solicit funds shall spend adequate and reasonable amounts on fundraising, recognizing the variety of factors that affect fundraising costs;
  • The Corporation shall not accumulate operating funds excessively;
  • The Corporation shall ensure that all spending practices and policies are fair, reasonable and appropriate to fulfill the mission of the Corporation; and,
  • All financial reports shall be factually accurate and complete in all material respects.

Openness and Disclosure

The Corporation shall aim to provide comprehensive and timely information to the public and be responsive in a timely manner to reasonable requests for information. The Corporation is committed to transparency and straightforward communication. Basic informational data about the Corporation, such as the IRS Form 990, reviewed and compiled financial statements, and audited financial statements will be posted on the Corporation’s website or otherwise available to the public.  All solicitation materials accurately represent the Corporation’s policies and practices at the time of their making and will reflect the dignity of program beneficiaries. All financial, Corporate, and program reports will be complete and accurate in all material respects.

Program Evaluation

The Corporation will regularly review program effectiveness and will institute mechanisms to incorporate lessons learned into future programs. The Corporation is responsive to changes in its field of activity and is responsive to the needs of its constituencies.

Inclusiveness and Diversity

The Corporation has a policy of promoting inclusiveness and its employees, Board and volunteers reflect diversity in order to enrich its programmatic effectiveness. The Corporation takes meaningful steps to promote inclusiveness in its hiring, retention, promotion, Board recruitment and constituencies served.

Fundraising

The departments of the Corporation that raise funds from the public or from donor institutions shall be truthful in their solicitation materials. Emergence Benefactors respects the privacy concerns of individual donors and shall spend funds on mission-aligned projects. The Corporation discloses important and relevant information to potential donors. 

In raising funds from the public, the Corporation will respect the rights of donors, as follows:

  • To be informed of the mission of the Corporation, the way the resources will be used and their capacity to use donations effectively for their intended purposes;
  • To be informed of the identity of those serving on the Corporation’s Board and to expect the Board to exercise prudent judgment in its stewardship responsibilities;
  • To have access to the Corporation’s most recent financial reports;
  • To be assured their gifts will, so far as is possible, be used for the purposes for which they were given;
  • To receive appropriate acknowledgement and recognition; 
  • To be assured that information about their donations is handled with respect and with confidentiality to the extent provided by the law;
  • To expect that all relationships with individuals representing Corporations of interest to the donor will be professional in nature;
  • To be informed whether those seeking donations are volunteers, employees of the Corporation or hired solicitors; 
  • To have the opportunity for their names to be deleted from mailing lists that an Corporation may intend to share; and,
  • To feel free to ask questions when making a donation and to receive prompt, truthful and forthright answers.