InterActions Private Voluntary Organization PVO Standards

1
(No Transcript)
2
Protecting the Public Trust

• InterAction is the largest alliance of U.S.-based
  international development and humanitarian
  nongovernmental organizations.
• InterActions 160 member organizations work in
  virtually every developing country and serve tens
  of millions worldwide each year
• Large and small, faith-based and secular,
  InterAction members receive support from millions
  of Americans nationwide

3
Protecting the Public Trust

• Collectively, InterAction members raise over 3
  billion in any given year from the American
  public, primarily from individuals and
  foundations, and several billion from other
  sources including the Federal Government.
• It is vital, therefore, that the coalition and
  its individual members respect, protect, and
  preserve the public trust

4
The Private Voluntary Organization (PVO)
Standards Their History, Purpose Evolution

• WHAT
• The PVO Standards are a set of ethical guidelines
  covering governance, financial reporting,
  fundraising, public relations, management
  practice, human resources and program services
• WHEN
• The PVO Standards were born at a meeting of the
  InterAction executive committee in 1989 and were
  unanimously approved by that body in 1992

5
The PVO Standards Their History, Purpose
Evolution

• WHY
• The PVO Standards were developed in recognition
  of the growing size and consequence of the
  programs of InterAction members
• It was believed that being held accountable to a
  set of standards would serve to help InterAction
  and its members earn and protect the public
  trust
• Indeed both the media and donors recognize that
  being part of a standards-based network enhances
  InterAction members credibility
•  

6
The PVO Standards Their History, Purpose
Evolution

• GOALS
• Just as important as the public trust, they help
  member agencies to be more effective in
  management and programmatic performance
• The PVO Standards are intended to serve as guides
  and incentives that help member agencies evolve
  continually into better-run organizations

7
The PVO Standards Their History, Purpose
Evolution

• RAISING THE BAR
•  
• By incorporating program standards, the
  InterAction PVO Standards add value beyond the
  prevailing standards of the Better Business
  Bureau and the Wise Giving Alliance
• Program standards help establish markers in the
  areas of program design and assessment against
  which member agencies can move toward consistent
  monitoring and evaluation of their effectiveness
• InterAction remains one of the few international
  humanitarian and development NGO networks that
  has standards, raising the bar for similar NGO
  associations both within the United States and
  around the globe

8
The PVO Standards Their History, Purpose
Evolution

• EVOLUTION
•  
• The PVO Standards are continually reviewed, added
  to, and strengthened
•  
• 1998 Gender and diversity amendments added to
  the standards
• 1998 Standards adopted guiding the child
  sponsorship programs
• 2000 The diversity amendments broadened to
  include people with disabilities
• 2003 Standards adopted offering guidance in the
  protection of beneficiaries from sexual
  exploitation and abuse
• 2003 Standards adopted guiding NGOs in the
  appropriate use and movement of pharmaceutical
  and medical resources

9
Compliance

• A board-level committee oversees the PVO
  Standards, as well as member compliance with the
  PVO Standards
• By agreement among members, the CEO and/or board
  chairperson of each InterAction member must
  certify compliance annually with the standards
• Member agencies that do not comply with this
  policy will face suspension from membership until
  they submit their self-certification compliance
  form

10
Enforcement

•  
• When not in compliance with a standard, member
  agencies are given one year to come into
  compliance and/or to explain concrete steps they
  have taken to attain compliance
• Members that cannot come into full compliance or
  demonstrate to the PVO Standards Committee
  deliberate progress toward compliance in that
  year face possible suspension from membership

11
New Member Screening

•  
• Compliance with the PVO Standards is also used to
  assess eligibility of prospective members to
  InterAction
• Membership applications are rejected whenever a
  prospective member cannot come into compliance
  with the PVO Standards

12
Compliance Support

• An interpretive guide is included at the back of
  the PVO Standards
• A questionnaire has been posted on InterActions
  website to assist members in their annual
  compliance self-assessments
• InterActions website also provides access to
  useful documents such as InterActions bylaws and
  other sample policy language, such as Conflict of
  Interest and Whistle Blower Policies

13
Technical Assistance

•  
• Requests for technical assistance in standards
  compliance are increasing among InterAction
  members
• InterAction is in the midst of gathering
  referrals for technical assistance, sample policy
  language, and other relevant materials to support
  member compliance with the PVO Standards
• A new page on PVO Standards has been posted on
  InterActions website to promote on-line dialogue
  and technical assistance on standards compliance
• Requests for support should be directed to Member
  Services at kgiunta_at_interaction.org or
  ckennedy_at_interaction.org

14
Accountability Today

• Demands and expectations for greater levels of
  accountability, transparency, and evaluation are
  emanating from donors, stakeholders, and
  beneficiaries
• InterAction member agencies are assessing how the
  standards can be strengthened and enforced
• InterAction is currently responding in two
  specific ways through the Child Sponsorship
  Accreditation Pilot Project and
  Self-certification Plus

15
Child Sponsorship Pilot Certification Project

•  
• Five InterAction child sponsorship organizations
  (CSOs) are engaged in a certification pilot
  project Plan International/Childreach, World
  Vision, Christian Childrens Fund, Children
  International, and Save the Children
• Launched in 1999, this two-phased pilot project
  culminates in 2005 with a third-party accredited
  audit of their compliance with the PVO Standards
• Described as cutting-edge by accrediting
  bodies, this pilot is widely believed to be among
  the first such external audits of compliance to
  any set of standards by a group of international
  NGOs

16
Certification Process

•  
• The CSOs developed a certification manual
• Evidence of compliance was defined for each
  standard to make it objective as well as
  auditable for an external certifying body
• A third-party certification of CSO compliance
  with the PVO Standards began in October 2004 and
  should be completed by June 2005
• Certifying bodies will audit each headquarters
  and a random sampling of field sites for each CSO
• The audits will be accredited (overseen) by
  Social Accountability International (SAI), known
  for its world-recognized SA8000 labor rights
  standards

17
Self-Certification Plus

•  
• Building upon the child sponsorship project, in
  February 2004, InterAction launched another
  standards compliance pilot called
  Self-certification Plus (SCP)
• The goal of SCP is to assist with and make more
  rigorous and uniform the way in which InterAction
  members annually self-assess their compliance
  with the PVO Standards

18
Process

•  
• 22 InterAction member agencies volunteered to
  participate in SCP and were sent
  self-certification guidelines in early March
  2004
• These member agencies certified their compliance
  with the PVO Standards by gathering the evidence
  defined for each standard
• Each agency indicated on a checklist for each
  standard whether they passed or fell short of
  compliance
• Members that fell short are required to develop
  and implement an action plan, or face possible
  suspension

19
Shared Learnings

• All agencies participating have agreed to submit
  their observations, findings, and recommendations
  to InterAction
• A final report will be posted to the InterAction
  website by Summer 2005

20
Acknowledgements

• Through its actions, InterAction continues to
  raise the bar for NGO accountability and
  transparency.
• InterAction would like to acknowledge and extend
  gratitude to the Carnegie Corporation of New York
  for their financial support and leadership in
  fostering this important process.

21

• For more information about InterAction and the
  PVO Standards
• Visit our website at www.interaction.org
• Call Member Relations at [phone],
  extension 109, or 110
• E-mail Ken Giunta, kgiunta_at_interaction.org or
  Cassandra Kennedy ckennedy_at_interaction.org.