This document outlines how Gifted Women will manage ethical issues and social responsibility as we grow our fundraising. It seeks to explain how we will build partnerships in the pursuit of our mission and in line with charity fundraising law.
We are sharing our approach so that donors and prospective donors can understand:
As a charity reliant on the support of voluntary donations, Gifted Women seeks to build relationships in the spirit of inclusion, collaboration and transparency.
Gifted Women exists to provide appropriate and accessible employability pathways to women in Plymouth who have experienced multiple disadvantage. This might include experience of domestic and / or sexual violence, homelessness, addiction, mental ill health, sex work and exploitation and / or having their children removed.
We are keen to work with donors who are committed to changing the status quo on gender equality. We therefore welcome donors who wish to commit their resources to this mission.
In line with our values and our charitable objectives, Gifted Women accepts donations which are legal, supportive of our mission and our reputation.
Our reputation is based on us being a ‘champion of women who have experienced multiple disadvantage, often as a result of violence or abuse’. In accepting donations, we ask:
These questions provide us with a framework for assessing that donations are genuinely in line with our mission. In some cases, this will mean we have to make decisions about whether or not to accept donations.
If you want to make a donation that is more than £5,000, we will:
We are committed to transparency and we will share with you our process and decisions as they relate to your donation.
Equally, we must also be clear and accountable about where funds have come from.
This means that we cannot receive donations from donors who wish to remain anonymous to Gifted Women. The exception to this would be donations via respected third-party intermediaries and giving platforms whose due diligence standards match our own. We understand that donors may be happy to reveal their identity to Gifted Women, but not want to be named publicly which we respect (providing we have been able to conduct due diligence).
In the unusual case where we refuse a donation, we abide by the Charity Commission Guidance. This means we must be able to demonstrate that Gifted Women has acted in accordance with its objectives and/or statutory requirements, and that any harm resulting from the acceptance of the donation outweighs the benefits.
We define harm to Gifted Women as follows:
The following areas will be evaluated in the risk assessment ahead of the receipt of a donation.
Financial Probity
Is the potential donor likely to be in breach of any laws or regulations, whether fiscal or other, which would make the acceptance of such a donation by Gifted Women illegal? Is there any suspicion of money laundering?
Women’s Rights
Is the potential donor’s business causing direct or indirect damage or negative impact on women’s rights and freedoms? For example, is this donor involved in producing pornography, or restricting women’s sexual and reproductive health (anti-abortion).
Environmental Credentials
Is the potential donor’s business model causing unreasonable exploitation of the environment? For example, the arms trade (with its additional economic and human impact) or extractives industries.
Human Rights
Is the potential donor’s employment model likely to be in breach of international norms for employees or cause harm to communities? For example, the apparel industry and child labour or involvement in human trafficking and modern slavery. Does this potential donor actively support with words and actions Equity, Diversity and Inclusion policies and anti-discrimination against any and all protected groups (as defined by UK law)?
Health and Community
Is the potential donor’s main business the production of and/or sale of tobacco and nicotine, alcohol, illegal drugs and narcotics, some aspects of gambling (this does not include National and international public lottery activities with a significant public profile and record of philanthropy as a result of profits generated), some aspects of pharmaceuticals.
Donations via giving platforms
We reserve the right to treat donations to any giving platform in Gifted Women’s name slightly differently and in line with Charity Commission guidelines.
In line with our values, our grantees’ expectations and the capacity and resources available for due diligence research, Gifted Women will not accept donations in the following circumstances:
As a matter of principle, Gifted Women will not accept donations from organisations or individuals who are involved in any of the following activities.
We will also refuse donations from organisations/individuals with links to countries under financial sanctions related to the Anti Money Laundering (AML) regulations (March 2022)
Organisations or individuals who generate a significant amount of their turnover or wealth from the following activities require due diligence, from information in the public domain, to determine their alignment with our values and ethical principles.
For more information and to speak with a member of the Fundraising team, please email info@giftedwomen.co.uk
