GOVERNANCE

WWF-Australia strives at all times to act with integrity, to behave ethically and to work effectively under legal regulations and agreements.

As a company limited by guarantee, we operate under the Corporations Act 2001. WWF-Australia is also a member of the global WWF Network and our membership is governed by a contractual agreement with WWF International.

WWF’s leadership team is made up of our Board of Directors, Governors, our Executive Team and four key committees These leaders seek to honour our supporters by ensuring we deliver effective conservation programs in an ethical and transparent manner. The governance structures and policies we’ve adopted assists WWF-Australia to act as an open and accountable organisation.

The WWF-Australia Constitution is our overarching policy document. Our Code of Ethical Conduct and Committee Charters also outline many of our governance arrangements.

Accountability is of utmost importance to WWF-Australia and to this end we produce our Annual and Sustainability reports, which include full financial statements. These financial statements are independently audited by an external auditor (PricewaterhouseCoopers), whose appointment is reviewed annually by the Finance, Audit and Risk Management Committee.

The Board, through the Finance, Audit and Risk Management Committee, is responsible for ensuring there are adequate policies in relation to risk management, compliance and internal control systems. The company’s policies are designed to ensure that strategic, operational, legal, reputational and financial risks are identified, effectively assessed and efficiently managed and monitored to enable us to achieve our objectives.

Accreditations

WWF-Australia is accredited with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), under the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP).

Our organisation is also a signatory to theACFID Code of Conduct, which means that we are bound to follow the code's high standards of corporate governance, public accountability and financial management for NGOs.

WWF-Australia is also a signatory to the Fundraising Institute of Australia (FIA) Code of Conduct.

We welcome feedback on any aspects of our operations and conduct. If you have any feedback or complaints please go to our contact us page.

If you would like to know more about how we handle complaints you can have a look at our Complaint Handling Policy.

More information about the ACFID Code of Conduct is available from www.acfid.asn.au/code-of-conduct or by contacting ACFID on main@acfid.asn.au or 02 6281 9211. Complaints relating to alleged breaches of the Code of Conduct by any signatory agency can be made by any member of the public to the ACFID Code of Conduct Committee. Complaints should be marked ‘confidential’ and emailed to: code@acfid.asn.au. Or posted to: Chair, ACFID Code of Conduct Committee Care Of ACFID Private Bag 3 Deakin ACT 2600 Australia

Sustainability

Whether it's at home or in the office, we believe that, together, we can all play a part in reducing our pressure on the environment. That’s why our commitment to the planet is not just embedded in the work that we do. It's also in the way that we do it.

WWF pays close attention to its own environmental footprint, including the way we operate our offices, the extent of our travel and our use of goods and services. We are constantly looking for ways to avoid impacts along our supply chain and to reduce our environmental footprint, or to offset any impacts we have. You can explore some of our personal targets and achievements below, and take a peek behind-the-scenes to find out what we've been up to.

Our Sustainability Report 2016 demonstrates our commitment to minimising our impact on the planet. 

Transparency

WWF-Australia is committed to sharing timely, relevant, accurate and accessible information with our supporters, partners and other stakeholders. Information regarding our legal status, governance, and policies are all available on our website or by request. Information about our conservation activities and finances are published in the Annual Report, on our website and through social media.

Our Code of Ethical Conduct commits all WWF-Australia Board members, staff members, volunteers and interns to the highest standards of honesty and transparency and we extend this commitment to our Partner Organisations.

Our Complaint HandlingSpeak UpConflict of Interest and Internal Investigation and Disciplinary Panel Procedures policies are freely available on WWF-Australia’s website and by request.

These policies provide detailed information about how complaints and any breaches of our Code of Ethical Conduct and other commitments are dealt with.

Our Privacy Policy details the types of information we collect about our supporters, how and why we collect that information and what it is used for. It also provides information about how people can access and correct the information we hold about them, how to raise concerns or make complaints about possible privacy breaches.

OurPolicy on Sustainable Development and Inclusive Development outlines our commitments to ethical data collection, sharing project lessons with relevant stakeholders, and fostering meaningful community participation. It also makes clear our commitment to obtaining the free, prior and informed consent of those involved in, or affected by, our work. Along with our Complaint Handling Policy, it also outlines our commitment, and the commitment we require of our Partner Organisations, to establishing and promoting accessible, safe, and discreet mechanisms for stakeholders to provide feedback and raise concerns or complaints.

Useful resources