Transparent civil society initiative
The Transparent Civil Society Initiative (ITZ) was launched in June 2010 by Transparency International Germany . The initiative is supported by Transparency International Germany (TI-D), the Federal Association of German Foundations , the German Central Institute for Social Issues (DZI), the German Fundraising Association , the German Culture Council , the German Nature Protection Ring , the German Donation Council , the Maecenata Foundation , Phineo to the Association of Development Policy and Humanitarian Aid of German Non- Governmental Organizations (VENRO) and the German Consumer Association vzbv .
This group of sponsors ensures the dissemination of the initiative, randomly checks compliance with the conditions of participation and is responsible for its content and organizational development. In operational terms, the Transparent Civil Society Initiative is accompanied by volunteers from the Working Group on Transparency in Civil Society at Transparency International Germany. The working group headed by Dr. Fritz Haunert and Dr. Wiebke Rasmussen is responsible for checking the criteria and wants to promote the discourse on the debate about transparent behavior in the third sector among foundations, associations and charities together with the sponsoring group.
aims
There are no uniform publication obligations for non-profit organizations in Germany - with the exception of non-profit corporations such as non-profit GmbH or non-profit stock corporations , non-profit organizations are currently not obliged to inform the public about the origin and use of their funds. The aim of the initiative is to create the broadest possible alliance for action within civil society that agrees on the essential parameters for effective transparency .
The signatories of the initiative undertake to make ten relevant pieces of information about their organization easily findable in a specific format available to the general public. This is not intended to replace existing standards, but to set a benchmark for the entry requirements for effective transparency in the non-profit sector.
The signatories of the Transparent Civil Society initiative undertake to disclose, in a format that is the same for all organizations, which goals their organization pursues, where the funds come from, how they are used and who makes the decisions. You put this information clearly structured and easy to find on the Internet . Local and regional organizations in particular are encouraged by the initiative to devote themselves more to the issue of transparency.
At the same time, citizens are called upon to make use of the information on offer and to intensify the dialogue with civil society organizations.
Conditions of participation
All civil society organizations, regardless of their legal form , size or area of activity , can take part in the initiative . Until April 2020, this was only possible for organizations that are recognized as non-profit. With this opening, the sponsoring group reacted "to the slow reform efforts of the federal government in terms of charitable law". The core of the Transparent Civil Society Initiative is a declaration of self-commitment in which participating organizations agree to publish ten defined pieces of information in an easily findable place on their own website. This information concerns:
- general information about the organization,
- Documents on the specific goals of the organization (articles of association, articles of association, vision, mission statement, values, funding criteria),
- Date of the most recent notification of the tax office regarding recognition as a tax-privileged (non-profit) corporation,
- Name and function of key decision-makers,
- Report on the activities of the organization,
- Personnel structure,
- Source of funds,
- Use of funds,
- affiliation with third parties under corporate law (e.g. parent companies or subsidiaries ),
- as well as the names of legal entities whose annual contributions make up more than ten percent of total annual income.
After checking the implementation of this requirement, the participants will be added to the list of signatory organizations and may use the initiative's logo .
Signatory
So far, 1,1351 organizations have signed the voluntary commitment (as of July 29, 2020).
Web links
- Transparent civil society initiative on the Transparency International Germany website
- DZI through the Transparent Civil Society Initiative
- Germanwatch on the Transparent Civil Society Initiative
Individual evidence
- ↑ ITZ press release from June 11th, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2020 .
- ^ Website of the ITZ. Retrieved July 3, 2019 .
- ^ Signatory of the ITZ. Retrieved July 29, 2020 .