Methods of Enhancing Accountability - Revision history

Frederick Swarts at 14:38, 17 July 2008

2008-07-17T14:38:51Z

Frederick Swarts at 16:13, 11 March 2008

2008-03-11T16:13:06Z

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Frederick Swarts: /* Voluntary Code of Conduct as Guidelines */

2008-03-11T16:04:29Z

‎Voluntary Code of Conduct as Guidelines

Frederick Swarts: New page: ''This article originated as an article by the same name prepared by Lucy O. Chang for the ''NGO Handbook''. Given the growing reach and importance of non-governmental organizations (NGOs...

2008-03-11T15:56:06Z

New page: ''This article originated as an article by the same name prepared by Lucy O. Chang for the ''NGO Handbook''. Given the growing reach and importance of non-governmental organizations (NGOs...

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 One example of such public scandal was that of United Way of America, where then-CEO William Aramony was found guilty of 25 felony charges including conspiracy to defraud the United Way, filing false tax returns and falsifying records to hide the diversion of money; among other things, he used charitable donations to finance a lavish life style, including trips on the Concorde and an expensive condominium.  United Way was hurt both by its affiliates delaying payment of voluntary dues to the national organization and public charitable contributions to both United Way and its affiliates dropping up to 30%.
-Yet another example is that of American Parkinson Disease Association, where then-CEO Frank Williams was found to have quietly embezzled contribution checks worth more than one million dollars over a seven-year period.  (For further information on individual scandals and their impact on these NGOs, please refer to Gibelman and Gelman’s work, ''Very Public Scandals: An Analysis of How and Why Nongovernmental Organizations Get in Trouble'', which notes some areas in which traditional accountability and governance measures have failed.)
+Yet another example is that of American Parkinson Disease Association, where then-CEO Frank Williams was found to have quietly embezzled contribution checks worth more than one million dollars over a seven-year period.  (For further information on individual scandals and their impact on these NGOs, please refer to Gibelman and Gelman’s work, ''Very Public Scandals: An Analysis of How and Why Nongovernmental Organizations Get in Trouble'', which notes some areas in which traditional accountability and governance measures have failed.) <membersonly>
 ==Definitions of accountability==

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 A number of different methodologies and practices are currently utilized by NGOs around the world aimed towards increasing accountability within the NGO for the benefit of some or all of its stakeholders: some of the most common are expanded upon below.
-==Voluntary Code of Conduct as Guidelines==
+==Voluntary Codes of Conduct as Guidelines==
 BNET, the business-oriented division of CNET Networks, defines code of conduct as “a statement and description of required behaviors, responsibilities, and actions expected of employees of an organization or of members of a professional body” (BNET).  The definition further states, “A code of conduct usually focuses on ethical and socially responsible issues and applies to individuals, providing guidance on how to act in cases of doubt or confusion” (BNET).