Urgewald is an independent organization, financed by donations and support contributions, as well as institutional funding. We feel very strongly about credibility, transparency and independence and the fact this should not be endangered by the acceptance of money. In order to answer the question “Which money can we take and which should we refuse?” we’ve established rules for dealing with donations, foundation promotions, companies and fees.
Basically, Urgewald reserves the right to refuse any kind of donation or support.
The rules apply from autumn 2017 and are continually revised.
Donations by private donors:
A yearly donation amount of more than 5.000 Euro is examined by our internal ethics commission, to decide whether the donation(s) may be accepted. Legacies can be accepted without further examination, unless compelling economic or legal reasons advise against this.
Donations/grants by foundations:
Before the acquisition and acceptance of funding, an internal examination of relevant foundations and public funding institutions is made.
Donations by companies:
Urgewald accepts donations from companies. As a matter of principle, we do not accept any from banks or companies who we are campaigning against.
Handling of fees:
Fees for Urgewald employees working as speakers or discussion participants should:
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be calculated on the basis of an average wage and general expenses
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if possible, flow directly into Urgewald
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may be accepted by employees directly, e.g. when they do not fall within working hours
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be internally checked when fees exceed 1.000 Euro
Transparency and covering
Urgewald belongs to the “Transparent Civil Society Initiative” and meets their requirements. To save costs, we waive the DZI (Deutsches Zentralinstitut für soziale Fragen) donation seal, although we fulfill almost all their requirements. In our yearly report, we publish the proportional share of all individual donations by private persons. Urgewald’s yearly report also publishes the proportional share of all foundation grants and funding by public corporations, as well as the sum of all legacies.
