CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
The Salvation Army continually works at putting good organisational policies and processes in place, towards good governance standards and in compliance with the code of governance for Charities and Institutions of Public Character.
The policy seeks to protect The Salvation Army, its officers, employees and all personnel related to The Salvation Army against money laundering practices to which all charities are at risk of being exposed to through exploitation by criminals and terrorists. All Salvation Army personnel are required to be vigilant; be committed to strong governance and financial transparency; know our key donors and beneficiaries; conduct transactions via regulated financial channels; ensure that funds are applied in a consistent way to our mission and objectives; and report suspicious transactions to the authorities.
The Salvation Army’s Conflict of Interest Policy aims to protect the organisation’s welfare and best interests over and above all priorities and objectives. The policy mandates that no key personnel of The Salvation Army shall be involved in activities that violate the principles of the organisation and derive any personal profit or gain, directly or indirectly, because of his or her work with The Salvation Army.
Each key personnel shall disclose to the Territorial Management Board of any personal interest which he or she may have in any matter pending before the organisation and shall refrain from participation in any decision on such matter, upon his/her taking up of the employment/appointment in the organisation. Annual declaration of interests by key personnel is required. He / She shall fully disclose to the Territorial Management Board in the event a conflict of interest situation may arise.
The Salvation Army data protection policy provides information about how The Salvation Army collects, uses and discloses personal data about individuals while recognising both individuals’ right to protect personal data and our need to collect, use or disclose it for purposes that we believe are reasonable and appropriate in the circumstances of the Army’s Corps, charitable work and other work in the community. It applies to the personal data of all individuals who attend services or other meetings of Salvation Army Corps and/or are the beneficiaries/clients or potential beneficiaries/clients of the Army’s work as well as donors, employees, volunteers and online users of our websites and online platforms. If individuals are not in any of these categories but we collect, use or disclose personal data about individuals in the course of the Army’s work in the community, this data protection policy will apply to that personal data consistently with the way in which it applies to the above individuals.
For the full information on our Data Protection Policy, please click on the link here.
Fraud is a criminal act that will not be tolerated by The Salvation Army. Fraud (includes finances, material and property) perpetrated by anyone in the organisation will be referred for investigation and the matter be reported to the Territorial Management Board. Any allegation of fraud will be treated with confidentiality. This policy statement outlines detailed steps on the identification of suspected or actual fraud. It includes investigation, recommendations of actions to be taken such as reporting to the Police and informing The Salvation Army International Headquarters, disciplinary action and recovery of debt. Appropriate counselling will be made available to all affected parties. Prevention is imperative and all heads, managers and supervisors must meet their responsibilities in preventing fraud and, wherever possible, adopt the necessary procedures and policies to minimise the risk of it happening.
The Salvation Army management accepts the responsibility for good employee relations within relevant legislation and labour framework. The Human Resources Department is responsible for administering the personnel policies and procedures concerning employment matters. All employees are given an Employee Manual. Guidelines are also established for effective management of our volunteer resources. A risk register is maintained to monitor areas of staffing, competency deficiency, and workplace safety and health. We recognise that attracting, retaining and motivating people requires innovative integration and enhancement of our reward, performance, learning and development management practices.
The policy defines reserve as that part of the income funds that is freely available for its operating purposes not subject to commitments, planned expenditure and spending limits. It does not include endowment funds, restricted funds and designated funds. In the audited financial statements, this reserve is termed “unrestricted reserve”. The reserve provides financial stability and the means for the development of our principal activity. The reserve target in each fund is established at a level equivalent to two times the amount of annual operating expenditure. The level of the reserve is being reviewed annually.
The Salvation Army is committed to maintaining a high standard of moral and ethical conduct; and complies with accounting, financial reporting, internal controls, corporate governance, auditing requirements and any relevant legislation. In line with this commitment and our belief in open communication and transparency, the Whistle Blowing Policy aims to provide an avenue for employees, volunteers and external parties to raise concerns and offer reassurance that they will be protected from reprisals or victimisation for whistle blowing in good faith.