The SJI is committed to ethical, independent and transparent fundraising to secure resources for the social justice sector, while ensuring that donor relationships do not compromise the sector’s integrity or independence. The Fundraising Policy clearly sets out the principles guiding the SJI’s fundraising approach and the key considerations in assessing donors.
Fundraising Principles
The SJI’s fundraising efforts are governed by the following core principles:
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Independence
The SJI independently determines which funds to accept and how they are distributed. Decisions in this regard will never be influenced by donor agendas or external pressures.
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Unrestricted Resources
The SJI’s goal is to raise unencumbered funds – with no conditions – for the social justice sector, while ensuring that donor relationships do not jeopardise the work of grantee organisations.
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Transparency and Accountability
The SJI strives for maximum transparency in its fundraising practices and provides grantees with full disclosure regarding funding sources.
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Risk Management
The SJI avoids any donor relationships that could lead to actualor perceived interference in the work of grantee organisations.
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Clear Redlines
The SJI Board determines redlines for acceptable funding sources. These redlines are documented in Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) or contracts with donor-advised funds.
Assessing Donors
The SJI carefully evaluates all donors based on the following criteria:
A. Ethical and reputational considerations
Funds will not be accepted from donors whose activities:
- pose a reputational risk to the SJI or its partners
- are linked to crime, corruption or human rights violations
- come from industries or donors that fundamentally contradict the SJI’s values, including but not limited to, money raised by:
- arms manufacturing
- governments involved in wars of aggression or human rights violations
Donors categorised as high-risk may be subject to enhanced due diligence before acceptance.
B. Independence
- Discretionary Funds – Donors to these Funds have no influence over how funds are allocated.
- Donor-Advised Funds – Donors may provide strategic input and be involved in decision-making regarding the organisations supported by the Fund, but cannot interfere with grantee decision-making. The SJI Board maintains full oversight of donor-advised funds.
- Anonymous donations – Donations are accepted from donors that wish to remain anonymous to grantees, but the SJI will never accept funds where the donor’s identity is unknown to the SJI or where proper due diligence cannot be conducted. The SJI will also not accept such donations for Externally Controlled Donor-Advised Funds.
C. Transparency and communication
- Public Disclosure – The SJI publishes clear policies on donation sources and how its Funds operate. A list is kept of all partners receiving grants from Discretionary or Donor-Advised Funds.
- Transparency – The SJI makes its policies publicly available to ensure clarity for donors and grantees.
- Grantee engagement – The SJI maintains opencommunication with grantee organisations about funding sources to ensure they can make informed decisions about participation in SJI-managed funds.
- Sector engagement – The SJI engages in sector-wide discussions on philanthropy and social justice at appropriate forums, while maintaining neutrality and avoiding a paternalistic stance toward grantee organisations.
