Trustafrica

“Prior to the preparation of the Form 990 by TrustAfrica's consultants, the Audit Committee of the Board of Trustees reviews the audited accounts of TrustAfrica. The Director of Programs also reviews drafts of individual program reports from staff. Once the draft of the Form 990 is prepared by the consultant of TrustAfrica, the Finance Manager of TrustAfrica carefully reviews the draft document for coverage of financial data. This is followed by a second-tier review by the Director of Operations of TrustAfrica for comprehensiveness and data accuracy. A final review is conducted by the Executive Director and President of TrustAfrica, who is a voting-member of the Board of Trustees.”

“Specific guidelines for Trustees:Review of Policy1.Each new Trustee and Officer shall be required to review a copy of this conflict of interest statement and to acknowledge in writing that he or she has done so.2.Each Trustee and Officer shall annually complete a disclosure form identifying any relationships, positions or circumstances in which he or she is involved that he or she believes could contribute to a conflict of interest arising. Information regarding business interests of a Trustee, an Officer or a Family Member shall be treated as confidential to the extent practicable and shall generally be made available only to the Chairperson, the Executive Director, and any committee appointed to address conflicts of interest, except to the extent necessary in connection with the implementation of this policy.3.TrustAfrica will periodically conduct reviews of compliance with this policy.Reporting of Violations1.If a Trustee or Officer violates or thinks he or she has violated any provision of this policy, or if he or she observes, learns of or in good faith believes it is possible that another Trustee has violated any provision of this policy, that person must immediately report the actual or suspected violation to the Chairperson or to the Board as a whole.2.The Board and the Executive Director, respectively, have an obligation to investigate, address promptly and treat as confidential, to the extent possible, all reported violations of this conflict of interest policy.Specific Guidelines for Staff Members.Review of Policy1.Each new employee shall be required to review a copy of this conflict of interest policy and to acknowledge in writing that he or she has done so.2.All staff members must annually complete a disclosure form identifying any relationships, positions or circumstances in which he or she is involved that he or she believes could contribute to a conflict of interest arising. Information regarding business interests of a staff member shall be treated as confidential to the extent practicable, except to the extent necessary in connection with the implementation of this policy.3.TrustAfrica will periodically conduct reviews of compliance with this policy.Disclosure and Reporting of Violations1. An employee must promptly disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest to the Executive Director. The Executive Director will consider the circumstances, make a decision as to whether there is an actual or apparent conflict of interest, and resolve how to handle the situation. The Executive Director will document the existence and resolution of any potential conflict of interest.2. In the event that an employee knows or has a good faith belief that another employee has violated this policy, he or she is under an obligation to report this to the Executive Director and will be protected from retaliation pursuant to TrustAfrica's Whistle-Blower Policy.”

“Reliance on comparable data. The Board of Trustees engages an independent consulting firm to obtain appropriate compensation data from at least ten comparable organizations prior to making its determination. Such data are reviewed prior to each contract period. Comparable organizations are defined in terms of public charity status, job description and scale of operations, size of annual budget, and geographic location.On an annual basis, the Board of Trustees may provide a compensation adjustment based solely on a performance appraisal and cost of living data. If the adjustment is more than 5%, the Board of Trustees will engage an independent consulting firm to obtain appropriate data from comparable organizations.The determination of compensation must be completed and decided upon at a regular meeting of the Board of Trustees before any payments are actually made. Any trustee who has any conflict of interest in relation to the determination must be excluded from the decision-making process. The Board of Trustees must adequately document the basis for compensation determination concurrently with making that determination, which is normally within 60 days of the Board's decision or the date of the next board meeting if that occurs before 60 days of the decision being made. The documentation must note the terms of the transaction and the date it was approved, the trustees who were present and voted, the comparable data which was used and how the data was obtained, and any decisions and actions taken regarding any trustee who has a conflict of interest in the compensation determination decision.”

“TrustAfrica makes its governing documents, conflict of interest policy, and audited financial statements available to the general public by posting these documents on the organization's website, www.trustafrica.org, and providing copies upon request. The audited financial statements are also made available to the public through the annual report which is distributed widely to the public.”

“Promote peace, democracy and economic prosperity in Africa. In this context, we seek to strengthen initiatives that address the most difficult challenges facing the continent, focusing on three critical areas: democracy, fostering African enterprise and achieving broadly shared prosperity and cultivating African resources for democracy and equitable development.”