Association of Climate Change Officers

“Some ACCO board members are employees of organizations that conduct business with employers of other board members. Where these business activities are significant and/or directly involved board members, they have been disclosed as part of ACCO's conflict of interest requirements.”

“ACCO has submitted a Form 1023 for recognition as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization (thus changing status from its original incorporation as a 501(c)(6) non-profit organization. Upon receipt of that exemption, ACCO will transition to establish independent auditing and accounting practices to ensure best practices and be compliant with the requirements bestowed upon ACCO by prospective grantmaking organizations. As ACCO finished the calendar year 2013 under the practice of operating as a 501(c)(6) and with limited resources available, the organization did not procure independent services for review financial statements. Alternatively, ACCO's board of directors reviewed financial statements provided by ACCO staff. ACCO's board treasurer and board chair provided guidance on the development of the financial reports to the ACCO board of directors.”

“ACCO has organizational and individual members per its by-laws.”

“No committees have the right to act on behalf of ACCO's board of directors.”

“ACCO has submitted a Form 1023 for recognition as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization (thus changing status from its original incorporation as a 501(c)(6) non-profit organization. Upon receipt of that exemption, ACCO will transition to establish independent auditing and accounting practices to ensure best practices and be compliant with the requirements bestowed upon ACCO by prospective grantmaking organizations. As ACCO finished the calendar year 2013 under the practice of operating as a 501(c)(6) and with limited resources available, the organization did not procure independent services for review financial statements. Alternatively, ACCO's board of directors reviewed financial statements provided by ACCO staff. ACCO's board treasurer and board chair provided guidance on the development of the financial reports to the ACCO board of directors.”

“ACCO's executive director has prepared this form in accordance with the 2013 financial reports approved by the board of directors.”

“ACCO established a conflict of interest policy in accordance with an update to its board charter in 2013. All board members are now required to report conflicts on an annual basis and are required to sign and agree to ACCO's conflict of interest policy. The policy provides guidance for addressing conflicts as identified by fellow board members or ACCO staff, including exclusion of conflicted board members from related discussions, and when necessary, includes provisions for the removal of a conflicted board. This policy, along with ACCO's board charter, by-laws and membership terms are published on the ACCO web site.”

“ACCO established a conflict of interest policy in accordance with an update to its board charter in 2013. All board members are now required to report conflicts on an annual basis and are required to sign and agree to ACCO's conflict of interest policy. The policy provides guidance for addressing conflicts as identified by fellow board members or ACCO staff, including exclusion of conflicted board members from related discussions, and when necessary, includes provisions for the removal of a conflicted board. This policy, along with ACCO's board charter, by-laws and membership terms are published on the ACCO web site.”

“The Association of Climate Change Officers is a 501(c)(3) non-profit membership organization for executives and officials worldwide in industry, government, academia and the non-profit community. ACCO's mission is to define, develop and support the functions, resources and communities necessary for effective organizational leadership in addressing climate-related risks and opportunities. ACCO's primary program services in 2013 were the production of the Climate Leadership Conference and Awards (in support of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency), ACCO's own education and training conferences (including the Rising Seas Summit, Climate Strategies Forum, and Defense, National Security & Climate Change Symposium), and the launch of Future CCOs, a pilot post-graduate climate fellowship program. In 2013, ACCO began the transition from education through the dissemination of experiential knowledge to formal training in line with the CCO Certification program. In following years, this will make a substantial transition in ACCO's core program services. Additionally, ACCO provides its members with counsel, research support, access to publications and other support that are core to a membership organization. These activities are wide ranging and mostly conducted without meaningful cost or revenue, and thus are accounted for as other program services. Additional information on ACCO's programmatic activities is available at www.ACCOonline.org.”