Animal Aid Supporter Charter

Context

As an organisation whose mission is based upon fighting for justice and equality for animals, our ethics are paramount to how we go about raising the funds required to carry out this work.

Cause-­Related Marketing, Affinity Marketing and Product/Service Endorsement

Animal Aid offers products in its shop and affiliate scheme which are carefully selected according to their ingredients – they must contain no animal products. They must not have been tested on animals. We also carefully consider the environmental impact of the goods, including their packaging and make informed judgement decisions when considering whether to carry such products.

For these reasons, we are very cautious about entering into any Cause-related marketing or product endorsement partnerships and would apply the same considerations as above.

Avoidance Criteria

As above regarding goods and partnerships. With regards to financial donations, we will not accept these from organisations that:

• Engaging in animal testing
• Profit from the sale of goods derived from animals
• Profit from the exploitation of animals in any way: zoos, circuses, cat cafés.

Other reasons for not accepting donations include:

• Was known to be associated with criminal sources and/or illegal activity
• Would help further a donor’s personal objectives, which conflict with those of Animal Aid
• Would lead to a possible decline in support for Animal Aid, and so risk a fall in the resources available to fund its work or damage its longer term fundraising prospects
• Would otherwise impact adversely on Animal Aid’s reputation

Acceptance Criteria

The Head of Fundraising is responsible for raising any concerns regarding the origin of a donation with the Director who will provide guidance as to whether this can be accepted. Guidance will be sought from Animal Aid’s Governing Council where this is felt to be necessary.

Purchasing

We endeavour to make ethical choices in our supply chain wherever possible and we ask our suppliers to do the same. Animal Aid will not knowingly purchase goods and/or services produced and delivered under conditions which involve any form of abuse or exploitation of third parties.

Evidence (not exhaustive) of such abuse and exploitation includes:

• The use of child labour
• Failure to pay employees a living wage
• Working hours are excessive
• Evidence of any form of inhuman, unreasonable or discriminatory treatment of employees

Animal Aid expects suppliers to accept responsibility for labour and environmental conditions under which products are made and services are provided and to make written statement of intent regarding the company’s policy.

Further Points

We treat our supporters with respect. We do not engage in donor profiling, data swapping or selling or any form of wealth screening.

Animal Aid can seek to raise funds from a series of charitable Trusts and Foundations, but recognises that, simply because these have been registered with the Charity Commission does not mean that they are ethical givers.

Animal Aid therefore does not accept money from any charitable Trust if it is a requirement of grant receipt to advertise any company or organisation whose activities run contrary to Animal Aid’s aims.

Animal Aid will maintain accountability and open and honest relationships with all its partners, by regularly monitoring and evaluating its work,

At Animal Aid, we always aim to give the best possible service to our members and supporters. Generally, this will include providing them with whatever literature they request, and accepting whatever financial or active support they offer.

However, in the case of children, or of adults who may be in a vulnerable circumstance or require additional care and support, we do not always do what is requested. The vulnerable circumstance may be due to, for example, learning difficulties or dementia, or to a temporary circumstance such as bereavement. For example, we do not send raffle tickets, appeal mailings or graphic literature to children or adults who may be in a vulnerable circumstance or require additional care and support.

If such a person phones us and wishes to make a donation, then additional support may include: delaying acceptance of the gift to give the donor further time to consider their donation; including a ‘cooling off’ period if the donor changes their mind; or suggesting the donor gets advice from family or friends.

If someone significantly increases the frequency or value of their donations, and we do not know why, then we will contact them to check that they have not accidentally given more than they can afford.

If someone makes a donation and we subsequently find out that they were in a vulnerable situation and lacked capacity to make the decision to donate, then we will refund the donation. In addition, we normally refund anyone’s donations upon request, and with no time limit.

If a third party contacts us about a supporter, and tells us that they are vulnerable, and that we should, for example, not send them any more literature, then we ask the third party for their name and contact details, the nature of the vulnerability, and whether they have power of attorney (we do not insist on proof at this stage). We will record details of the conversation/letter/email on the database, including the third party’s name and contact details.

Normally, we will assume that the third party is able to make decisions on that individual’s behalf, and we will do as the third party requests (even if they don’t say they have power of attorney). However, we will point out that we may re-start mailings if the person contacts us, appears to us to be of sound mind and asks us to re-start. If they wish to pre-empt this possibility, then they will have to send us proof of power of attorney.

If they do send us proof of power of attorney, then that settles the issue.

Otherwise, if the supporter subsequently contacts us and asks us to continue to mail them/accept a donation, and if the supporter appears to us to be of sound mind, then we will do what they request. If they do not appear to be of sound mind, we will continue to do what the third party had asked us to do.