Statement of Values

• Commitment to the public good;
• Accountability to the public;
• Commitment beyond the law;
• Respect for the worth and dignity of individuals;
• Inclusiveness and social justice;
• Respect for pluralism and diversity;
• Transparency, integrity and honesty;
• Responsible stewardship of resources; and,
• Commitment to excellence and to maintaining the public trust.

Photo by Anita Garnett

Code of Ethics I. Personal and Professional Integrity All staff, board members and volunteers of The Community Foundation of Northwest Connecticut, Inc., shall act with honesty, integrity and openness in all their dealings as representatives of the Community Foundation. The Community Foundation promotes a working environment that values respect, fairness and integrity.

II. Mission
The Community Foundation has a clearly stated mission and purpose, approved by the board of directors, in pursuit of the public good. All of its programs support that mission and all who work for or on behalf of the Community Foundation understand and are loyal to that mission and purpose. The mission is responsive to the constituency and communities served by the Community Foundation and of value to the society at large.

III. Governance
The Community Foundation has an active governing body that is responsible for setting the mission and strategic direction of the Community Foundation and oversight of the finances, operations, and policies of the Community Foundation. The governing body:

• Ensures that its board members or trustees have the requisite skills and experience to carry out their duties and that all members understand and fulfill their governance duties acting for the benefit of the Community Foundation and its public purpose;
• Has a conflict of interest policy that ensures that any conflicts of interest or the appearance thereof are avoided or appropriately managed through disclosure, recusal or other means;
  
• Is responsible for the hiring, firing, and regular review of the performance of the chief executive officer, and ensures that the compensation of the chief executive officer is reasonable and appropriate;
• Ensures that the CEO and appropriate staff provide the governing body with timely and comprehensive information so that the governing body can effectively carry out its duties;
• Ensures that the Community Foundation conducts all transactions and dealings with integrity and honesty;
• Ensures that the organization promotes working relationships with board members, staff, volunteers, and program beneficiaries that are based on mutual respect, fairness and openness;
• Ensures that the Community Foundation is fair and inclusive in its hiring and promotion policies and practices for all board, staff and volunteer positions;
• Ensures that policies of the Community Foundation are in writing, clearly articulated and officially adopted;
• Ensures that the resources of the Community Foundation are responsibly and prudently managed; and,
• Ensures that the Community Foundation has the capacity to carry out its programs effectively.

IV. Legal Compliance
The Community Foundation is knowledgeable of and complies with all laws, regulations and applicable international conventions.

V. Responsible Stewardship
The Community Foundation and its subsidiaries manage their funds responsibly and prudently. This should include the following considerations:

• It spends a reasonable percentage of its annual budget on programs in pursuance of its mission;
• It spends an adequate amount on administrative expenses to ensure effective accounting systems, internal controls, competent staff, and other expenditures critical to professional management;
• The Community Foundation compensates staff, and any others who may receive compensation, reasonably and appropriately;
• The Community Foundation does not accumulate operating funds excessively;
• The Community Foundation prudently draws from endowment funds consistent with donor intent and to support the public purpose of the organization;
• The Community Foundation ensures that all spending practices and policies are fair, reasonable and appropriate to fulfill the mission of the organization; and,
• All financial reports are factually accurate and complete in all material respects.

VI. Openness and Disclosure
The Community Foundation provides comprehensive and timely information to the public, the media, and all stakeholders and is responsive in a timely manner to reasonable requests for information. All information about the Community Foundation will fully and honestly reflect the policies and practices of the organization. Basic informational data about the Community Foundation, such as the Form 990 (and 990-T if applicable), reviews and compilations, and audited financial statements will be posted on the Community Foundation's website or otherwise made available to the public. All solicitation materials accurately represent the Community Foundation's policies and practices and will reflect the dignity of program beneficiaries. All financial, organizational, and program reports will be complete and accurate in all material respects.

VII. Program Evaluation
The Community Foundation regularly reviews program effectiveness and has mechanisms to incorporate lessons learned into future programs. The Community Foundation is committed to improving program and organizational effectiveness and develops mechanisms to promote learning from its activities and the field. The Community Foundation is responsive to changes in its field of activity and is responsive to the needs of its constituencies.

VIII. Inclusiveness and Diversity
The Community Foundation has a policy of promoting inclusiveness, and its staff, board and volunteers reflect diversity in order to enrich its programmatic effectiveness. The Community Foundation takes meaningful steps to promote inclusiveness in its hiring, retention, promotion, board recruitment and constituencies served.

IX. Fundraising
As an organization that raises funds from the public or from donor institutions the Community Foundation pledges to be truthful in its solicitation materials. It respects the privacy concerns of individual donors and expends funds consistent with donor intent. It discloses important and relevant information to potential donors.

In raising funds from the public, the Community Foundation will respect the rights of donors, as follows:

• To be informed of the mission of the Foundation, the way the resources will be used and their capacity to use donations effectively for their intended purposes;
• To be informed of the identity of those serving on the Community Foundation's governing board and to expect the board to exercise prudent judgment in its stewardship responsibilities;
• To have access to the Community Foundation's most recent financial reports;
• To be assured their gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given;
• To receive appropriate acknowledgement and recognition;
• To be assured that information about their donations is handled with respect and with confidentiality to the extent provided by the law;
• To expect that all relationships with individuals representing organizations of interest to the donor will be professional in nature;
• To be informed whether those seeking donations are volunteers, employees of the Community Foundation or hired solicitors;
• To have the opportunity for their names to be deleted from mailing lists (we never share our mailing lists);
• To feel free to ask questions when making a donation and to receive prompt, truthful and forthright answers.

X. Grantmaker Guidelines
The Community Foundation, as a grant-maker, has particular responsibilities in carrying out its mission. These include the following:

The Community Foundation will have constructive relations with grantseekers based on mutual respect and shared goals;

• It will communicate clearly and on a timely basis with potential grantees;
• It will treat grantseekers and grantees fairly and with respect;
• It will respect the expertise of grantseekers in their fields of knowledge;
• It will seek to understand and respect the organizational capacity and needs of grantseeking organizations; and,
• It will respect the integrity of the mission of grantseeking organizations.