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General Questions

Who is UnitingWorld and what do we do?

UnitingWorld is the international partnerships agency of the Uniting Church in Australia. We collaborate with churches overseas to create lasting change together. We focus our efforts in five areas:  overcoming poverty, gender equality, climate justice, emergency response and strengthening leadership. Through our work, we grow connections between God’s people across the globe, deepening discipleship and supporting churches to be strong spiritual resources for their communities.

Do you only assist Christians?

No. We are motivated by God’s love for all people, and we and our overseas church partners seek to serve all people regardless of their religious beliefs.

Does UnitingWorld assist people in Australia?

No. UnitingWorld was set up by the Uniting Church in Australia specifically to drive collaboration with overseas churches. However, the Uniting Church does have other agencies that serve people in Australia. For example, UnitingCare provides community services across the nation and Frontier Services serves rural and remote Australia. The Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress is the national body of Aboriginal and Islander Christians from across Australia.

Where does UnitingWorld get its money from?

The majority of our funds come from our Australian supporters, many of whom are Uniting Church members. We are also accredited by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and receive Australian Aid funding from the Australian Government.

Where does the money go?

Our funding is spent on implementing our programs, maintaining high standards of governance and communicating with our supporters to raise funds. We spend about 75% of funds in implementing our programs, about 10% on accountability, transparency and governance and approximately another 15% on community education and fundraising.

Our financial systems and processes comply with all the standards required for DFAT accreditation, membership of the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) and membership of the Fundraising Institute of Australia. Our accounts are audited to the same standards that apply to Australian companies and published in our annual reports.

Click here to view our annual reports and here to view how we spend your gifts.

Why does it cost so much to do admin?

Because we invest in being transparent and accountable and complying with the same legal and professional standards as any Government agency or business. To make the best use of our supporters’ money, and to get the best outcomes for our partners, we invest in good management practices, ensuring the careful planning,  oversight and evaluation of our work, as well as clear transparent, accountable and safe use of all funds.

Our annual reports are prepared to internationally acknowledged standards of transparency and you can download them here.

How does UnitingWorld respond to emergencies?

We respond in emergencies when we are able to support a partner church whose community is directly affected by a natural disaster. The support can vary depending on what our partner’s capacity is. It can include distributing food, water and providing shelter, and often includes the recovery and rebuilding stages too. We help communities to get back on their feet, re-establishing livelihoods and ‘building back better’ to plan and prepare so save lives when disaster strikes again.

Is UnitingWorld accredited?

UnitingWorld has been fully accredited by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) since 2006 and receives Australian Aid support for its Relief & Development projects through the following programs: Australia-NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP), Papua New Guinea Church Partnerships Program (CPP), Pacific Women Shaping Pacific Development, and as a member of the Church Agency Network Disaster Organisation consortium (CAN DO), a part of the Australian Humanitarian Partnership.

UnitingWorld renewed its accreditation with DFAT in 2023 for the next five years.

Accountability

How does UnitingWorld handle fraud and corruption?

We take systematic precautions to prevent fraud and corruption, and have procedures to discover and deal with it promptly and decisively if it is detected.

In Australia, we have stringent financial controls that meet a range of quality standards set out for DFAT accreditation, ACFID membership, as well as have externally audited accounts published in our annual reports. Our recruitment screening, induction processes, regular staff training and code of conduct are other ways in which we maintain a culture of integrity, transparency and accountability in our team. In our work with overseas partners, we establish clear reporting requirements and support our partners to strengthen their financial controls as necessary. We also conduct spot checks during monitoring visits and expect an independent audit at the end of each funding period.

If fraud is detected or reported, we act immediately to support our partner to carry out an investigation, and require them to report back on their analysis, remedial actions and plans for preventing recurrence. Any incidence of fraud is reported to our governing body and also to DFAT if it involved government funds.

Does UnitingWorld have a Child Protection Policy?

Yes. You can read it here.

Our Child Protection policy is consistent with DFAT’s Child Protection Policy and linked to our general complaints policy and procedures.  Child Protection is included in our Code of Conduct, which all staff sign annually. Recruitment of staff/volunteers is conditional on a police check and “Working with Children” (WCC) clearance. Employment Contracts include Child Protection provisions. A Child Protection Focal Point has been established and annual Child Protection Training is provided to all staff, and to partners overseas.

The UnitingWorld Child Protection Policy and standards are reviewed by our regularly by our Board. The policy is also reviewed every three years and/or as needed against updates of the DFAT Child Protection Policy. A Child Protection risk assessment is included in UnitingWorld’s risk register presented quarterly to our Board.

How does UnitingWorld ensure that its partners are compliant with these standards?

We ask the senior staff of all our overseas partners to sign the UnitingWorld Code of Conduct annually, and our agreements require our partners to develop a Code of Conduct modeled on the UnitingWorld code, with its Child Protections.

Our staff regularly conduct Child Protection training workshops with partners; including at our regional workshops in South Asia, South East Asia and the Pacific.

How do I make a complaint about UnitingWorld?

We welcome feedback and aim to respond constructively to complaints/incident reports from the people we work with, including supporters, donors, the general public, official bodies, and our partners.

Complaints can be sent to UnitingWorld using the following contact details:

Phone: 1800 998 122  or  +61 2 8267 9735
Mobile/WhatsApp: +61 466 226 170
Email: complaints@unitingworld.org.au
Physical address: Level 3, 262 Pitt Street, Sydney, NSW Australia 2000
Postal address: PO Box A2266, Sydney South, NSW Australia 1235

We are committed to full adherence to the ACFID Code of Conduct. Should you wish to lodge a complaint against UnitingWorld for breach of the Code, please email ACFID at code@acfid.asn.au or www.acfid.asn.au/content/complaints

Please click here to see our process for responding to complaints.

Is UnitingWorld accredited by DFAT?

UnitingWorld has been fully accredited since 2006 and receives DFAT support for its Relief & Development projects.

UnitingWorld accesses DFAT funding through Australia-NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP), Papua New Guinea Church Partnerships Program (CPP), Pacific Women Shaping Pacific Development, and as a member of the Church Agency Network Disaster Organisation consortium (CAN DO), a part of the Australian Humanitarian Partnership.

UnitingWorld was last re-accredited by DFAT in 2023 for five years.

Donations

Are donations tax deductible?

All gifts of $2 or more to UnitingWorld are tax-deductible.

How do I make a donation?

You can donate online, direct deposit, by calling 1800 998 122 or by posting a cheque made payable to UnitingWorld. Details:

Online

Donate online by clicking here.

Phone

A member of our team can assist with taking your donation by credit card over the phone, for this option please call: 02 8267 4267

Cheque

For mail, please forward your cheque, money order or credit card details to:

UnitingWorld

PO Box A2266

Sydney South NSW 1235

Please add a short note which outlines to where the funds are to be directed, to whom the receipt is to made out to and the relevant contact details for same.

Direct Deposit

For direct banking, please arrange to deposit your donation into the following UnitingWorld Account:

Bank: Westpac – King St, Sydney NSW

Account Name: UnitingWorld Donations

Account Number: 182657

BSB: 032-014

On completion of your deposit, please forward an email to: info@unitingworld.org.au with the following details: the amount you deposited, to where you wish the funds be directed, to whom the receipt is to be made out to and the relevant contact details (address and phone number).

Thank you for your support!

Can I donate to a particular project or country?

Yes.  Please take a look at the projects in need of your support right now. Should a project become able to support itself and no longer require donations, we’ll use your donation for projects similar to it.

Will I receive a receipt for my donation?

Yes, with many thanks!  A receipt will be sent to you within fourteen days. We prefer to email receipts to save on printing and postage, so be sure we have your email address!

If you are a regular donor,  you will receive an annual tax statement at the end of a financial year.

How does the $1 for $5 government matching funding work?

One mechanism that the Australian Government uses for distributing aid funds is via the ‘Australian NGO Co-operation Program’ (ANCP).

UnitingWorld has fulfilled the stringent governance, structure and policy criteria to be ‘DFAT accredited’ and is eligible to access ANCP funding.

Each year, the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade (DFAT) determines how much they set aside for the ANCP.

DFAT then makes a further determination as to how much each NGO is eligible for out of the total ANCP pool. This figure is determined by how much non-DFAT funds that NGO has spent on development programs in the previous three years (though no NGO may receive more than 22.5% of the total ANCP funding).

However in order to access the funding we may be allocated, we are required to raise a minimum of $1 for every $5 the government makes available. If we successfully raise more than $1 for every $5 of funding we receive this financial year,  then we increase the amount of ANCP we are eligible for in the next financial year.

In short, the ANCP program rewards agencies that are able to attract matching donor funds, by both enabling us to receive funds in the current year, and supporting our allocation of funds in future years.

Does UnitingWorld accept a donation in kind?

No. We provide our partners with funding so that they can use their local knowledge and local sources to procure the materials they need for their work. This not only supports the local economy and avoids unnecessary expenditure in transport and customs fees, but also enables them to make wise, timely decisions and maximise value-for-money.

If you do have good quality possessions to give away, and you’d like to support UnitingWorld, we suggest you raise funds through a garage sale or church bric-a-brac stall. If you’re tech-savvy, you can use E-bay or Gumtree to sell pre-loved possessions and donate the proceeds.

How do I know that my money is going to where I have requested?

When we receive donations, we record the purpose for which it was intended. This is generally a program theme or a region where we work. These funds are then used to fund projects which fit within these categories.

How do I make a bequest?

If you have a passion to see UnitingWorld’s work continue, leaving a bequest ensures that the values you hold most deeply will live on through the work of others after your death. Contact us on 1800 998 122 or info@unitingworld.org.au and an experienced member of our team will be in touch.

What is Regular Giving?

A regular gift to UnitingWorld is one of the best ways you can help our partners to plan and achieve their goals. Knowing they can rely on funds long term helps them plan efficiently. Knowing we can rely on you also saves us fundraising costs. It’s the easiest way to make a donation count twice. Visit here to learn more and get started!

How can I make my gift go further?

At UnitingWorld, we are always striving for efficiency and effectiveness. We are particularly grateful when our supporters tell us what they plan to give ahead of time, because it lets us plan with confidence. You can make a pledge by joining our regular giving program (see below);  committing your congregation to raising a certain amount for us each year; or letting us know that you’ve remembered us in your will. Anything that allows to plan for the future and save on fundraising, has almost double the value to us.