In the Charter of Operating Principles for Non-governmental Organizations (adopted during the I National Forum of Non-governmental Initiatives in September 1996) principles were listed in which compliance accounts for the identity of the third sector.

 Among these principles is the idea that the substantive and financial activity of an organization is an open activity due to the particular concern regarding the public funds or funds originating from private persons with which it operates (pt. 4 of the Charter).

 Although from the legal point of view, a ministerial ordinance obligates organizations to file annual statements (substantive and financial) of activities to the respective ministry (based on the type of activity) and associations may, but are not required, to submit annual reports to the appropriate local Department of Civic Affairs of the Voivodship Office, we believe in self-regulation, i.e., developing internal operating standards for foundations and associations, and we want to put the regulations listed in the Charter into everyday practice.

 In accordance with the obligation adopted at the I National Forum of Non-governmental Initiatives, together with Regional Partners, the popularizing of ethics in the third sector and the development of specific examples for realizing these principles was undertaken.
 The first of them is a uniform model of a substantive and financial report of an organization’s activity for the past year.

WHAT ARE THE ELEMENTS OF A REPORT?

The most important elements of an annual report are:

1. Basic information about the organization:

•  full name and abbreviated name,
• date of registration,
• address, telephone/fax number, e-mail address,
• bank account number,
• names of responsible persons (chairman, president, presidium, management board),
• a mission statement (or statutes),
• organizational structure (authorities, employees),
• list of employees and volunteers

• description of the social background and problem with which the organization is involved,
• a short history of the organization as well as the most important results of the organization’s activity (possibly with numerical data),
• a list of the organization’s most important achievements in the past year (in points).

Source of financing organization activities:
Membership dues (in the case of associations)   1,000 zl %
Paid services within the framework of realizing statutory goals   2,000 zl %
Income from economic activity   3,000 zl %
National and local government administration 13,000 zl %
Foreign sponsors 15,000 zl %
Private persons, businesses   6,000 zl %
 

The budget of the organization totaled 40,000 zl in 1997. The following institutions supported our organization, organizationally and financially, in 1997: City government, Department of Culture of the Voivodship Office in Krynica, the company “Dzwonko i Synowie,” the company “Papiery Ozdobne” s.c. as well as a number of individuals of good will.
 

Expenditures
Administrative costs   3,000 zl %
The organization spent 37,000 zl for the realization of programs, of which on:
wages and salaries / personnel costs (employees and specialists) 26,000 zl %
indirect costs (office materials, rent)   7,000 zl %
promotional expenditures   2,000 zl %
travel costs   2,000 zl %

FOR WHOM?

Partners of the organization should be the potential recipients of annual reports, i.e.:
 

• clients/beneficiaries of the organization’s activities,
• sponsors, benefactors,
• national and local government administration,
• mass media (press, radio and television),
• the local community (the environment closest to the organization),
• internal recipients (the organization’s authorities, its members, employees, volunteers), etc.

NOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

 In regard to third sector development, many organizations have already developed their own methods. The activity of Fundacja Pomoc Spoleczna SOS, Fundacja Polska Akcja Humanitarna and Fundacja Wielkiej Orkiestry Swiatecznej Pomocy, whose reports are published in the national press, can serve as examples.

 Development of activity on such a scale, and thus the commitment of appropriately funds, is neither attainable nor necessary for the majority of organizations. However, it is possible to prepare very basic information regarding your own organization, which can simultaneously take on the character of an annual report. It need not be published on fine paper and contain colorful illustrations. The same results can be obtained by a simple and concise document comprising one or several pages.

 Preparing a report for the first time can be a big challenge, but with time the collection of information and data for the report will become a habit. Due to this subsequent reports will provide more and better information about us, not only for our clients but for ourselves as well.

HOW?

In order to prepare a good annual report it is necessary to:

• anticipate the financial funds for its realization,
• systematically collect information throughout the year about your activities,
• at the beginning of the following year, take the information, write the report and print it.

Initially, we highly recommend preparing the report, containing the most important information, on one A-4 sheet of paper.

WHO CAN HELP IN ISSUING A REPORT?

The FIP Association and its regional partners located at the addresses given below:

Bielsko-Bia³a, Beskidzkie Stowarzyszenie Wspomagania Inicatyw Pozarz¹dowych, ul. Krasiñskiego 5a, tel. (33) 293-69,
Gdynia, Gdyñskie Centrum Organizacji Pozarz¹dowych, ul. 3 Maja 27/31, tel. (58) 621 80 98,
Jelenia Góra, Stowarzyszenie JOWISZ, ul. Kiepury 3/55, tel. (75) 764 84 48,
£ódŸ, Stowarzyszenie Pomocy Nies³ysz¹cym “S³yszê Serce,” tel. (42) 656 31 31,
Opole, Liga Kobiet Polskich, ul. Sempo³owskiej 2, (77) 543 683,
Rzeszów, Stowarzyszenie Wspierania Roawoju Dzieci i M³odzie¿y ALTUM, tel. (17) 852 27 60,
S³upsk, S³upskie Centrum Wspomagania Organizacji Pozarz¹dowych, ul. Paderewskiego 9. tel. (59) 42 45 62,
suwalskie, Augustów, Stowarzyszenie “Oœ,” ul. Nadrzeczna 74, tel. (87) 643 41 40,
wa³brzyskie, Œwidnica, Stowarzyszenie na rzecz Cz³owieka ITON, tel. (74) 52 09 52.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO ISSUE AN ANNUAL REPORT?
 

WHY?

In order to:

WHAT BENEFIT IS THIS?

Having an annual report assists an organization to: