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Disaster Relief Donations Policy

PURPOSE

The City of Stonnington has developed a Disaster Relief Donations Policy to ensure that donations will meet the needs of those affected by disaster in the most timely, effective and efficient way as well as being transparent and accountable.

The purpose of this policy is to act as a guide to Council, with all decisions as to amount, recipient and type of donation to be made by Council.

POLICY

This policy provides a set of criteria to determine eligibility for disaster relief donations.

DEFINITIONS

Aid

Financial aid

Financial aid consists of money. This would be provided by cheque or Electronic Funds Transfer rather than cash. TheAustralian Agency for International Development (AusAID), the Australian Government agency which manages Australia's overseas aid program, suggests that money is their preferred donation, as it is easily transferable and can be used to meet actual need in whatever form that takes.

In-kind aid

In-kind aid may comprise secondment of staff or provision of services or facilities managed by Council. In-kind aid would usually only be provided within Metropolitan Melbourne or nearby, due to transport logistics. For example, a Council Officer was seconded to provide victim support following the February 2009 bushfires. Similarly, free use of a community space was donatedto a local senior citizens group in 2009, after their meeting venue was destroyed by fire. This type of in-kind donation can provide invaluable assistance to recovery, especially when skills are needed more than cash.

Material aid

Material aid is the provision of food, furniture, clothing or other goods. The disadvantage of material aid is that it can have serious economic ramifications for disaster-affected people, if provision of donated goods decreases purchases from localbusinesses. In addition, the transport of food or clothing can be costly and the materials dispatched may be inappropriate for the disaster or the cultural destination.
Catastrophic disaster / disaster

A disaster is some kind of event that significantly affects lives and livelihoods. It carries the risk, or actual experience, of injury and loss of life or the significant damage of property essential to people’s basic daily life. Examples of natural disasters include the loss of homes, lives or livestock due to flooding, fire, earthquake andTsunami.

A train, plane or other accident, or a bridge or building collapse are examples of non-natural disasters that could also qualify for disaster relief. The effects of war and terrorism on victims (for example homelessness and outbreak of disease) may also be considered a disaster.

Donation
A donation isa gift or contribution - for example, as provided to a charity. Donations can be material, in-kind or financial.

SCOPE

This Policy applies to all Council donations for disaster relief in respect of disasters affecting countries, regions or community groups and excludes events covered by Stonnington’s Municipal Emergency Management Plan.

Donation recipients

  • Donations will be made to aid agencies accredited by AusAID, or an equivalent accrediting agency. Donations will also be made to community groups.
  • Donations will not be made to individuals.

Budget

  • It is suggested that $5,000 is an appropriate amount for donation to any single event in any one year; however the actual amount is to be decided by Council, on each occasion. In-kind donations willbe additional to this amount.
  • Donations collected at Council events will not be included as part of either the annual budget or the maximum amount of donation.
  • The cost of in-kind staff secondments or provision of services or facilitieswill be borne by the department providing the resources.
  • The secondment of staff, after Council approval, will be negotiated by the Executive Manager Sustainable Future in consultation with the CEO, the Human Resources and Organisational DevelopmentManager,and the Manager of the staff to be seconded.

Preferred types of donation

  • Stonnington will only make financial or in-kind donations.
  • For national and international disasters, money is the preferred donation and is recommended by AusAID as being the most effective type of international donation.
  • In-kind aid may also be donated. This is more practicable for Metropolitan Melbourne or Victorian based disasters and maycomprise secondment of staff or provision of some other service or facility managed by Council. For example, the secondment of a Council Officer to provide victim support, as happened following the February 2009 bushfires. This type of in-kind donation can provide invaluable assistance to recovery, especially when skills are needed more than cash and may also attract re-imbursement from the State Government.
  • Material aid is not generally recommended as it can have serious economic ramifications for disaster-affected people bydecreasing purchases from localbusinesses. In addition, transport can be costlyand the goodsinappropriate for the disaster or cultural destination.
  • The decision about whether to give anin-kind or financial donation is entirely at the discretionof Council, although the wishes of the recipients will be taken into consideration.

Timeliness of aid

During or immediately after a disaster, when lives and livelihoods are in danger, the speed of aid delivery is vital.

  • Donations should be made within the first two weeks of a disaster.
  • In-kind support should be offered as soon as possible following the event.

Criteria for donation

Degree of disaster

To qualify for a donation, an event must fit the definition of disaster as defined in this policy.

  • A disaster would usually be one that is so catastrophic that it overwhelms the normal social and material support systems of those affected.
  • In the case of a local community group, the event would be outside their ability (particularly financial) to remedy.

Location of disaster

The location of a disaster influences the eligibility for donation.

  • Disasters affecting Metropolitan Melbourne or Victoria should always take priority, particularly if Stonnington is affected.
  • For national disasters, priority may be given to areas where there is a pre-existing relationship (for example sister cities in other states).
  • For international disasters, it is recommended that Stonnington focus on the Asia Pacific region, as recommended by AusAID. Additionally, locations with a significant connection with Stonnington,due to the cultural origin of residentsor sister city relationships,are preferred.

Preferred aid agencies

Donations shouldbe made only through accredited aid agencies or similar, as detailed below.

  • For a disaster based in another Local Government Areain Victoria or elsewhere

Contact the local government to ascertain the preferred destination for donations. Where possible, agencies accredited by AusAID, the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID), the Department of Human Services or similar are preferred.

  • For a state or national disaster

Liaise with the Department of Human Services for information on accredited appeals (for example, after the February 2009 bushfires, the Red Cross was the appeal agency appointed by the state government).

  • For an international disaster

Refer to the AusAID list of Australian non-governmental aid organisations (NGOs) that it funds and to which donations can be made as it does not take donations directly. All AusAIDfunded NGOs undergo a rigorous accreditation process, with full accreditation currently held by more than 30 organisations.
Another source of accredited agencies is ACFID, an independent national association of Australian NGOs working in the field of international aid and development. It administers a Code of Conduct committing members to high standards of integrity and accountability and publishes a list of current members. ACFID’s website indicates which agencies are accepting donations for particular appeals.

  • Where a financial donation is made to a community group rather than an aid organisation or charity

In the absence of accreditation, Council will endeavour todetermine the legitimacy of the organisation. In addition, a letter will be sentto the organisation, setting out the agreement that the donation be usedstrictly for the purposes for which it was donated.

Only community groups based within Stonnington, who have a majority of members who are residents or ratepayers, are eligible for donations.

Donation requests that don’t meet these criteria

Unless requested by a Councillor, only applications that fall within the above criteria will be forwarded to Council.

RESPONSIBILITIES

  • The Executive Manager Sustainable Future, in consultation with the CEO, is responsible for deciding if donations meet the eligibility criteria and forwarding them to Council for approval.
  • Sustainable Future is responsible for administration of all disaster relief donations, in association with Finance and Human Resources and Organisational Development as required.
  • Donation approval authority

Council is responsible for approving all donations.

PROCEDURES

1. Documentation

Applications will be documented in writing tothe Executive Manager Sustainable Future, detailing the type, suggested amount, recipientand reasons for a donation, and forwarded to Council. The decision to approve or disapprove donation applications will be documented in Council minutes.

2. Donation approval deadline

A decision as to whether the criteria are met will be made within one week of knowledge of the disaster.

3. Donation distribution

  • Financial payment will be made by a non-negotiable cheque specifying the name of theaid agency or community group or by direct Electronic Funds Transfer to the aid agency or community group. Cash cheques will not be distributed.
  • Provision of in-kind facilities or services will be arranged by negotiation with the relevant business units.
  • Arrangements for in-kind staff support will be made in consultation with Human Resources and Organisational Development and relevant business units.

4. Communications

The Marketing and Communications department will provide a media release to inform the community of Stonnington’s disaster relief donations.

DISPUTE RESOLUTION

All decisionsby Council, about the amount, type or eligibility for donations are final. There is no avenue for appeal.

REFERENCES

  • AusAID
  • ACFID

Disaster Relief Donations Policy, April 20101