The board of Islamic Aid Worldwide Project Ltd (trading as Hearts of Hope Foundation) is the responsible governing body of the charity. This page sets out who serves on the board, the framework under which they make decisions, and how the Foundation meets the ACNC Governance Standards.
Where this page describes a policy or register that exists in our internal records but has not yet been published in full, that is noted explicitly. The board's intent is for every policy referenced here to be published on this site within the Foundation's first full reporting cycle.
The Foundation is governed in accordance with the six ACNC Governance Standards, our company constitution under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth), and the National Standards for Charitable Fundraising and child-safe organisation principles that apply in each jurisdiction in which we operate.
Our charitable purpose is the relief of poverty, sickness, suffering, distress, and helplessness of children and vulnerable communities, delivered without regard to religion, race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, or background. The Foundation operates as a secular Public Benevolent Institution.
The board comprises three directors, who are the Responsible Persons listed on the ACNC public register. All directors were appointed on the date of the company's incorporation.
Director appointments and any changes to the composition of the board are notified to the ACNC and to ASIC within the timeframes required by each regulator. The current Responsible Persons of the Foundation can always be confirmed on the ACNC public register.
Each director has signed an ACNC Responsible Person declaration confirming that they are not disqualified from managing a corporation under the Corporations Act, are not disqualified from being a Responsible Person of a registered charity by the ACNC, and have not been convicted of an offence involving dishonesty within the last five years. These declarations are renewed at the first board meeting of each financial year and on any change in circumstances.
The board separately requires each director to disclose, in writing on appointment and annually thereafter:
The board reviews these disclosures at the first meeting after they are received. Where a disclosure raises a fit-and-proper concern, the board may suspend the director from decisions in the affected area pending investigation, and may resolve to seek their resignation. The Foundation's public Responsible Persons listing on the ACNC register is updated as part of any such resolution.
The directors of the Foundation owe duties under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth), general law, and ACNC Governance Standard 5. In summary, each director must:
Directors are not paid for their services as directors. Reasonable, documented out-of-pocket expenses incurred in the discharge of their duties may be reimbursed in accordance with the Foundation's expenses policy.
The board meets at least four times per financial year, at intervals of approximately three months. Additional meetings are convened as required, including for the approval of new program partners, the launch of campaigns that require legal or compliance review, and decisions on significant financial or reputational risk.
The board's standing agenda items include:
Minutes of each board meeting are signed by the chair of the meeting and retained for at least seven years. Resolutions made out of session by written consent are documented and tabled at the next board meeting.
The board charter sets out the role of the board, the authority delegated to management or contractors, the matters that are reserved to the board, and the rules of operation for board meetings. Matters reserved to the board include, without limitation:
The full board charter will be published with the Foundation's first full annual report.
The Foundation maintains an interests register, which is updated whenever a director, officer, or member of staff or a contractor with discretionary authority becomes aware of a circumstance that could give rise to an actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest. Conflicts considered include without limitation directorships in supplier companies, family relationships with partners or beneficiaries, and personal financial interests in matters before the Foundation.
The board's standing rules in respect of conflicts of interest are:
A summary of the interests register is reviewed at each board meeting. The full conflicts-of-interest policy will be published as a standalone document; in the meantime, individuals raising a concern about a possible undisclosed conflict can do so through the Whistleblower Policy or the Complaints Policy.
The Foundation does not enter into related-party transactions in the ordinary course of business. Where a related-party transaction is proposed for example, the engagement of a supplier in which a director has a material interest the transaction must be approved in advance by the non-conflicted directors at a properly minuted meeting, must be on terms no more favourable to the related party than would apply on an arm's length basis, and must be disclosed in the Foundation's next set of audited financial statements.
The Foundation maintains the following registrations and complies with the obligations attached to each:
Safeguarding is a standing item on every board agenda. The Foundation operates a Safeguarding Policy aligned with the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations and complies with the working-with-children check regime in each jurisdiction in which we deliver programs.
Anyone donor, staff member, partner, beneficiary, or member of the public can raise a concern or make a protected disclosure under the Foundation's policies:
This page will be updated whenever there is a change in the composition of the board, a change in the Foundation's registrations, or the publication of a new policy referenced here. Material changes will be flagged at the top of this page for at least 30 days following the change.
Email admin@heartsofhope.org.au, or check the Foundation's record on the ACNC public register.