Transparency
Building trust over 36 years and counting
At Qatar Charity, we take pride in being one of the most trusted organizations in the MENA region. Since 1984, we have continuously and steadily delivered humanitarian assistance and development aid in more than 50 countries. Over the course of 36 years, we have successfully distributed billions of dollars of generous donations, and have implemented life-saving and life-changing projects to some of the most marginalized communities across the globe. We also take pride in our transparent reporting and accountability systems to our donors, partners and beneficiaries.
Our commitment to financial transparency
We believe that financial transparency is essential to building and maintaining trust. NGOs often operate in highly volatile environments and count on daily financial transactions to deliver timely, life-saving assistance where and when needed. Under these circumstances, NGOs can find themselves targeted with allegations of misuse of funds, accusations of terrorist financing or mere financial opacity.
Our accounts are audited annually by external auditors (see audited financial reports 2019). The annual audit is conducted in our head office and across all 30 field offices by a local external auditor accredited in those countries. We also rely on internally-developed control and auditing procedures that ensure an independent internal control system with a clear and traceable decision-making process.
Because we recognize the risk that NGOs’ funds can be misused, we have added extra layers of protection by using advanced global systems to mitigate the risks of money laundering and terrorist financing in cooperation with major international institutions. In 2019, Qatar Charity became the first organization in the MENA region to sign a unique cooperation agreement with Refinitiv Thomson Reuters, a world leader in AML/TF screening, to better identify risks related to money laundering and terrorist financing. The cooperation comes in the form of a consolidated database of individuals and institutions between Qatar Charity and Thomson Reuters’ World Check that will enable us to quickly and effectively identify and isolate individuals and institutions that can pose a potential risk of money laundering or terrorist financing. Our database screens all stakeholders, including partners, donors and beneficiaries against the United Nations Security Council Consolidated Sanction list, the European Union Sanctions list the National Sanctions list of the State of Qatar, and the US OFAC Sanctions list.
Our accountability to donors
Our community-focused fundraising remains key to our independence. In 2019, our generous donors have trusted us with almost $ 400 million. Upholding this trust, we have provided our donors with the ability to monitor and track their donations using the latest technologies. Donors are able to digitally track their donation, no matter how big or how small, from the moment we receive it, to the completion of the project, with access to detailed data, photos, videos and reports whenever possible.
Who are our donors?
While we have multiple sources of funding, our income relies largely on individuals who now represent about 90% of our donors.
CSR
Private donations represent over 90% of our income. With a community-focused fundraising model met with the utmost accountability towards the donor, Qatar Charity has preserved its position as one of the most trusted NGOs in the MENA region.
Institutional funding
We benefit directly from grants and donations by government donor agencies like the Qatar Fund for Development, UN agencies such as UNHCR, WFP, FAO and international organizations and networks such as the Start Network.
The Private sector
Within the framework of social corporate responsibility, companies inside the State of Qatar are choosing to support Qatar Charity.
Where does your donation go?
Throughout the years, we have optimized our financial performance and increased our efficiency and are now able to spend 94% of our financial resources on programs and services that fulfill our social mission. For every dollar we receive, we spend 94 cents on humanitarian projects and programs and allocate the remaining 6 cents to raise more funds and cover overhead expenses.
Our accountability to beneficiaries
At Qatar Charity, we are bound by our mandate to demonstrate the highest standards of accountability to our beneficiaries. First and foremost, we place communities and people affected by crisis at the center of our humanitarian response and believe that we have a duty to uphold their fundamental rights and their dignity.
All too often, humanitarian actors fail to commit to their promises when it comes to consulting affected populations and viewing their perspectives on the aid provided to them. At Qatar Charity, we have adopted internal procedures and policies that uphold the safety, protection and engagement of our beneficiaries, all the while opening our accountability practices to review and assessment by third party stakeholders. We have joined the Core Humanitarian Standard Alliance in 2019 to strengthen our accountability standards to beneficiaries, and to further put people affected by crisis at the heart of what we do.
