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We
earn no salaries, have no offices, and yet we are as competent and
effective as any brick and mortar organization in operation, providing
donors with project statuses and pictures of the changes as they
are in progress.
We want
our donors to understand that they are an intrinsic part of the transformation.
Links to Newsletters
Issue 9: November 2010
Issue 8: November 2009
Issue 7: August 2009
Issue
7: August 2009 (Spanish Version)
Issue 6: May
2009
Issue
5: November 2008
Issue 4:
August 2008
Issue 3:
September 2007
Issue 2: February
2007
Issue 1: November
2006
Interested
in becoming one of us, or in furthering our goals and projects?
Feel
free to contact us! or make
an online donation today
Privacy Policy
As
a non-profit organization, An Orphan's Bright Star (OBS) places
a high priority on protecting your privacy. This privacy policy
was created in order to demonstrate the Organization's firm commitment
to the privacy of our members and website users. This policy explains
what type of information is collected by the OBS's website, www.orphansbrightstar.org,
and how this information is used.
What Personally Identifiable Information is Collected
An Orphan's Bright Star's YahooGroup members sign up for periodic
emails generated by the list server at a delivery rate modifiable
by the individual YahooGroup member. By becoming a member of the
OBS YahooGroup each individual voluntarily provides us with contact
information (such as name and e-mail address). We may use this information
for specific, limited purposes. You may always "opt out,"
either now or at any time in the future, if you do not wish to receive
our messages.
How Your Information May Be Used
OBS uses your personal information to provide you with personalized
service; to send e-mail alerts to you; to answer your requests;
to process your membership approval; etc. You may choose to opt
out at any time, which will cease all communications from us. We
may also use your information to track visitors of our website.
This lets us see which of our projects are the most popular so we
can better serve the needs of the orphaned children we support in
Ukraine. It also lets us provide aggregate data about our traffic
(not identifying you personally, but showing how many visitors accessed
which pages, for example) to outside parties.
E-Mail Privacy
OBS does not sell or rent e-mail addresses to anyone outside the
organization.
External Links
www.orphansbrightstar.org includes links to external websites. These
links do not fall under the orphansbrightstar.org domain, and orphansbrightstar.org
is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of external
websites. Your use of any linked website is solely at your own risk.
Modifications
OBS may amend this privacy policy from time to time; please review
it periodically. We maintain the option to modify this privacy at
any time by electronic notice posted on our website. Your continued
use of our website after the date that such notices are posted will
be deemed to be your agreement to the changed terms.
Conflict
of Interest Policy
This
Conflict of Interest Policy governs the activities of the Board
and membership of An Orphan's Bright Star. Questions about the policy
should be directed to the Executive Director. It is the duty of
all Board members and group membership to be aware of this policy,
and to identify conflicts of interest and situations that may result
in the appearance of a conflict and to disclose those situations/conflicts/or
potential conflicts to the executive director, or other designated
person, as appropriate. This policy provides guidelines for identifying
conflicts, disclosing conflicts and procedures to be followed to
assist An Orphan's Bright Star manage conflicts of interest and
situations that may result in the appearance of a conflict.
1.
What is a conflict of interest?
A conflict of interest arises when a Board member or group member
has a personal interest that conflicts with the interests of An
Orphan's Bright Star or arise in situations where a board/staff
member has divided loyalties (also known as a "duality of interest").
The former can result in situations that result in inappropriate
financial gain to persons in authority at An Orphan's Bright Star
which can lead to financial penalties and violations of IRS regulations.
Similarly, situations or transactions arising out of a conflict
of interest can result in either inappropriate financial gain or
the appearance of a lack of integrity in An Orphan's Bright Star's
decision-making process. Both results are damaging to An Orphan's
Bright Star and are to be avoided.
Example
#1: a person in a position of authority over the Organization may
benefit financially from a transaction between the Organization
and the Board/group member; or others closely associated with the
Board/group member may be affected financially. Family members,
or their businesses, or other persons or the businesses of persons
with whom the Board/group member is closely associated, could benefit
from similar transactions.
Example #2: A conflict of interest could be a direct or indirect
financial interest such as those described above, or a personal
interest such as the situation where a Board member of An Orphan's
Bright Star is also a Board member of another nonprofit or for-profit
entity in the community with which An Orphan's Bright Star collaborates
or conducts business.
2. Who might be affected by this policy?
Typically persons who are affected by a conflict of interest policy
are the Organization's Board members and officers. In some cases
a major donor could also be in a conflict situation. An Orphan's
Bright Star takes a broad view of conflicts and Board/group members
are urged to think of how a situation/transaction would appear to
outside parties when identifying conflicts or possible conflicts
of interest.
3.
Disclosure of conflicts.
Board members will annually disclose and promptly update any disclosures
previously made the Executive Director. Board and group members
are also urged to disclose conflicts as they arise as well as to
disclose those situations that are evolving that may result in a
conflict of interest. Advance disclosure must occur so that a determination
may be made as to the appropriate plan of action to manage the conflict.
Group members should disclose to the Executive Director and Board
members should disclose to the Board as soon as the person with
the conflict is aware of the conflict/potential conflict or appearance
of a conflict exists.
4.
Procedures to manage conflicts.
For each interest disclosed, the full Board, or the Executive Director,
as appropriate, will determine whether the organization should:
(a) take no action or (b) disclose the situation more broadly and
invite discussion/resolution by the full Board of what action to
take, or (c) refrain from taking action and otherwise avoid the
conflict. In most cases the broadest disclosure possible is advisable
so that decision-makers can make informed decisions that are in
the best interests of the organization.
When
the conflict involves a decision-maker, the person with the conflict
("interested party"): (i) must fully disclose the conflict
to all other decision-makers; (ii) may not be involved in the decision
of what action to take (e.g., may not participate in a vote) but
may serve as a resource to provide other decision-makers with necessary
information.
In some cases the person with the conflict may be asked to excuse
him/herself from sensitive discussions so as not to unduly influence
the discussion of the conflict.
In all cases, decisions involving a conflict will be made only be
disinterested persons.
The fact that a conflict was managed and the outcome will be documented
in the minutes of Board meetings if the conflict was related to
a Board member.
The Executive Director will monitor proposed or ongoing transactions
of the organization (e.g., contracts with vendors and collaborations
with third parties) for conflicts of interest and disclose them
to the Board, as appropriate, whether discovered before or after
the transaction has occurred.
Adopted: March 2009
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