External Conduct Standards for Charities

Make sure your charity operates safely overseas

Charities that operate overseas must be able to identify and manage risks, handle money safely, and protect staff and beneficiaries.

Receive practical guidance on how your charity can meet the External Conduct Standards which govern a registered charity’s operations outside of Australia.

Compliance helps to minimise the risks for charities operating overseas and is required for a charity to maintain its registration.

Learn how to manage activities and control resources overseas (including funding), obtain and keep sufficient records of overseas activities, initiate and sustain processes and procedures to combat fraud and corruption within the charity’s overseas operations, and protect vulnerable individuals.

In addition, you’ll compare the External Conduct Standards with the Australian Council for International Development’s Code of Conduct as an example of how the ACNC reduces red tape in the sector.

You will also conduct a self-evaluation of your charity’s performance against the Standards and develop a plan to strengthen its response to overseas risks.

This course is designed for anyone involved in registered charities that operate, or intend to operate, overseas.

This includes sending money/goods overseas, working overseas, partnering with an overseas charity/organisation, supplying staff/volunteers overseas, or advocating overseas.

This course is designed for anyone involved in registered charities that operate, or intend to operate, overseas.

This includes sending money/goods overseas, working overseas, partnering with an overseas charity/organisation, supplying staff/volunteers overseas, or advocating overseas.

• Identify the four External Conduct Standards and describe which charities they apply to
• Assess whether the External Conduct Standards have been correctly applied by charities through reflecting on case studies
• Correctly apply the External Conduct Standards to their own charity
• Demonstrate that the steps taken to apply External Conduct Standards to itself are ‘reasonable steps’ based on their charity’s size, operating location/s, purposes, beneficiaries, activities and other factors
• Evaluate your charity’s current performance against the External Conduct Standards and create a plan to strengthen its response to overseas risks
• Reflect on the similarities and differences between the External Conduct Standards and the Australian Council for International Development’s Code of Conduct and consider how charities registered with the ACNC could meet the requirements of both