AERDO Principles of Practice
Guidelines for the Development of Agency Standards*

07 November 90

This document represents the efforts of members of the Association of Relief and Development Organizations to state what they Believe to be Biblically sound,** professionally effective principles of practice.

The attempt to write, collect and organize these statements has stimulated productive discussion among AERDO members. For some this statement will serve as a statement of goals. For some it will suggest important innovations needed within their, organization. To all it is offered as a useful tool for review of operations and activities.

1. Program Staff
   The member organization will:

   1. make sure that expatriate staff are oriented in required language skills, cultural understanding, and Job expertise.
   2. fill available field positions with qualified national staff whenever possible.
   3. compensate national staff fairly with sensitivity to local scales.
   4. delegate maximum responsibility and authority to qualified national staff at all levels wherever possible.
   5. develop national staff to ultimately fill positions currently held by expatriates.
   6. provide for the spiritual nurture of staff with opportunities for regular corporate worship and prayer and individual counseling as needed.
      
      
2. Donor Relations
   When communicating with donors the member organization will:
   1. use communication media to accurately portray, without exaggeration, the nature and scope of the problem it seeks to solve and the methods required for an effective solution.
   2. eschew fund raising and public education methods which are exploitative or denigrating in portraying beneficiary problems.
   3. provide to donors, on request an annual report with an explicit narrative description of major program activities.
   4. seek to be "transparent" in all communications with donor public constituencies.
   5. implement an effective education program designed to increase public awareness of issues and facts related to poverty.
      
      
3. Finance
   The member organization will comply with the standards of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) or the standards of the Canadian Council of Christian Charities (CCCC).
   
   
   
4. Priorities for Development Projects
   Member organizations, in providing development assistance, will strive to support projects that:
   1. aim to assist the most needy groups in society, e.g., the poor, oppressed, underprivileged, or unemployed.
   2. as far as possible, seek to remove basic causes of deprivation, rather than just decreasing the effects of it.
   3. demonstrate genuine local participation of the community in the identification of needs, project preparation, implementation management, and evaluation.
   4. give a high priority, leading to the development of new knowledge, skills, and attitudes to facilitate desirable change in the community.
   5. are relevant to the socioeconomic situation of the communities concerned, employ technologies which are appropriate to it, and are compatible with locally available resources.
   6. are consistent with its statement of purpose.
   7. employ a program strategy and activities which appropriately and sensitively shares the name of Jesus Christ.
      
      
      
5. Priorities for Relief Projects
   When responding to disasters the Member Organization will:
   1. have a plan for dealing with recurring or high probability disasters affecting beneficiaries of development projects. Beneficiaries contribute to design of the relief plan.
   2. base the response on the best available information about the situation.
   3. ensure that assistance methods are compatible with methods of survival used normally by the victims.
   4. ensure that as victims become able to depend on themselves and their community, outside assistance will be reduced.
   5. seek to avoid duplication of effort, by channeling resources through or in cooperation with agencies whose operations are compatible with the member’s purpose and philosophy.
      
      
6. Cooperation
   the member organization will:
   1. aim to foster effective links with government and other agencies operating in the project area.
   2. seek to complement, rather than duplicate, project assistance by other agencies.
   3. where possible, engage the local Christian church as a program partner which can employ its human, material, and spiritual resources in achieving program goals.
   4. develop programs that are compatible with national, regional, and local development priorities, provided that these relate to the needs of the member organization’s intended beneficiaries.
      
      
7. Program Management
   The member organization will:
1. have stated program objectives and standards.
2. use a formal evaluation system at least annually to measure:
   - project accomplishments against objectives
   - changes in the level of needs upon which the program is based
   - management effectiveness
3. maintain effective management control of field offices.
4. implement only programs that are within the management capacity of the responsible agency or institution.
5. develop project plans that are sufficiently flexible to allow a review of priorities, objectives, and operational details as new problems and opportunities arise.
6. implement programs that are cost effective in relation to the number of intended beneficiaries, the size of the area, and the objectives set.
   
   
8. Host Governments
   As a principle of Christian courtesy the member organization and its staff will:
   1. recognize their responsibilities as "guests" of the host government and will respect and comply with national and local laws that apply to them.
   2. not abuse any special legal exemptions enjoyed as a foreign organization or citizen.
   3. cultivate amicable relationships with the host government and be available as an information resource with its program expertise.
   4. where we believe systems are unjust, we will challenge them while continuing to work within due process.