Brazil’s politics is dogged by poor governance and lack of transparency among state institutions, with corruption scandals the most visible result. The non-profit sector faces similar challenges. In order to combat this, GIFE has recently launched two initiatives: GIFE Transparency Panel and Governance Indicators.

The Transparency Panel is a project inspired by Foundation Center’s Glasspockets and by other similar initiatives from Brazil and abroad. It makes information on GIFE’s members accessible to the public based on a set of transparency indicators. Inclusion in the panel is voluntary but, since its launch in March 2016, almost 50 institutions (around 40 per cent of GIFE’s eligible members) have subscribed. Much of the information required by the panel had not previously been disclosed. Its launch has already resulted in a significant improvement in disclosure.

The GIFE Governance Indicators works in a similar way. It is an online self-assessment tool free to any non-profit organization interested in improving its governance standards. The organization responds to a group of simple indicators and immediately receives its score, along five different dimensions, providing the organization with a swift diagnosis of any areas of weakness.

By presenting parameters and promoting discussions about governance, GIFE believes that the indicators can become a self-regulatory mechanism for improving governance standards in the non-profit sector.

For more information
Transparency Panel: http://tinyurl.com/TranPan
Governance Indicators: http://tinyurl.com/GovIndic