Servant Partners: Becoming a Partner

Becoming a Servant Partners Site

Guidelines for Building Long Term Financial and Administrative Capacity

(We introduce these guidelines to help you understand how we operate. We understand that you have/will have your own ways of operating. As we discuss these, let's look at the values underneath them and identify possible difficulties in a partnership.)

Financial Condition
With respect to operating the local organization, the leadership of the local site will do all they can to encourage the long-term financial strength of the organization. Accordingly, they will:

1.) Only spend within their resources (i.e. do not operate with a deficit).
2.) Spend monies according to leadership agreed upon budgets.
3.) Settle payroll and debts in a timely manner.
4.) Use advances only for leadership agreed upon projects.
5.) Repay advances within 12 months.
6.) Use contributions only for the intended purpose as designated by the donor.

Budget
With the respect to budgeting, the leadership of the local will act with integrity. They will:

1.) Budget according to goals for the year agreed upon by the local leadership and appropriate Servant Partners leadership.
2.) Develop budgets that accurately anticipate income and expenses for the year.
3.) Develop a fundraising plan to meet the financial goals.
4.) Contains enough detail for an internal and external financial audit.

Personnel
With respect to treatment of paid and volunteer staff, both the ongoing integrity of the organization and the right of staff to fair, equitable and humane treatment are of utmost importance. Accordingly, the local leadership will:

1.) Hire or appoint staff who will sign a copy of our statement of faith indicating assent to these statements in whole and in part.
2.) Judge employee or appointee performance, or candidates for employment or appointment, only on the basis of his/her own relevant qualifications and performance.
3.) Prepare staff for prompt action in case of emergency or disaster.
4.) Encourage the hearing of grievances by employees or appointees through internal grievance procedures.
5.) Employ or appoint staff with a clear job description that is specific enough to allow fair judgement on their performance.
6.) Release any staff only with a clear reference to the job description and written explanations of how said staff failed to carry out all or parts of that description.
7.) Guide the staff so that he/she will not take on duties that materially threaten that person's spiritual or emotional health or healthy relationship with their immediate family.
8.) Develop a clear and written plan for their spiritual and job related development, to be reviewed with a relevant supervisor at least once a year to ascertain progress.
9.) Inform staff of the dangers inherent in living or working in poor, urban neighborhoods either in the U.S. or internationally. (i.e. spiritual, emotional, physical, material)