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Australia’s most transparent charities: World Vision Australia and MS Queensland

Sarah Harding April 10, 2014

2 min read

The PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Transparency Awards recognise charities with the most rigorous and transparent reporting on financials, governance and strategy.

“With Australians giving around $2.2 billion a year to registered charities, it’s essential that not-for-profit organisations provide clear information to the public about where that money goes and the outcomes they’re achieving. The finalists in the PwC Transparency Awards absolutely meet that obligation and set an example across the sector,” says Mark Reading, Corporate Responsibility Partner, PwC.

“Trust is a hugely important commodity for not-for-profits, and financial transparency is a critical foundation for building that trust.”

“World Vision Australia really stood out this year for the exceptional detail and clarity of their reporting. Their Corporate Governance process is rigorous and easy to grasp, and the impact of the work they do is clearly set out. MS Queensland has been a finalist for several years and it’s great to see them take out the top prize in the $5-$30 million category this year – their risk management reporting in particular was the best in the competition.”

Tim Costello, CEO, World Vision Australia said, “Transparency is the lifeblood of both our reputation and our relationships in the field, with supporters and our donors. It is something we work hard to achieve on a daily basis. This is why we are so honoured to once again receive the recognition that comes with the PwC Transparency Award for the second time in the seven years the award has been in existence.”

Lincoln Hopper, CEO, MS Queensland said, “MS Queensland is delighted to be recognised by PwC at a national level for such a prestigious award – it brings a huge amount of value to the work we do in supporting people living with multiple sclerosis across Queensland. We’ve been involved with these awards for three years now and every year MS Queensland has strived to improve both our transparency in the disability sector, and our accountability to government, members and donors.”

“It was great to see an overall improvement in the standard of reporting among award participants this year, however, there is still room for improvement around how most organisations report their program outcomes – particularly where the outcomes were less than desired – and on the sustainability of their funding,” says Reading.

This year the awards were entered by 53 of the nation’s most recognisable charities. An independent jury presided over the awards including Paula Benson, GM Corporate Responsibility, National Australia Bank, David Locke, Assistant Commissioner, Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, and David Crosbie, CEO, Community Council for Australia.

The awards are a collaboration between PwC Australia, the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia and the Centre for Social Impact.