Bond’s open information policy

This policy sets out the information that British Overseas NGOs for Development (Bond) will make publicly available, both through our website and on request.

It also sets out information that is not made publicly available by Bond, and how to appeal decisions relating to this type of information.

Overall accountability for this policy lies with the Director of People and Finance, who is also responsible for responding to information requests. The Business and Operations Manager is responsible for the regular review of this policy. All staff are responsible for the policy’s implementation.

Bond’s commitment to transparency 

Bond is committed to transparency towards our staff, members, supporters and the communities we work with.  Transparency refers to our openness and accuracy in sharing information about our activities, our performance and learning as an organisation, our governance and decision-making processes and our financial arrangements.

Bond’s approach to information sharing focuses on openness unless there are valid reasons for withholding information. By adopting this approach, we enable our stakeholders to assess how we have made decisions, how we have managed our finances, how effective our activities have been and how we learn from the challenges we face. 

We make information available to increase our transparency to our key stakeholders and to enhance our own effectiveness in achieving our mission. We aim to model good practice to others, including our members and those we support, to increase their own transparency. We also support the collective effort among international development actors to improve coordination through provision of standardised information on our activities, for example through International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI).

Who are we transparent towards? 

Bond’s key stakeholders are our Trustees, staff and volunteers, our member organisations and our supporters including donors and partners. We also consider a key stakeholder group to be the people and communities who are engaged with the activities of our members and for whom our members’ effectiveness is crucial.  

In addition, we have a responsibility to ensure we communicate information that is in the public interest in relation to sources of funding that originate from public money and our registered charity status.  

Information that is publicly available and shared

About us: Our mission, vision and strategy, as well as information about our charity, such as legal registration and registered address.

Our governance and staff: Board of Trustees, senior management team and staff.

Our members: Names and contact details of our member organisations, our membership criteria, benefits and fees.

Our Charter:

The Bond Charter captures the aspirations that unite the Bond network. It is underpinned by established standards of good practice.

Bond members are united in speaking out against injustices. Together, Bond, civil society organisations and allies can bring about a just and sustainable world.

The Core values in our charter are:

  1. Civil society solidarity
  2. Collaboration
  3. Environmental Sustainability
  4. Accountability
  5. Anti-racism, inclusion and diversity
  6. Locally led
  7. Responsibility and effectiveness
  8. Do no harm

All Bond members have to sign up to this Charter when joining Bond.

The standards of good practice underpinning this Charter aim to support Bond members in taking action.

The Charter values will inform the areas that we invest in to support our members.

To become a Bond member, click here.

  • Our funding and finances: Total income, sources of funding and expenditure, including number of staff employed above £60,000 per annum and gender pay gap data.
  • Our performance: Annual summary of progress against our charitable objectives and strategy.
  • Our partners and key stakeholder: Information about organisations we work with and who we are members of.
  • Key Policies and related information:
  • Safeguarding
  • Conflict of interest for charity trustees.
  • Risk Register and Reserves policies.
  • Due diligence, monitoring, and verifying the end use of charitable funds.
  • Compliance with legal requirements.

Circumstances under which we may be unable to provide information  

If you request information from us, we may not be able to provide you will all the information you require. If all or part of the information you have requested falls under one of the following categories, we will write to you to let you know the reason for not sharing certain information with you. You will have the opportunity to appeal this decision through our complaint’s procedure.

  • Ownership of the data: You may ask us to disclose information about a member that is not our right to disclose. This is outside of the scope of this policy, and we will ask you to contact the member organisation directly. This decision is not subject to appeal. 
  • Data protection and privacy: Where disclosure would breach data protection legislation or an individuals’ right to privacy.  For example, we will not share the personal details of our staff, volunteers or individual supporters. This decision is not subject to appeal. 
  • Confidentiality: The information is confidential on legal, business or contractual grounds. This decision is not subject to appeal. Where Bond has grants that fall within this exclusion category, we are committed to working with our funders to move towards allowing us to share information with our stakeholders.  
  • Copyright limitations: Copyright in the material belongs to someone else and we cannot give permission for its use. This decision is not subject to appeal. 
  • Security: The disclosure of information may present a risk to the safety and security of staff and operations, either for Bond or other organisations. This decision may be appealed via the complaints procedure. 
  • Cost: The financial or time cost of disclosing the information would be unreasonably high. Bond is a small organisation, and we need to balance our commitment to transparency with our delivery of results, especially where it involves public or member funds. This decision may be appealed via the complaints procedure. 
  • Vexatious, offensive or unreasonable requests: We may decline to correspond if a person behaves in an offensive or abusive manner, aims to obtain information by deceit (for example, by using false contact details or other misrepresentation) or engages in unreasonable conduct such as repeatedly asking for the same information. This decision may be appealed via the complaints procedure. 
  • Historical information: If the information requested is historical, it may be difficult and costly for Bond to obtain archived material. This decision may be appealed via complaints the procedure. 
  • Irrelevance: The request for information has, in our judgement, no discernible public benefit or is of essentially ephemeral interest. This may include internal administrative documents or draft documents. This decision may be appealed via complaints the procedure. 

How to make a request for information 

All of the information listed above is openly available on our website. To request information that isn’t listed, or to request a more accessible format, please use the contact information on our website at https://bond.org.uk/about-us/contact-us/ or the details below. Please be aware that we may not be able to provide the requested information.

Postal address: 

Director of People and Finance. Bond , Society Building , 8 All Saints Street , London  , N1 9RL  

We will reply to requests as soon as possible. Normally, within 7 working days a member of staff will have responded, either with the requested information or an explanation as to why it cannot be provided. We aim for responses to take no longer than 14 working days.

We reserve the right to ask the reason for the information request.

If you would like to appeal any response, please follow the complaints procedure.

If you are from a Bond member organisation, there are many ways to raise issues of concerns. You can contact the Board at any time or the Chief Executive. Your issue can be raised in confidence and we will help you find the best route to bring any appropriate concerns to the wider membership.

Data protection and privacy  

Bond is subject to data protection and privacy legislation and therefore we are unable to disclose personal data covered by this legislation without consent unless we are obliged or permitted by law to do so.  See Bond’s privacy policy at here.

Freedom of Information  

As a charity, Bond is not a public body and therefore is not subject to the UK’s Freedom of Information Act 2000.  However, Bond is committed to working to increase the openness and availability of the information listed in this policy. 

This policy is not a binding contract and does not confer legal rights on any person.