This July, after an in depth review, Rewilding Europe received the official charity recognition from the Dutch Bureau of Fundraising Organisations (CBF). Rewilding Europe now carries the CBF’s Seal of Approval for meeting the formulated criteria with regard to the disbursement of funds, governing board, policies, fundraising and accountability.
The Central Bureau on Fundraising (CBF) in the Netherlands is an independent foundation that has been monitoring fundraising by charities since 1925. The CBF’s task is to promote trustworthy fundraising and expenditure by reviewing fundraising organizations and giving information and advice to government institutions and the public. When a charity has a CBF-Seal of approval issued, it signifies that the practices of the organisation meet CBF standards for accountability and transparency.
In order to get the recognition, CBF performed an in depth audit of Rewilding Europe as a whole, focusing not only on the financials and internal processes, but also on the transparency on its vision, objectives and activities to the outside world. Criteria to qualify for the seal include good governance, a multi-year policy plan and transparent reporting per objectives. Additional standards ensure that expenditures are made in relation to the results achieved by an organisation and there is proper oversight related to overhead and fundraising costs.
— ‘’This is an important milestone for us’’, says Ilko Bosman, Business and Finance Director of Rewilding Europe. ‘’It shows that Rewilding Europe has adequate systems in place that will further increase trust and credibility with both existing and future financial partners and donors’’.
Rewilding Europe met all the above criteria and received the official charity recognition during the awarding ceremony on 1st July. During the event, CBF has announced that it moved into a new system of recognition, which has been a result of closer cooperation of fundraising organisations in the Netherlands. Rewilding Europe was one of the first organisations to receive the recognition under the new process.