Our mission

Donorinfo was set up in 2005 as a public utility foundation, primarily intended for donors with a desire to support one or more charities. Its aim is to provide a guarantee for giving with confidence.
To this purpose, all information it provides should remain not only accurate and reliable, but transparent and impartial as well, and free of charge. Donorinfo’s core objective is to induce a significant increase in donations to charities.

Audited financial information

• Donorinfo guarantees that all published information originates from annual accounts, audited either by a company auditor or a chartered accountant, member of the IAB-IEC or an accountant, member of the BIBF-IPCF.
• The purpose of such an audit is not to establish the efficiency of the expenses, but rather to check whether they are correctly charged to the corresponding items in the annual accounts.
• Donorinfo regularly checks whether the published data are still up-to-date and annually updates the financial data.
• For most part of the charities, donors can consult financial data from previous years, allowing donors to compare and follow their evolution.
• Donorinfo does not provide a rating label, but a guarantee for giving with confidence.

Independence and free of charge

In order to preserve total independence, the foundation has chosen to remain self-supporting. The foundation does not apply for subsidies nor does it accept donations or sponsoring. The foundation was set up by a private person.

• Any charity, regardless of size, visibility or fame, can publish its information on donorinfo.be, provided it is established in Belgium and active in Belgium and/or abroad. Donorinfo does not make any selection, but organizations are required to meet a number of well-defined criteria. Such diversity promotes visibility of all charities, whether large or small.
• Donorinfo offers free of charge service, for the public (use of database) as well as for the charities (both editing and translation), creating the opportunity for all charities to qualify for publication, and at the same time endorsing values such as pluralism and diversity.
• Moreover, charities need not apply for membership nor contribute a membership fee.
• Donorinfo does not provide financial support and has chosen not to attribute a quality label, but rather to provide the unbiased information that is necessary to be able to make a personal choice from a wide variety of charities.

Values

Transparency
Donorinfo wishes to encourage charities to provide more transparent financial data for their own benefit, as this will have a positive effect on the public’s confidence. Not only will it allow donors to apply comparative criteria, but charities too can learn from standard financial reporting. Donorinfo regularly deliberates with other participants on this subject.

Objectivity
It is of the utmost importance to Donorinfo that all information you receive is presented in the most objective way, content as well as figures. All incoming texts are therefore objectivized wherever necessary and all financial data is delivered in the same standard form. Our files provide you with the necessary information to make a comparison between various charities.

Pluralism and diversity
Donorinfo will pursue to offer the broadest possible variety of charities.
Moreover, Donorinfo strives to see these values reflected in the board of director’s composition, welcoming different philosophies of life, religious and political beliefs, and making an effort to respect the balance between both genders and the diversity of languages.
All board members endorse this diversity as an added value.

Cooperation
On a long-term, Donorinfo wishes to encourage charities to combine forces more often, e.g. by working together systematically or on projects.

Donorinfo, public utility foundation

In 2005 Erik van Baren set up Donorinfo as a public utility foundation, which, because of its legal form, requires strict management rules.

The founder

Erik van Baren, of Dutch origin, was born in 1936. He was raised in France and has been living in Belgium since 1960 with his family of four children, nevertheless residing abroad on a regular basis as a specialist in maritime operations for Dredging International (DEME), where he filled various posts before returning in 1990 to the original holding (Ackermans & Van Haaren nv – AVH) as general manager. When he withdrew from the daily management in 1998, he remained chairman of the board until 2006.

Erik van Baren has been actively involved as a director and chairman since Donorinfo was set up in May 2005. He ended his mandate in August 2008 with a view to renewing within the board of directors. He nevertheless remains committed to the execution of Donorinfo’s mission. On the 2nd of October, the board of directors appointed him as authorized representative, especially to represent the foundation in all legal documents.

On his motives:
Our western economy is evolving rapidly.
We are now facing problems such as prolongation of life expectancy, evolutions in health care and health care cost, coming on of developing countries and fierce global competition.
The number of people in need of help will increase, and solidarity between citizens will fast become an abiding necessity.
Even governments will not be able to go on carrying the costs and eventually citizens and companies themselves will have to contribute to a solution to the problem.
Donorinfo was founded from the desire to stimulate fellow men to giving more.
On a daily basis, in providing different kinds of donors with the necessary objective information and audited figures, Donorinfo hopes to be able to contribute to a rise in the cash flow towards charities.

More on Donorinfo's mission

The board of directors

Donorinfo strives to see its values reflected in the board of directors’ composition, welcoming different philosophies of life, religious and political beliefs, and making an effort to respect the balance between both genders and the diversity of languages.
All members of the board must share the desire to help those in need of aid.

Mark Lambrechts is chairman of the board. The current board of directors consists of five members:

• Erik De Lembre, previously managing partner with Ernst & Young in Belgiumm
• Mark Lambrechts, director of various companies
• Martine Boone
• Suzanne Van Well, Woman of the Year 2007 (Knack Magazine)

To ensure efficiency the number of members of the board will not exceed eight in the future.

The secretariat

On a daily basis, the office is managed by Sigrid Maes and Pascale Gonda.
Voluntary counsellors Jean-François Poncelet and Alexis Verougstraete provide the necessary support.

Contact

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Donorinfo, public utility foundation
Raketlaan 32
B-1150 Brussels
Belgium

Sigrid Maes 0475/867048 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Pascale Gonda 0499/778 101 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Publications in the Annexes to the Official Gazette
Belgisch Staatsblad 22.11.2011 - Board of Directors (Dutch)
Moniteur belge 22.11.2011 - Board of Directors (French)
Belgisch Staatsblad 20.03.2009 - Board of directors, authorized representative (Dutch)
Moniteur belge 20.03.2009 - Board of directors, authorized representative (French)
Belgisch Staatsblad 18.08.2008 – Memorandum of Association as of 28th of July 2008 (Dutch)
Moniteur belge 18.08.2008 – Memorandum of Association as of 28th of July 2008 (French)
Belgisch Staatsblad 13.12.2005 – Setting up of the Foundation (Dutch)