Key actions for guiding your organisation

Checklist for leaders

As leaders, you play a key role in guiding your organisation to withstand foreign interference.

Here are some key actions you can take:

Know your organisation’s value. Consider what aspects of your community organisation might attract interest from foreign state actors — such as your influence, connections with communities and decision-makers, and access to important or sensitive information.
Assess your organisation’s risk of foreign interference by identifying which people, information, or activities might be targeted. Use a risk register to help guide this process.
Make sure all board members, staff, and volunteers understand what foreign interference is, how to recognise its potential risks, and how it could affect your community organisation.
Have clear and comprehensive policies that set out how your organisation operates and makes decisions. This promotes transparency and consistency in how your organisation operates. See Policy health check.
Have a clear and comprehensive Code of Conduct to guide governance, employees and volunteers to maintain integrity and adhere to your internal policies.
Encourage a culture where vigilance and questioning unusual behaviour are part of everyday practice. If something feels off, trust your instincts and tell someone.
Check decisions, partnerships, and funding opportunities against your organisation’s values, strategy and priorities to help your organisation maintain a clear direction in its decisions, activities, and partnerships.
Have clear policies for managing stakeholder relationships, donations and funding. Make sure all board members and staff are aware of them and document any new relationships or contributions.
Scrutinise all donations, grants, funding and offers of support to minimise the risk of inappropriate obligations, influence, expectations, or pressure being attached to them. See this checklist: Key practices for managing gifts, funding and donations
Ensure IT and cyber security systems and policies are up to date, to help keep your systems and information protected from potential threats. See this checklist: Key practices for strengthening IT and device security

Note: Organisations are required to comply with relevant New Zealand legislation, such as the Charities Act 2005 and the Incorporated Societies Act 2022.