Archived: Aztem Inc, charity review

This is a charity review, a review for those with an interest in the Australian charity Aztem Inc (Aztem).

It is structured according to the charity’s entry on the ACNC[i]Register, and its purpose is to supply some information extra to what is there, information that may be helpful in your decision about Aztem.

It is up to you to decide whether any or all of the information presented here is what you need in order to make that decision, and whether you should seek any other information, either from the charity itself or from other sources.

Ministry response

Prior to publishing this review, I sent my observations to the charity, on 11 February 2016, and invited them to comment. After a delay to allow their Committee to meet, they provided the following response:

Thank you for your Draft Review of Aztem as a charity. Our Committee noted your comments: here are some clarifications. 

Aztem does not seek or receive funds from the public but since its inception as a matter of principle has relied on the contributions of members. The most substantial contributions to Aztem and by Aztem lie in the expertise and networking of our members, both those in Australia and those who work overseas.  Our website will be updated to reflect this more clearly.

ACNC has advised us that “activities” as reported to them in the Annual Information Statement, are intended as the core activities of the organisation. Hence participation at events held interstate (as we reported) are incidental, do not constitute ‘operating in’ that state.

We understand (and will obtain legal confirmation) that we do not come under ASIC’s requirements for an “Australian Registrable Body”.

ACNC’s phone Help Line (13 22 62) was prompt and helpful, they advise that charities/NFPs contact them directly for such matters. 

 The vacancy for Vice President has been filled.

 Our postal address and telephone numbers as displayed on our website are correct.

Organisation of this review

• The first part of this review is organised according to the headings in the Register entry. This is how to use this section of the review:
  • For each heading in the register entry, first read the information under that heading.
  • Then check if that heading is included below. (Headings for which there is no comment are not included.)

Sources

• ACNC Register (including links)
• Google search on the charity’s name.
• Aztem website. Not on any third-party sites.
• State government fundraising licence registers.
• www.glassdoor.com.au

REGISTRATION DETAILS

Entity Subtype

• Not a subtype suggestive of sharing the Gospel.
• The ‘Purposes’ in the constitution, however, are very much about the Gospel.

CHARITY DETAILS

Legal Name

• Aztem is a Victorian incorporated association.

Other Name(s)

• They have a trading name that should be here, but trading names are of little consequence for charities any longer. (Besides it is almost identical to their legal name.)

Charity ABN

• Tax deductibility: Your donation to Aztem will not attract a tax deduction.

Charity Street Address

• No postal address on the website.

ANNUAL REPORTING

• AIS 2015
  • This is Aztem’s compulsory Annual Information Statement 2014 (AIS 2015).
  • It was submitted five days before the expiry of the seven month period allowed for submission.
  • It shows that AZTEM had no employees.
  • It gives basic financial information
• Financial Report 2015
  • Aztem did not submit a financial report with its AIS. The ACNC, because of Aztem’s size, does not require one.
  • Aztem claims membership of Missions Interlink[ii]. Confirmed here.
    • One of their requirements is that members ‘have available for its members and supporters a clear and appropriate financial statement which has been approved by its auditor [Standards Statement, 4.1].
    • I asked Aztem, as a potential supporter and somebody who reviews charities, for this ‘statement’. They did not respond to this request.  I have therefore been unable to review the report that is current at the moment.

ABOUT THE CHARITY

• Statement of Faith

• • Buried within this page: ‘Aztem takes the Lausanne Covenant of 1974 as its doctrinal basis, a benchmark for evangelical mission’ [link added by me].
  • There is no statement of faith in the constitution.

Date Established

• Aztem’s Victorian incorporation record shows that the association was established in 1989.
• No history found, either on the website or via the Google search.

Who the Charity Benefits

• Vision
  • None found.
• Mission
  • None found.
• Activities (What did AZTEM do?)
  • From the Description of charity’s activities and outcomes in the AIS 2015:
    • 1. Briefing and advice given to persons preparing for overseas assignments.  2. Advice, support and resources for members working overseas and their families. 3. Debriefing for those working overseas during period of leave in Australia. 4. Ongoing development of our training resources and training personnel. 5. Participation in conferences in NSW (August 2014) and Victoria (May 2015) to inform wider public. 6. Leadership participation in training programs (national leadership, NSW August 2014 and other events in Vic.)
• Outcomes (What did AZTEM deliver?)
  • Other than what is included above, AZTEM was not explicit about its 2015 outcomes in the section that called for them in the AIS 2015.
  • None found on the website.
• Impact (How were people’s lives improved?
  • Nothing systematic found.

Size of Charity

• If there were a category smaller than ‘Small’, Aztem would no doubt qualify

Financial Year End

• This means that the next financial report is due by 31 December 2016. Before that the financial information on the Register will be up to 18 months out-of-date.
  • You may therefore need to ask for more up-to-date information.

CHARITY’S DOCUMENT (SIC)

• There is no Annual Report/Review available on the ACNC Register.
• Nor on the AZTEM website.

RESPONSIBLE PERSONS

No. of Australian ‘responsible person’ positions[iii]

Rosalind Gooden           This function was not working at the time of writing

Lois Grant

Richard Lai

Jillian Quartel

Paul Wansbrough

Merilyn Riley

David Mills

John Jamieson

Ian Grant

        Patrina Caldwell

• The directors are not identified on the website.

(End of review)

[i] Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, Australia’s national regulator of charities.

[ii] A valuable membership for some– see ‘What membership means’ here.)

[iiii] Because of the possibility of two (or more) directors having the same name on the register of responsible persons, it is not possible to be definitive about the number of directorships held.