History and structure

Pestalozzi International is a family of not-for-profit organisations. All organisations operate as separate legal entities but share common policies on philosophy and purpose. The educational philosophy of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi (Head, Heart and Hands and our child-centred approach) is absolutely key to the success of our programmes to date and marks us out from other charities that educate children. They are also key to securing the donations that fund us to date.

Our Fundraising Trusts in Switzerland, USA and UK are served by a small executive team in the UK but each has an independent Board and their own supporters. In order to maximise the number of children we can support the team is expected to remain small and be focused on income generation.

All that has been achieved since 1995 has been made possible by expert staff in India, Nepal and Zambia who deliver the programmes and the dedication of the local Boards who have the experience, access and cultural insight to manage them. 

The primacy of local boards, and their executives, in exercising control over their organisations in accordance with group policies is an enshrined principle of governance in our family. However, it is acknowledged that the UK’s role as the distributor of grants and primary funder creates hierarchical dynamics, reporting requirements and power imbalances.  

The vision of the Founders and donors who have supported Pestalozzi International is that all of the organisations in the family develop to be self-sufficient, with the UK supporting investment in income generation locally and on hand to lend expertise when requested.

This document outlines three key principles to guide stakeholders in understanding the working relationship between the UK and overseas partners, providing details on compliance with group norms and the rationale behind them.

Guiding Principles

1.     All Board Members are jointly and severally responsible for the overall control and strategic direction of the organisation(s) they are Directors of, in accordance with their Constitution and Pestalozzi International Policies and Procedures

a.     Pestalozzi International Policies and Procedures Manual (UK Copy)

A copy of the Board-approved Policies and Procedures Manual, along with meeting  minutes pertaining to its annual Board Review, must be provided to the UK Office alongside final budget submissions by the start of the second working week of November each year.

Section A, ‘Pestalozzi Ethos and Head, Heart and Hands’, must be followed by all organizations. UK Trustees must be consulted prior to the amendment of these standards.

Section B, provides a set of policies with minimum coverage for operational matters. Local variations, at the discretion of the local Boards, to comply with relevant regulations, culture and working practices are anticipated and encouraged. The UK Office must be informed of any variations, and policies that are not felt to be applicable.

b.     Board Membership and Meetings

The UK is obliged to keep a register of Related Parties and Persons of Significant Control for the group. Local boards must consult with the UK CEO or UK Chair prior to the appointment of new members.

The UK CEO/Director of Programmes/a UK Board appointed Observer will attend all Board Meetings in the group to represent the position of the UK Board and to gather context on any issues requiring the attention of the UK Board or donors, with the prior permission of the Chair.

2.     Without prejudice to the control of Boards over their organisations, the UK Board has legal obligations to our donors and regulatory bodies that transcend UK jurisdiction. These primarily relate to verifying use of funds, bribery, corruption and child safeguarding- necessitating input on group-wide policy and a limited degree of direct monitoring by UK executives. The UK is committed to providing full visibility to local Boards after this is conducted.

a.     Quarterly Reports

The Quarterly Director’s Report must be endorsed by the relevant Board Chair prior to submission to the UK, no later than the penultimate Thursday of the month following the end of each quarter - Jan, Apr, July and Oct. The UK-generated template covers the reporting needs of the UK Staff to the UK Board and our donors.

b.     In-country visits by UK Staff

Monitoring visits are undertaken at least annually (except for TPF) but usually twice a year by UK staff or Trustees. The Monitoring Checklist must be used and discussed with the relevant local Chair of the Board.

c.     Annual Budgeting

The UK will issue Budget Guidelines no later than the first week of each September to the Directors/Chairs along with a timetable including the following steps:

1.     Draft budgets must be approved by local boards or finance sub-committees during Q3 meeting in October each year

2.     Board-approved final budgets must be submitted to UK - in early November

3.     Consolidated group budget available for review - late November

4.     2022 funding and budgets approved at UK Finance meeting - mid-December

5.     Grant Agreement sent for signature - mid-December

d.     Grant Agreements

Grant Agreements are prepared by the UK and must be signed by the Director or Chair of the implementing organization.

The Grant Agreement covers the purpose of funding, the timing of disbursements, agreement to UK monitoring and use of the Quarterly Director’s Report template and compliance with the Pestalozzi International Policies and Procedures Manual provided to the UK alongside the Annual Budget. +/-10% variances to the agreed budget should be discussed with the UK before being executed.

3.     The UK’s role is to provide support, resources and specialist expertise to local partners as required or requested in a spirit of consultation. It is not the role of the UK to manage programmes or staff overseas.

The UK provides a number of coordinating activities for the group:

1.     Disbursing funds from our fundraising trusts in the USA and Switzerland

2.     Raising funds to support programmes

3.     Providing assistance toward the self-sufficiency of our partners

4.     Collecting and processing data on our programmes’ outcomes/impact

5.     Ensuring that best practice is disseminated from wherever it presents to other members of the group

6.     Providing thought leadership on, and monitoring consistency of, delivery across the group on Pestalozzian Values and modern application of the Pestalozzi ethos.

7.     Co-ordinating Alumni initiatives