Code of Conduct Regarding Funding

Gastrointestinal Society Mission

As the Canadian leader in providing trusted, evidence-based information on all areas of the gastrointestinal tract, the GI Society is committed to improving the lives of people with GI and liver conditions, supporting research, advocating for appropriate patient access to healthcare, and promoting gastrointestinal and liver health.

Overview

Funding agreements and ongoing working relationships with corporate interests are integral elements within the current operating environment for Canadian patient groups and consumer advocates. These provide sustainability, knowledge exchange regarding issues, and a valuable framework for the pursuit of common goals.

The GI Society’s Code of Conduct regarding funding reflects a commitment to ensure that the important educational and advocacy activities of the Society are pursued in support of its mission and goals and are not jeopardized by potential or perceived conflicts of interest/duty related to funding arrangements or working relationships.

Principles

We have designed the various elements of this Code of Conduct Regarding Funding to encourage and support practices that uphold principles of transparency, integrity, respect, and accountability, allowing the GI Society, including its members and staff, to thrive as strong, credible, and independent advocates for Canadian patients/consumers.

The GI Society’s Code of Conduct Goals are to:

  • ensure that funding arrangements or relationships with funders do not influence or jeopardize the mission, goals, and advocacy activities of the Society
  • ensure that arrangements and relationships between the Society and funders are ethical, transparent, and able to withstand public scrutiny, and that they reflect positively on the Society, its members and staff, and the funding organizations
  • ensure that the Society maintains credibility with key audiences and stakeholders, including government officials, healthcare professional organizations, the media, and patients/consumers
  • provide the Society with a solid operating framework and appropriate guidelines so that all may be able to interact more effectively, confidently, and authoritatively with funding organizations

Code of Conduct: Funding Categories

Acceptable Funding

It is essential that the Society adopt a thoughtful, balanced, and managed approach to seeking financial support and determining which types of funding formats best serve the organization. Within this context, the following types of funding are acceptable:

  • grants provided without mandatory allocation or restriction to specific activities or projects; the grant may represent broad support for a member’s goals and objectives but are unlinked to specific activities or projects, unless the Society initiates the request, as in the following point
  • funding to support projects or initiatives conceived and developed solely by the Society without influence by the funder on content, messaging, or execution
  • when funding for the development and execution of a project or event that a funding organization has conceived and presented to the Society for consideration, then the Society must ensure it aligns with its strategic plan and reflects the needs of its constituents
  • in-kind support when it is tactical or non-strategic in nature, and therefore there is no risk of influencing the Society’s strategy, positions, messaging, or outreach (e.g., meeting space, equipment, gifts for fundraisers)

Unacceptable Funding

In some cases, certain types of funding formats from funders, which could benefit from patient group/member activities involve a greater level of risk of perception of conflict of interest/duty, thereby compromising the integrity of the organization and its ability to carry out activities that serve its mission and goals. In this context, the following types of funding are unacceptable:

  • funding in exchange for the Society’s involvement in – or endorsement of – a corporate communications/marketing material, project, or event, where the Society has not been involved in conceiving and/or development the material, project, or event (e.g., media releases, patient brochures), when the project does not serve the Society’s goals and objectives
  • funding directly linked to promotion of a specific product or category of products, including activities to advance a product that is not within the usual scope or intent of the Society’s advocacy or patient information activities
  • in-kind support which is strategic in nature or related to the development of the Society’s overall plan, policy, positions, advocacy tactics, messaging, or outreach (e.g., use of consultants to assist in the development of documents submitted to government bodies and other strategic stakeholders, such as media).
  • funding for the Society coming from only one corporate source

Code of Conduct: Working Relationships

Acceptable relationships

It is essential that the Society ensures that its interactions with funders and potential funders are appropriate and uphold principles of transparency, integrity, respect, and accountability. Within this context, the following types of working relationships are acceptable:

  • exchange of information regarding public policy and legislative developments, medical/health issues, and other relevant areas using a range of means, including meetings, conferences, emails, and reports
  • collaboration and partnership on various types of projects (e.g., events, reports), both those initiated by the member or the funder, provided that the projects do not involve the development of strategy and positions and that the activity is in line with the Society’s previously established goals and objectives

Unacceptable relationships

Some types of working relationships present a higher risk of potential conflict of interest, such as the following, which are unacceptable:

  • using the assistance of funders to create strategy, including use of their employees or consultants, when the funder is directly involved in setting up meetings, facilitating connections and communications, as well assisting in developing strategy, positions, advocacy tactics, messaging, and outreach plans

Code of Conduct: Ensuring Independence

In the management of funding arrangements and working relationships with funders, guidelines, policies, and procedures must be in place to ensure that the Society develop independently all strategy, positions, messaging, and outreach plans, thereby safeguarding against influence from funders and negating perceptions of conflicts of interest/duty. Examples of such practices include:

  • funder representatives should be excluded from the Society’s boards or committees, except where the committee mandate is limited and unrelated to development of strategy, positions, advocacy tactics, messaging, and outreach plans
  • excluding funder participation at any meetings where the Society is developing positions and strategies

Code of Conduct: Funding Acknowledgement

In the interests of transparency and accountability, the Society has clear and consistent communication methods regarding funding sources, including unrestricted grants, project funding, and in-kind support or services. The following are acceptable and appropriate forms of acknowledgment:

  • communication of all related funding sources in patient information pamphlets and the Inside Tract® | Du Coeur au ventreMD newsletters
  • identification of funders on relevant materials, including surveys, reports, and videos, and must be disclosed at all BadGut® Lectures