Board pledge "We did not solicit office"
This criterion assesses whether the organization's board members collectively make an annual public pledge affirming that they did not seek or campaign for their positions. It evaluates the commitment to servant leadership by reinforcing the Islamic principle that leadership (Wilayah) is a responsibility (Taklīf) rather than a privilege (Tashrīf). "Solicit/campaigning" includes canvassing for votes, offering inducements, coordinated vote drives, paid promotion, undue use of organizational resources, or pressuring nominators. This is distinct from CC9 'political campaigning'; this concerns internal governance. Where bylaws mandate elections, the pledge is adapted (Election Variant) to prohibit improper canvassing/inducements while permitting equal, official candidate statements. Transparency applies to the pledge and process—not to confidential allegation details.
| Metric | Board Pledge Signing Rate |
|---|---|
| Target | 100% |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Method | (Board members signing pledge / Total board members) × 100 |
| Unit | Percentage |
Level 1: Initial/Ad-hoc
The principle of not seeking office is not formally recognized or discussed at the board level.
Level 2: Developing
The principle is informally acknowledged, or documented in governance policies (e.g., code of conduct), but there is no formal pledge.
Level 3: Established
Board members make a formal, internal pledge upon appointment and annually (≥80% compliance), minuted; no public posting; no formal breach protocol.
Level 4: Advanced
Collective public annual pledge with ≥95% individual affirmations (missing signatures followed up); published on website/annual report within 30 days; pledge text standardized; minutes retained.
Level 5: Optimizing
Fully embedded culture with 100% compliance; motivations vetted via structured interview rubric; election variant applied when relevant; zero substantiated breaches; independent observation/internal audit; annual lessons‑learned feeding into nominations policy.
Organisation Types
By Organisation Size
| Size | Applicability | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Micro | exempt | Formal recruitment processes, candidate briefing packs, and public statements are disproportionate for volunteer-run micro charities. |
| Small | partial | Can record a simple pledge in board minutes; formal candidate briefing packs and public statements are disproportionate. |
| Medium | partial | Can implement the pledge and provide basic candidate info; full public statements and extensive briefing packs may be scaled down. |
| Large | full | |
| Major | full |
Applicable When
- Organization is legally constituted
Not Applicable When
- All board members are directly appointed by a founder or a single, pre-determined appointing authority without a nomination or application process.
- All board positions are filled on an ex-officio or designated representative basis, where membership is an automatic function of holding another office.
Related Criteria
Discussion (1)
📋 **Version updated: 1.0.0 → 2.9.7** **Changes:** Updated islamic_references from mizan-297.json
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