Governance
WBWO is an association of its member businesses, registered as a nonprofit corporation in Colorado, USA. These are the bodies that decide, and the rules that keep them independent.
Who decides what
Each body works under written rules in our bylaws. We send the bylaws to anyone who asks.
- Board of directors
- Responsible for strategy, finances and the organisation’s legal duties as a Colorado nonprofit corporation. Some directors are elected by members.
- Certification committee
- Decides every certification, renewal and withdrawal. Its members don’t sell memberships and never decide on a business they’re connected to.
- Consumer Protection Panel
- Decides complaints from consumers that mediation can’t settle. Nobody connected to the business or the person complaining takes part.
- Welfare Fund panel
- Decides on loans from the Welfare Fund, using rules we publish.
- Annual members’ meeting
- Where certified members vote, elect directors and question the board on the year’s work and accounts.
How we stay independent
- Decisions are kept apart from fees
- An independent certification committee decides every application. Nobody can pay for a better result, and members never decide on their own certification.
- A person checks every document
- Our verification team reviews every document by hand. We don’t make automated decisions or use facial recognition.
- Members have a say
- Certified members vote at the annual meeting and elect representatives to the board.
- Our own books are open
- Our accounts are independently reviewed every year, and we publish them along with the Welfare Fund’s.
- No government control
- We work with governments, but none funds us, sits on our board or decides who we certify.
- Conflicts are declared
- Anyone with a link to a business or a case steps aside from every decision about it.
Documents and accounts
Our articles of incorporation, bylaws and latest annual accounts are available to anyone. Email hello@wbwo.org and we’ll send them.