WWF is one of the largest international organizations for the protection of the environment.

WWF's mission is to  prevent the Environmental degradation and build a future where humans will live in harmony with nature, by:

• preserving the planet's biodiversity
• sustainably using of renewable natural resources
• reducing pollution and wasteful consumption

WWF was initially an acronym for WorldWildlifeFund. Choosing this particular name reflected the desire of the  founders to raise money from the global community to fund the actions of other environmental organizations in ecologically sensitive areas worldwide.

In 1986 the organization realizes that the name WorldWildlifeFund doesn't reflect the field of its activities anymore, since the actions performed to protect isolated species and areas evolved to an ambitious and integrated strategy for preserving biodiversity and promoting a viable growth model.  WWF ceases operation as a fund, stops funding other's activities and creates its own world program. Hence, it changes its name to WorldWideFundforNature. United States and Canada though retained the old name (WorldWideFund). In order to avoid confusion and to retain cohesion between the various national offices, the organization decided in 2001 to use internationally the initial acronym WWF.

In April 29th, 1961. The first office commenced operations in September 1961 in the Swiss town Morges. Placing it in a neutral environment served brilliantly the aims of an international environmental organization that wished from the very beginning to stay clear of any political games and maintain independence.

In the city of Gland in Switzerland resides the WWF International, the Secretariat and the WWF's global network. The secretariat's role is to coordinate the network of national offices and program offices throughout the world. It does so by following certain policies, by setting priorities, by coordinating the international campaigns and through global collaborations. In addition, it provides support means which are necessary for the smooth functioning of a global organization.  

Decision making and designing strategy falls on the shoulders of the Board of Directors of WWF International and the network's National Council, which is comprised of the General Directors of the national organizations and the representatives of the program offices. This way the decisions concerning WWF globally, are being made democratically and reflect the resultant of the unique needs and problems of every country, as well as the grand and global environmental challenges.

WWF is active in more than a 100 countries, via a network of 80 offices, in the following ways:

• National offices: Independent national organizations, which participate in the WWF's global network, and are represented in decision making procedures for the programs and the politics of the network. Concurrently they have independent legal status, with its own administrative structure and financial management.
• Program offices: offices that are created in ecologically important areas of the world in order to carry out certain protection programs. They're not independent but report directly to WWF International or to a national office.
• Collaborating organizations: in some areas of the planet WWF is active through collaborations with local environmental organizations.

WWF Greece is the national office of WWF in Greece.  It's an independent Greek non-governmental organization and at the same time an active part of the global network of WWF.

WWF is an independent national organization, which is however part of  WWF's global network. This relationship means that even though the organization retains in its fullness its self-management and the ability to shape its own priorities, it has to, on the one hand, function under the framework of the principles that are determined by the network, and on the other serve the common aims that are set on a global level.

Activity in Greece begins in 1969, over twenty years before the establishment of the national organization WWF Greece, with the restoration of the forest of Kesariani in Ymhttos and afterwards with the reinforcement of safeguarding activities in Prespes and in Dadia Evrou.
In 1991 a program office of WWF International is created in Greece. This office is entitled "Global Fund for Nature - WWF Greece".

In 1994 the national organization is founded with the legal status of a charitable foundation.  Its operation is defined by the 11-1-1994 Presidential Decree (ΦΕΚ Β’ 22 / 18-1-1994) (founding), its amendment by the ΦΕΚ Β 790 / 22-6-2001 and article 18 of N.244 ΦΕΚ Issue A 265 / 3-12-116 (concerning its administrative and managerial self-existence of the Establishment).

• It's international, independent, multicultural and not party-related.
• It makes use of the best available scientific knowledge and evaluates all of its activities.
• It seeks dialog and avoids any unnecessary conflicts.
• It promotes effective solutions, through a combination of working in nature, political action, training and education.
• It involves and collaborates with the local societies and the citizens of the areas in the planning and the realization of its programs, with respect to their cultural and financial needs.
• It aspires to collaborate with other organizations, the governments and the corporations, having as a goal being effective and providing solutions.
• It makes use of its resources in the most efficient way and manages the money coming from donors with transparency and absolute accountability.

WWF Greece manages it resources according to the strictest national and international standards, with absolute transparency and under the annual financial inspection of qualified book-keepers and of the Ministry of Financial Affairs. The organization, has endorsed the carta of voluntary agreement for the NGOs for the transparency and accountability, it has for years all of its financial data posted on the Internet and publishes annual reports of all the aspects of its activities and its management. Additionally, WWF Greece displays exceptional attention into applying the strict procedures of firm management, for which it has been awarded the ISO certification 9001:2008.

The success of the actions of WWF Greece depends fully on the professional capabilities of the people that work for it. For this reason the core of the organization is based upon staff on a payroll, able to respond to the complicated and multidimensional environmental challenges of our days.

Yet, the actions and the efficiency of the organization are supported hugely by voluntary work, which is besides an indissoluble part of every NGO's character. 

You can see in detail the organization chart and the CVs of the people working for WWF Greece here.

No! On the contrary it contributes...

Within the WWF's international network functions an inner system for the redistribution of resources, in order to ensure the viability of the work of the national organizations in countries with great ecological wealth but limited financial resources.

Under this system, WWF Greece contributes through the international secretariat of WWF (WWF International) a percentage of its annual revenue in order to fund WWF's global program.   

This percentage comes to 6% of the revenue from donations and grants.

Concluding, there have been isolated instances, where other national offices (for example Wereld Natuur Fonds, WWF UK) have contributed financially in certain of our programs.

The biggest part of our income, which under the international practice and the operation framework of WWF, must be around and not higher than the 50% of the total of every year's budget, comes from institutions from Greece and abroad.

The organization although places extra emphasis on the resources that it collects from private supporters. More than 13,000 regular financial supporters form the basis of the organization and have been stable and valuable companion to our action for all these years.

WWF Greece receives grants from corporations under a strict framework of criteria and principles (see below).

Finally, if there are available resources from institutional bodies for the realization of activities for the protection of the environment which are allocated with procedures of absolute transparency and accountability, WWF Greece seeks to make use of this source of income for the accomplishment of its objectives. 

In any case, for reasons of financial security and independence, we try to secure a diversity concerning our sources of financing, which guarantees the viability of the organization and also carrying out its work without influences.

As "institutional body" we define any source of income which concerns or is related with public institutions and comes under a certain institutional framework. This category includes all levels of administration (state, districts, regional and local authorities etc.), the European Union and all the European and international organizations.

The Greek State is a member of the institutions from which the organization seeks and wishes to receive support for its work. Besides, the importance of  safeguarding the environment is so big, that is directly connected to the public interest.  Therefore we believe it's logical and expected to receive a support of any kind from the state institutions.

For WWF Greece, every act of appropriation from the state to anyone (including NGOs of course) has to fall under defined, transparent and widely known procedures for the submission and approval of the requests and the proposals which should always contribute to the accomplishment of certain strategic objectives. It should also fall under certain procedures of social accountability and financial control.

In cases in which the procedure that could secure a transparent state appropriation is not possible,  WWF Greece has rejected in the past, for example, a minister's order to grant an appropriation to support the organization's work. It was an order of the Minister from the Ministry of Environment (ΠΕΧΩΔΕ), who in 2008 offered by his own volition an appropriation of 130,000 € as a "grant to the Environmental Non-Government Organization WWF Greece, for its work and activities." WWF responded with a letter (αρ.πρωτ. 35/2008) in which it rejected the appropriation, stating that "we cannot accept this grant, at least for the time that the operation of ΕΤΕΡΠΣ fund remains non-transparent, and without defined procedures."  

Throughout 20 years of the organization's operation, only 0.3% of the total income has come from the State.

Yes. We believe that corporations play an active part in the modern financial society. They employ millions of people, and influence a great deal the planet's "natural capital" and the way we make use of it.

We want close to us, corporations who are "leaders" on their respective field that can, beyond funding WWF Greece, also communicate our message and seek to affect their employees, collaborators and consumers.

In any case, according to the special content of each grant, its duration and the amount, we design a communication layout and synergies that may come up in combination with the activity field of the corporation.

You can be informed about our collaboration with corporations here.

WWF Greece receives grants from corporations under a strict framework of criteria and principles, which consists of the following:

• Cases of grant relationship are being examined with the necessary attention and diligence, so as to ensure that the organization carries out its duties unhindered, without jeopardizing its credibility, its financial independence and the right to criticize openly.
• Grant relationships with a corporation active on fields (among others) like fossil fuel and nuclear energy industry, tobacco industry, arms industry, are strictly prohibited by the internal regulations and procedure of the organization internationally.
• The organization's implication, in any form of collaboration with corporations is extensively analyzed, not only by WWF Greece, but also by the corresponding committees of WWF International.
• As a rule, the corporations that are chosen, fulfill the criteria of corporate responsibility, employee rights, regulatory and legislative compliance etc.
• Corporations that maintain international collaborations through our global network are also chosen.For reasons of financial security and independence, we try to secure diversity in our grants, so as to avoid any possible dependence from certain corporate fields.
• The organization monitors closely the transactions of every corporation it collaborates with and does not hesitate, if  deemed necessary, to proceed with terminating a collaboration, something that has happened in the past.
• The organization seeks, whenever this is possible, to expand the framework of a grant relationship concerning matters of the viable practices and operations of each sponsor.

Ensuring the proper management of the organization's financial data constitutes an absolute priority and it is achieved through 3 different levels of control:

• 1st level of control: The main responsibility for the financial control lies with the Board of Directors, the financial committee of WWF Greece which is comprised of people from inside and outside of the organization as well as groups of certified book-keepers.
• 2nd level of control (internal management): The organizations sets very high standards where internal management is concerned by applying a system - certified with ISO 90001:2008 - with among other things ensures that no expense of the organization can be unwarranted and its execution must always be signed by two persons.
• 3rd level of control: All the financial data of the organization are open to the public and to any interested citizen or institution, through our web page, as well as through the financial management and the program development and management unit, who are responsible for the management of financial resources and the realization of our programs respectively.