BACKGROUND and STRUCTURE
- Created in 1966, WWF's Belgian National Organization has since grown to become the largest organization for the
conservation of nature and the protection of the environment in the country.
Its headquarters are located in Brussels, with a full-time staff of about 45. WWF-Belgium can count on a supporting base of
about 250,000 people. There are three categories of members : adult members, student members (13 to 18 years of age), and
"Junior" members (up to 13 years of age).
In accordance with the general developments of Belgian politics, WWF-Belgium (though still a single national organization)
has been subdivided into Flemish- and French-speaking sub-organizations, each with its own board of directors and its own
specific, local projects. However, the main policy of action, the major projects and the international representation, are still
managed jointly at the national level. WWF - Belgium has four operational departments : Conservation and Education,
Communications, Fund-raising, Finance and Administration.
WWF-Belgium operates seven WWF - Centres throughout the country : in Brussels (2), Antwerp, Gent, Leuven, Charleroi
and Li¸ge. These centres provide general information on WWF projects and actions, and also sell gift items, also to be found
in WWF's Gift Catalogue.
WWF-Belgium's net income for 1994-1995 was about 90 million Belgian francs, of which about 75 percent came from
fundraising activities (memberships, gifts, royalties, legacies... ). The rest originated from external support to specific projects,
public subsidies and other sources of income. About 50 per cent of WWF's expenses that year were directly poured into nature
conservation field projects, in Belgium and abroad (contribution to international projects); about 20 million francs were
devoted to information and awareness campaigns, and about 14 million francs to education activities. Administration and
management costs amounted to around 10 per cent of the global budget.
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Copyright 1996, The World Wide Fund For Nature
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