The Jay Love Blog : ethics

Ethics in Northern Indiana

Jay Love — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:45:00 GMT

Last Thursday was the celebration of National Philanthropy Day in beautiful Fort Wayne Indiana. I say that because it was truly a warm sunny day for so late in the year in Indiana's second largest city. Perhaps that helped draw nearly 140 fundraisers together to celebrate the best and brightest in Philanthropy. From students to fundraisers to philanthropists, the stories of their accomplishments were outstanding, if not truly heartwarming!

I was delighted to be part of this celebration in several ways. First, Blackbaud provided sponsorship by being an exhibitor at the event. Secondly, I was honored to address the "Master's Track" of senior fundraisers with a presentation on Ethics. Just as I had figured, my presentation to such senior professionals quickly turned into a group discussion. This was especially true with regards to the four case studies I presented. Each case study was adapted from those provided by the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Here is a link to the section of the web site where the Code of Ethics guidelines are found here.

What truly separates the fundraising profession from many others is not only the Code of Ethics, but the ability to enforce them via a specified appeal and hearing process. Being involved with several of those hearings as part of the AFP Ethics committee did allow me to help bring the case studies to life. Of course, very little prompting was required to bring the thoughts and opinions of the senior group to the forefront.

Please find below the case studies we discussed. As you glance through them, do you think you know the proper and ethical answer or answers to each one? If not, please refer to the link above for the specific guidelines. No matter what, I think you will enjoy the scenarios. Perhaps many of you will be better equipped to prevent them with proper policies at your organization after you review them. Here you go:

Ethics Coming to Life at Blackbaud Conference

Jay Love — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 18:09:00 GMT

One of my recent posts referred to the AFP Ethics Committee and the vital guidelines they keep updated and enforced. Please allow me to say thanks to those of you who commented so positively about those guidelines and the role AFP places in our sector.

At our recent meeting we viewed an on-line ethics survey that anyone in the business or non-profit world would find interesting to take. Here is a brief overview:

eInsight Ethics Quiz

eQuiz is designed for executives wanting ideas on how to incorporate a culture of business ethics and corporate social responsibility. eQuiz takes approximately 20 minutes to complete and scores are compared against industry peers. Action steps are provided to help improve future scores.

How did you score? I am pleased to say I felt good about my score!

I also mentioned the upcoming ethics session at the Blackbaud Conference for Non-Profits.

Our session is one of many outstanding ones being offered this year.

To provide an even better overview Joy Simpson and I created a podcast with the help of our moderator Sarita Myers. You can enjoy this preview via this link. You will not want to miss the point/counterpoint approach we are taking to the case studies being highlighted.

We hope to see many of you there in November!

Ethics: Not Just a Word at AFP

Jay Love — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 18:00:00 GMT

This week I had the honor and privilege to see just how important ethics are to the fundraising profession and more importantly to the largest association in our beloved sector. Now I have true appreciation for how the words surrounding this important subject can come to life. Here is what I am referring to in regards to the ethical guidelines of AFP.

Many of you are aware that I have been involved with the Association of Fundraising Professionals for most of my career in this sector. Currently, my involvement includes chairing the Business Partner Council and being part of the Ethics Committee. When I accepted the latter role, part of me actually thought it might be a bit boring. I must admit the reams of documentation border on that; however the people surrounding the subject more than bring it to life!

When violations to the ethical guidelines are reported, AFP reviews each one in detail. Should the matter need closer attention or perhaps sanctions need to be levied, then several steps take place. First, is a large amount of research and fact finding. The CIA might even be proud of the care taken.

A key latter portion of the process is an actual hearing where both sides can present their case. Seeing the process unfold in person was enlightening and a testament to the great care taken. I was proud to be part of the upholding of those key ethical standards. We are all fortunate to work with such outstanding and caring professionals in the form of certified fundraisers. They certainly moved my already high respect up another notch or two this week.