Before your eyes glaze over …  I think it is interesting to note that The Chronicle of Philanthropy reported a new poll by AFP that showed ethical dilemmas are relatively rare in fund raising, and that “the lion’s share of fundraisers – 82 percent — face ethical dilemmas once a month or less.” That may be rare – unless you happen to be facing your monthly ethical dilemma.  But, if we come right down to the matter — I think we face ethical dilemmas everyday in the small, seemingly innocuous decisions we make.   

Recently my co-vice president of Professional Advancement for the Association of Development Officers in Westchester – Paula Barbag – and I put together a luncheon program on “ethics.”  We asked Dr. Gene Buccini to facilitate and came up with a number of situations that could pose an ethical dilemma.  These were discussed at the respective luncheon tables – and then the thoughts were shared among all the guests. The discussion was fascinating, particularly as there was never any real consensus, but a lot of “it depends …” (And, as most of the group was development officers, they seemed to always be trying to find ethical ways to accept the contribution.  No real surprise there.) 

How we behave, and how we receive and present information actually poses potential ethical decisions all the time.  We just happen to make them without giving them a lot of thought.  But, just for a few minutes, I’d like to challenge you to think about a few situations that might give you pause – and possibly present an ethical dilemma.

• Are you being truthful when you present a hopeful scenario on a grant application, knowing that your organization, like all others, faces some problems that may not be quite as promising as you portrayed?
• How honest are you when you estimate the proportion of your budget that goes to fundraising and the percentage that goes to programs? 
• How do you count the number of people affected by the services your organization provides?
• What if a donor makes unreasonable demands on your organization, such as asking for benefits not accorded to other donors, or even requiring an inordinate amount of time from staff?  What about if it is time they are taking from program staff?
• What if a donor left your development officer in his/her will – in addition to your organization?  Or what if your organization was excluded and the development officer was not?  Yikes
• Should a major donor be given special privileges?  When is it ok? When is it considered favoritism?  Consider concierge services at a hospital or the admissions office of a college or university.
• What if a major donor made a “pass” at a young attractive fundraiser on your staff?  What if the donor was married and the staff member complained?   What if it was at a gala and the fundraiser was dressed provocatively?  Uh-oh.
• Should the CEO of an organization be given a loan from the nonprofit he/she runs to pay his or her mortgage or debt if the individual were experiencing legitimate financial problems, such as an illness in his/her family?  And he/she has worked there 20 + years?
• Should you accept a large gift from someone for a purpose that deviates from your mission?  What if it is a VERY large gift with a promise of an endowment?
• How do you report how much you raised from your event – what do you count, what don’t you count – and do you report net or gross to your Board?  Is that the same number you report to the public?

 Every one of these questions have actually been experienced by people working at or affiliated with a not for profit organization.  And they were pretty agonizing.  There are no “right or wrong” answers, in most instances — or perhaps you think there are.  My favorite explanation of whether or not you are being ethical is:  “can you look your mother in the eye?”    Hmmmmmm ….. Post a Comment … Let me know what you think …..