This article, Fundraising Ethics: Our Commitment to Community, Our Commitment to Trust, originally appeared October 9, 2019 as a guest post on the Blog of KCTCS President Dr. Jay Box, Out of the Box.
Stay out of jail in 25 easy steps! I’ve given this tongue-in-cheek presentation on fundraising ethics on several occasions. Ethics is one of those subjects that can evoke feelings of apprehension, fear, boredom, anxiety, or even apathy. I’ve found that a little levity has helped make the topic approachable.
Fundraising ethics are critical to the work of the social sector. Fundraising professionals develop relationships with potential donors to help them make philanthropic investments. Once they identify and align donor interests and organizational impact, both parties work together to articulate terms of a philanthropic investment. Trust is key in any successful relationship, and the relationship between a fundraiser and a donor is no exception. Without trust, philanthropy cannot grow.
Trust is key in any successful relationship, and the relationship between a fundraiser and a donor is no exception. Without trust, philanthropy cannot grow.
Beginning this October and each subsequent October, the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) will be highlighting the importance and impact of ethics. Their push for an Ethics Awareness Month begins the fourth quarter of the year and immediately precedes what is commonly regarded as the giving season. The Kentucky and Community College System (KCTCS) saw this as an opportunity to formally affirm what was already embedded into the System’s DNA. On September 25, KCTCS President Jay Box and the presidents of the 16 KCTCS colleges joined the front-line fundraising staff at those same colleges to commit to effective and ethical fundraising.
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