Ethics in FundraisingEthics in Fundraising

What does it mean?What does it mean?How do I practice?How do I practice?

Anup TiwariAnup Tiwari www.nonprofitfundraisingindia.blogspot.comwww.nonprofitfundraisingindia.blogspot.com

www.fundraisingindia.orgwww.fundraisingindia.org

Presented at Resource Alliance FR Course’08, BVB, New Delhi

What is Ethics?What is Ethics?

• Ethics is a set of your beliefs about right and wrong.

• Integrity to your beliefs is an important element of being ethical.

And beliefs are dependent onAnd beliefs are dependent on

• Your Education

• Your Family Background

• Your Religious Background

• Your Personal Experience in life

So your beliefs areSo your beliefs are

• Your beliefs

• My beliefs are mine

So is everyone ethical?So is everyone ethical?

Yes or No.Yes or No.

How do I know if I am ethical?How do I know if I am ethical?

• Integrity is the corner stone in being ethical

• If you display integrity to your beliefs then you are ethical

How can I become ethical?How can I become ethical?

1. Ask if you take decisions based on what is good for greatest number of people?

2. Do you promote individual self-interest as long as it does not harm others?

……how can I become ethicalhow can I become ethical

3. By making decisions with a belief that everyone has a fundamental right that should be respected and protected.

4. By making decisions which treat everyone fairly and consistently.

How does it translate…How does it translate…

In FundraisingIn Fundraising

But why ethics in fundraising?But why ethics in fundraising?

• For most fundraising activities there is a positive and negative side

• Not send Mailers or destroy trees?

• Do not Telecall or Do not Follow DND registry?

Question of ethics comesQuestion of ethics comes

When we have to make choice When we have to make choice between two unfavorable optionsbetween two unfavorable options

Ask yourself 1Ask yourself 1

• Is your fundraising strategy/plan/activity doing good for more people?

• Surely there will be people at disadvantage, do they outnumber the beneficiaries?

• If answers are Y&N perfectly ethical

Ask yourself 2Ask yourself 2

• Do you have any individual self interest in your fundraising decisions?

• Do you benefit more than– Your organisation– Your beneficiaries– Your donors– Your community

Ask yourself 3Ask yourself 3

• Is my fundraising activity violating anybody’s fundamental rights?

• If Yes, how can I address that?

• E.g. Mailers on recycled paper

Ask yourself 4Ask yourself 4

• Is my fundraising activity discriminating

– Beneficiaries (identity, showing in poor light, gender insensitive)

– General Community (showing in poor light)

– Donors (big and small; just emotionally)

Case Study 1- should they partner?Case Study 1- should they partner?

Child Rights Organisation

An Infant milk supplement marketing

company

Promotes breast feeding

Promotes its infant formula

Leads to proper nutrition of children

Leads to malnutrition

Needs funds to find malnutrition

Plush with funds that can fight malnutrition it

created in 1st place

Case Study 2Case Study 2

• Greenpeace & Corporate Houses

• Can they partner?

• Should they partner?

• Do they partner?

Case Study 3 -WWF & PaperCase Study 3 -WWF & Paper

• WWF also saves forests• WWF also sends mailers• WWF also sells cards

• Is this ethical?• Recycled paper usage.

• Yes if you answer the 4 questions.

How do you judge your fundraising How do you judge your fundraising ethics?ethics?

• Search the organisational literature & speak to old timers to construct a beliefs booklet

• Follow those beliefs with integrity

Remember your beliefs Remember your beliefs may not be mine.may not be mine.

Thank You!Thank You!