A Commitment to Ethical Fundraising

Anne Bergeron joins philanthropy expert Eugene R. Tempel, EdD to offer a practical and socially-just approach to ethical fundraising for public sector causes. In this chapter, published in the fifth edition of Achieving Excellence in Fundraising (Wiley, 2022) and edited by faculty from Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, the co-authors explore a range of relevant topics: the foundation of trust that anchors all philanthropic relationships; universal values that undergird moral behavior; and three frameworks of normative philosophy and their relationship to fundraising. They also review professional ethics and codes of conduct adopted by the Association of Fundraising Professionals and Independent Sector.

In addition, the authors discuss the most common ethical issues that vex nonprofits, consider the challenges of ethical dilemmas, and summarize an easy-to-adopt ethical decision-making process. They also examine the imperative of integrating ethics and social justice in all public sector endeavors and propose a new Beneficiary Bill of Rights that promotes equity, collaboration, and power-sharing among nonprofits, donors, and beneficiaries.

Listen to an interview with Anne and Gene about their research with The Fund Raising School podcast host Bill Stanczykiewicz, EdD.