Principles of Practice for Fundraising Professionals
As entry level professionals in the field of fundraising, we are always searching for best practices, role models, and benchmark institutions to which we can learn from in the coming years. One stepping stone of professional development that we feel is extremely important is to establish a personal set of guiding principles to which you can refer to whenever making an important decision.
These personal principles are certainly developed over time, but the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) has provided a starting block for those who are looking for guidance. Their suggestions, titled “Principles of Practice for Fundraising Professionals at Educational Institutions,” highlight a few of the key areas fundraisers should be aware of. We have chosen to include a few of them below:
Integrity:
- Fundraising professionals must respect that their relationships with prospective donors, donors, volunteers, and employees are professional relationships and may not be exploited.
Confidentiality:
- Safeguard and respect donor and prospective donor information.
- Record and keep information relevant only to cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
- Make sure that volunteers, vendors, and external entities with access to constituent information understand and agree to comply with the organization’s confidentiality and public disclosure policies.
Public Trust:
- Provide prompt, responsive and truthful replies to donor and public inquiry in accordance with the organization’s stated policies.
- Pursue gifts only that fall within, or advance, the institutions’s mission or priorities.
Disclosure:
- Be truthful about the institution’s mission, intended use of funds, and capacity of the institution to use donations effectively for the intended purpose.
Compensation:
- Do not accept external compensation for the receipt of a gift or information leading to a gift.
For a complete list of CASE’s Principles, click here.