Doing well by doing right: a fundraiser's guide to ethical decision-making

The level of trust a prospective donor has in a charity will, in part, determine whether the individual chooses to support the charity as well as the amount of that support. A key factor involved in trust is an organization's ethical standards. Donors prefer to make donations to organizations that maintain the highest principles. If an organization can consistently make the best possible, most ethical decisions, it will be recognized as being an ethical institution, which in turn will enhance the trust it engenders, and, therefore, the support it can attract. A number of ethical decision-making models exist. Adopting a decision-making model will ensure that a methodical approach is used and that the incidents of rash decision-making will be reduced. Using an ethical decision-making model will help individuals arrive consistently at the best solutions to ethical dilemmas, defend those decisions, enhance public trust, secure more donors, and raise more money. The value of sound decision-making and effective ethical decision-making models are reviewed in this paper. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.