Mike’s Monday Message: Ethics Awareness Month

As I travel around meeting AFP members and other individuals who are interested in AFP, one of the topics that comes up frequently is ethics and AFP’s Ethics Awareness Month (every October).

The questions are along the lines of “Hey Mike, why is ethics so important to AFP?” or “Hey Geiger, we hear a lot about ethics from AFP—clearly it’s very important to AFP—tell me why?”

Before I share with you my responses, let me share a brief history of AFP that will help set the stage.

In 1960, the year AFP was founded (bonus points if you knew that AFP hit our 60-year anniversary in 2020), four people met in a diner in New York City to discuss what they thought was a growing profession—yep, you guessed it—the fundraising profession! During the conversation they focused specifically on ethics and on establishing an ethical framework for this new profession. As a result of that conversation and many others like it, they established an organization that would be rooted in ethical behavior based on specific ethical standards—and voila, the Association of Fundraising Professionals was born.

Well, actually NSFR was born—National Society of Fund Raisers—which later became NSFRE—National Society of Fundraising Executives—which then became today’s AFP (double bonus points if you knew the acronyms and their meaning). But throughout the name changes and organizational evolutions, there were several constants—the most important being (in my honest opinion) our unrelenting commitment to ethics, ethical behavior, and our ethical standards.

In AFP’s very first President’s Letter, Dr. Abel Hanson of Columbia Teacher’s College, wrote to our members:

“When those engaged in a given line of work begin… to set experience and ethical standards for their own performance and for others who aspire to their line of work, another condition of professionality exists.” 

How amazing is that? Sixty-two years ago, the founders had the insight and foresight to see the vital importance ethics would have on our profession and, by direct extension, all the millions of causes for whom our members work. One big helping of goosebumps coming right up!

So back to the questions I get asked: ethics is so important to AFP because AFP is a community and ethics is the core foundation upon which successful communities thrive. To put an even finer point on this, AFP has four strategic pillars around which all of our work is positioned. One pillar is , you guessed it, ethics—and to be specific: Championing Ethical Fundraising Practices.

We continue take this very seriously—so seriously that 4 years ago, we decided it was important to hyper-focus every October on ethics, to spotlight for the entire month the critical nature of ethical behavior and standards.

It is important to note that ethics is very important every day and equally important to highlight that AFP has a serious and rigorous ethics enforcement process whenever a potential ethical wrongdoing is reported. AFP is the only organization in our sector that adheres to a stringent and enforceable Code of Ethics.

Ethics allows all of us to have important conversations with donors about exactly how they want to make a difference in the world and the best way to do it.

Ethics allows us to work confidently with volunteers and supporters so they can serve as ambassadors for our causes.

Ethics allows us to have the impact that we do—the impact that changes the world. That is why fundraising is the IMPACT profession—because of ethics!

Hopefully, I have answered the questions as to why ethics is so important to AFP and to our society at large. If I haven’t or you just want to chat more about it, please come up and ask me next time you see me.

And this month, October, is when we highlight the importance of ethics to our members and the broader nonprofit sector.

Be sure to check out our Ethics Awareness Month resource page for articles, interviews and much more.

And finally, thank you! Thank you for treating donors, staff, and the people you serve ethically, and thank you for your commitment to ethical fundraising.

 
Mike Geiger, MBA, CPA