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| News & Scoreboards |
Ethical Model
Kasey Wehrum
05/03/2004
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For nonprofit and philanthropic organizations, maintaining public trust is
crucial to survival. Given the recent climate of corporate malfeasance,
nonprofits and foundations need to be especially mindful of the ways in which
they conduct their operations. Because of this, Independent Sector, a
Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit coalition of more than 700 philanthropic
foundations and programs, recently published a Statement of Values and Code of
Ethics for Nonprofit and Philanthropic Organizations as a model for
organizations and foundations nationwide.
“Adopting a code of ethics helps to infuse into the
culture of the organization a recognition of how important it is to address issues of
values and ethics
on an ongoing basis.” |
“Donors, members of the public and
lawmakers are all taking a closer look at how the sector does its work,” says
Diana Aviv, president and chief executive officer of Independent Sector.
“Adopting a code of ethics helps to infuse into the culture of the organization
a recognition of how important it is to address issues of values and ethics on
an ongoing basis.”
For groups without an existing code of ethics,
Independent Sector’s could be adopted in its entirety or adapted to fit each
organization’s mission and structure. Those with a code of ethics already in
place are encouraged to use the model as a map for the board and staff members
to review their code and ensure adherence.
Built on a value
system that emphasizes commitment to the public good and accountability to the
public, the code outlines ethical principles in personal and professional
integrity, mission, governance, legal compliance, responsible stewardship,
openness and disclosure, program evaluation, inclusiveness and diversity, and
fund-raising. Independent Sector does not intend the model code to be simply a
symbolic document that is signed by board members and then locked away in a
storage room. As the code attests, “Independent Sector firmly believes that the
process by which a code is adopted is as important as the code itself, and that
the board and staff should be involved in developing, drafting, adopting and
implementing a statement that fits the organization’s unique characteristics.”
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