It’s often said that fundraisers ‘just need to do the right thing’. But how do you decide what ‘the right thing’ really is? And to whom do you owe this ethical duty? To act ethically in a professional context, you need a bespoke theory of professional ethics. Yet fundraising doesn’t have one.

An important area in critical thinking is to think about topics that are under-researched.  Ethics is one of the most under-thought areas of fundraising. 

Prior to discussing ethics, it is helpful to think about things that are unethical. A group attending a workshop at AFP Congress came up with this list.

What do fundraising think is unethical in charity fundraising?

• Poor clarity about transparency with donors about restricted gifts
• Misrepresenting or falsifying impact
• Misusing images of service users
• Not correcting the public's misperception about the true costs of fundraising.
• Presenting fundraising as zero overhead
• Allowing over-influence by a donor
• Participating in pink washing and green washing
• Taking advantage of vulnerable people
• Accepting tainted money
• Racing to the bottom on overhead
• Allowing a conflict of issues with your own values
• Not ensuring safety - of staff, of event participants
• Using shock advertising
• Not using money for purpose donated
• Presenting an undignified portrayal of beneficiaries
• Fundraising in a way that is aggressive/intrusive
• Not keeping senior staff salaries in line with reasonable standards
• Wasting too much on fundraising and administrative costs

As noted in the workshop, just because you don't like someone's point of view, doesn't make it unethical. The group then developed a list about what non-fundraisers think about our work.

What do you think the general public would find unethical about charity fundraising?

• Paying fundraisers
• Using any money for administration costs
• Being asked for money
• Doing prospect research
• Accepting tainted money

Ethics is the study of how to live a good life

Ethics is about doing the right thing but how do we know what the "right" thing is" and for whom do we do the right thing? Ethics includes thinking out our rights and also our responsibilities. As part of the study of ethics, we need to focus on two facets - moral value and human conduct. This study often includes moral decisions about what is good and bad.

It is important to note that morality and ethics are not the same thing. Morality is about what is good. Ethics is about what is right. Interestingly, this may mean that you can make an ethical decision that may not "feel right" even though it is the right choice.  One role of professional organization is to create a code of conduct that is considered to be correct.

Ethics is a complex and under-studied field in fundraising. It is also an area that is critical to practicing your work in a way that is thoughtful and meaningful.

Editor note: This is a very limited summary of a great session that was given in November 2017 at AFP Congress. Any weaknesses in this description are the fault of the editor who was typing as fast as she could!

Ian MacQuillin is the founder and director of Rogare, the fundraising think tank at Plymouth University’s Hartsook Centre for Sustainable Philanthropy, where he is currently leading on a project to develop a new theory of fundraising ethics. He is a lecturer in fundraising and marketing, and is researching the ideological drivers of stakeholder objections to fundraising for his doctoral study. He also edits the Critical Fundraising blog. Twitter: @IanMacQuillin