Philanthropy is based on
voluntary action for the common good. It is a
tradition of giving and sharing that is primary
to the quality of life. To assure that
philanthropy merits the respect and trust of the
general public, and that donors and prospective
donors can have full confidence in the
not-for-profit organizations and causes they are
asked to support, we declare that all donors
have these rights:
I. To be informed
of the organization's mission, of the way
the organization intends to use donated
resources, and of its capacity to use
donations effectively for their intended
purposes.
II. To be informed of the identity of
those serving on the organization's
governing board, and to expect the board to
exercise prudent judgment in its stewardship
responsibilities.
III. To have access to the
organization's most recent financial
statements.
IV. To be assured their gifts will be
used for the purposes for which they were
given.
V. To receive appropriate acknowledgment
and recognition.
VI. To be assured that information about
their donations is handled with respect and
with confidentiality to the extent provided
by law.
VII. To expect that all relationships
with individuals representing organizations
of interest to the donor will be
professional in nature.
VIII. To be informed whether those
seeking donations are volunteers, employees
of the organization or hired solicitors.
IX. To have the opportunity for their
names to be deleted from mailing lists that
an organization may intend to share.
X. To feel free to ask questions when
making a donation and to receive prompt,
truthful and forthright answers.
DEVELOPED BY AND REPRINTED
WITH PERMISSION FROM:
- American Association of
Fund Raising Counsel (AAFRC),
www.aafrc.org
- Association for
Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP),
www.ahp.org
- Council for Advancement
and Support of Education (CASE),
www.case.org
- Association of
Fundraising Professionals (AFP),
www.afp.org
