Donor Bill of Rights
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.afpnet.org
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