Fundraising Standards of Professional Practice

Professional Obligations

1. BBBSSCI shall not engage in activities that harm the organization, clients, or profession.
2. BBBSSCI shall not engage in activities that conflict with the fiduciary, ethical, and legal obligations to the organization and its clients.
3. Staff and Board Members of BBBSSCI shall effectively disclose all potential and actual conflicts of interest; such disclosure does not preclude or imply ethical impropriety.
4. Staff and Board Members shall not exploit any relationship with a donor, prospect, volunteer, or employee to their personal benefit.
5. BBBSSCI shall comply with all applicable local, state, provincial, and federal civil and criminal laws.
6. Staff and Board Members recognize their boundaries of competence and are forthcoming and truthful about their professional experience and qualifications.

Solicitation and Use of Charitable Funds

•  BBBSSCI shall take care to ensure that all solicitation materials are accurate and correctly reflect the organization's mission and use of solicited funds.

•  BBBSSCI shall take care to ensure that donors receive informed, accurate, and ethical advice about the value and tax implications of potential gifts.

1. BBBSSCI shall take care to ensure that contributions are used in accordance with donor's intentions.

•  BBBSSCI shall take care to ensure proper stewardship of charitable contributions, including timely reports on the use, management of funds and use of name in public documents.

•  BBBSSCI shall obtain explicit consent by the donor before altering the conditions of a gift.

Presentation of Information

•  BBBSSCI shall not disclose privileged or confidential information to unauthorized parties.

•  Board Members and staff adhere to the principle that all donor and prospect information created by, or on behalf of BBBSSCI, is the property of the organization and shall not be transferred or utilized except on behalf of BBBSSCI.

•  BBBSSCI shall give donors the opportunity to have their names removed from lists that are sold to, rented to, or exchanged with other organizations.

•  BBBSSCI shall, when stating fundraising results, use accurate and consistent accounting methods that conform to the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”), in accordance with standards of accounting and reporting established for non-profit organizations.

Compensation

•  Staff and Board Members shall not accept compensation that is based on a percentage of charitable contributions; nor shall they accept finder's fee.

•  BBBSSCI may offer performance-based compensation to staff, such as bonuses, provided such bonuses are in accord with prevailing BBBSSCI personnel practices and are not based on a percentage of charitable contributions.

•  BBBSSCI shall not pay finder's fee, or commissions or percentage compensation based on charitable contributions.

These standards are based upon those endorsed and enforced by the Association of Fundraising Professionals to all its members.

Passed May 25, 2004 by the BBBSSCI Board of Directors.