CASE DISTRICT VII CONFERENCE
Advancing the Magic of Education
Anaheim, CA
December 8, 2002
The Method and the Magic:
Ethics and Information Management
Nancy Ellis Taylor
Michael Seymour
Interim Director/Development Research
Senior Director/Development Operations
University of Southern California
University
of Southern California
netaylor@usc.edu
mseymour@hsc.usc.edu
Session URL:
http://www.usc.edu/dept/source/Ethics.html
I.
What is/are Ethics?
The Magic Word for Today's Discussion:
Ethics
From The American Heritage® Dictionary
of the English Language: Fourth Edition:
ETHIC:
NOUN: 1a. A set of principles
of right conduct. b. A theory or a system of
moral values: “An ethic of service is at war with a craving for gain”
(Gregg Easterbrook). 2.
ethics
(used with a sing. verb) The study of the general nature of morals and
of the specific moral choices to be made by a person; moral philosophy.
3. ethics (used with
a sing. or pl. verb) The rules or standards governing
the conduct of a person or the members of a profession: medical ethics.
ETYMOLOGY: Middle English ethik, from
Old French ethique (from Late Latin thica, from Greek thika, ethics)and
from Latin thic (from Greek thik), both from Greek thikos, ethical,
from thos, character
.
QUOTATION: Ethics and religion differ
herein; that the one is the system of human
duties commencing from man; the other, from God.
Religion includes the personality of God; Ethics does not.
ATTRIBUTION: Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882),
U.S. essayist, poet, philosopher. Nature, ch. 6 (1836, revised and
repr. 1849).
II. Why do we need Ethics?
A. To protect
a nonprofit's most valuable asset: its "Good Name"
Ethics are the magic ingredient for maintaining that "Good
Name"
B. Some examples of
the need for following ethics guidelines:
1. Martha Stewart (insider trading; treatment of staff)
2. Red Cross (confused direction of gifts)
3. Arthur Anderson (ignoring their own rules)
CBS Marketwatch News & Commentary
http://cbs.marketwatch.com/news/features/scandal_sheet.asp?siteid=mktw&dist=nwhsite
4. United Way (salaries;
perks)
5. Stephen Ambrose (unidentified quotes)
C. Changing view of
nonprofits
Boston Business Journal, 10/21/2002
"Nonprofits suffer from declining trust"
"Nonprofit organizations are today confronting an American donor class
that is shrinking significantly and suffering a crisis
of confidence.
According to survey findings released by Burlington-based marketing
firm Epsilon, Americans are donating less money
and to fewer nonprofits than at any time in the past quarter-century,
due overwhelmingly to an overarching decline in
confidence in American institutions. ...
Nearly one-quarter (23 percent) of respondents
say they have lost confidence in nonprofits. This is especially
true in donors age 57
to 75, traditionally the most generous demographic.
Nearly 60 percent of donors
say they dropped their financial support of a nonprofit because they
felt that the
organization was no longer
trustworthy or reliable. ..."
QUOTATION: In ethics, prudence is not
an important virtue, but in the world it is almost everything.
ATTRIBUTION: Mason Cooley (b. 1927),
U.S. aphorist. City Aphorisms, Fourth Selection, New York (1987).
(get real excited about research--human
beings)
QUOTATION: A nation’s domestic
and foreign policies and actions should be derived from the same standards
of ethics, honesty and morality which are characteristic of the individual
citizens of the nation.
ATTRIBUTION: Jimmy Carter (James Earl
Carter, Jr.) (b. 1924), U.S. president. Why Not the Best? P. 123,
Nashville, TN: Broadman Press (1975).
II. Where
can we get Ethics?
For those of us who ignored our parents
or slept through our religion and philosophy classes, there are a number
of sources for ethics guidelines:
A. PROFESSIONAL CODES
"Institutional
advancement professionals, by virtue of their responsibilities within
the academic community, represent their
colleges, universities, and schools to the larger society. They have,
therefore, a special duty to exemplify the best qualities
of their institutions and to observe the highest standards of personal
and professional conduct.... "
2. AFP (Association of Fundraising Professionals) Statement of Ethics
http://www.afpnet.org/ethics/guidelines_code_standards
"Ethical standards and
principles are the foundation for maintaining public trust, for every
AFP member. AFP provides a
self-governed process for addressing ethical concerns."
AFP Ethics Resources
http://www.afpnet.org/ethic
3. APRA (Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement) Statement
of Ethics
http://www.aprahome.org/advancement/ethics.htm
Fundamentals
Confidentiality
Sample Form
Accuracy
Relevance
Accountability
Honesty
Practices
Collection
(primarily public data)
Recording and Maintenance
(nothing embarrassing, inflammatory, gossipy--use newspaper quotes)
Use and Distribution
(ethical duties go both ways: corporate sponsorship (Exxon))
4. AHP (Association for Healthcare Philanthropy) Statement of Professional
Standards and Conduct
http://go-ahp.org/membership/profstandards.htm
"All members shall comply with the Association's Statement of Professional
Standards and Conduct:
Association for Healthcare Philanthropy members represent to the public,
by personal example and conduct, both
their
employer and their profession. They have, therefore, a duty to faithfully
adhere to the highest standards and
conduct
in: ..."
B. LAWS
1. FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act)
http://www.usc.edu/dept/ARR/ferpa/
WHAT IS FERPA (Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act)?
"The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as amended
(also sometimes referred to as the Buckley
Amendment), is a federal law regarding the privacy of student records
and the obligations of the institution, primarily in the
areas of release of the records and the access provided to these records.
Any educational institution that receives funds
under any program administered by the U.S. Secretary of Education is
bound by FERPA requirements. Institutions that
fail to comply with FERPA may have funds administered by the Secretary
of Education withheld."
2. Practical Example: HIPPA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability
Act of 1996) & You
(or HIPAA is here ! Do you have your stuff
in order ?)
Expanded Outline
(click here)
a. Foundation for Privacy and Confidentiality in
Healthcare / Medicine
#1. The Hippocratic Oath
#2. Moral and Political Aspects
of Privacy and Confidentiality
#3. Generalizations
#4. Exceptions
b. HIPAA
#1.Background and Regulations
#2. Important and Relevant Terms
#3. What the regulations fail
to address
#4. Impact on fundraising
#5. How to succeed despite HIPAA
c. Conclusion
3. Athletics: A Special Case
a. Know your corporate counsel
b. Train your volunteers
C. From Basic Good Sense
1. Collect and store records as if your mother were watching.
2. Donors can view their records. Collect and store records with
that in mind.
3. Prospects are not objects, they are human beings.
Treat their records with the appropriate respect
and sensitivity.
D. Additional Resources
1. Institute for
Global Ethics Ethics Newsline
Explore topics and sign up for a free newsletter
http://www.globalethics.org/newsline/members/index.tmpl
2.
Corporate Social Responsibility
More background and another free newsletter
http://www.mallenbaker.net/csr/CSRfiles/newsindex.html
3. Washington Post Online Business: Corporate Ethics
Good current news site
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/business/specials/corporateethics/
4. Ethics
Orientation for State Officials,
Office
of the Attorney General, State of California
Features online tutorial
http://caag.state.ca.us/ethics/index.htm
III. Q&A