Transcript Aldeburgh Productions - Institute of Fundraising

Ethical Screening of Donor Prospects:
An interactive exploration
Researchers in Fundraising Autumn Conference 2006
Elly Bohme, Search & Prosper
What the session will cover
What is ethical screening?
 Is it important to screen prospective
donors on their ethical credentials?
 Resources for ethical screening
 Other issues to consider
 Conclusions and best practice tips

Definitions

How do you define “ethical”?
Definitions
Ethical may mean different things to
different people and organisations
 Concise Oxford Dictionary 9th Edition:

ethical: 1) relating to morals, esp. as
concerning human conduct; 2) morally
correct; honourable
 ethical investment: investment in companies
that meet ethical and moral criteria specified
by the investor

What is ethical screening of donor
prospects?

We could say it is a means of checking
the ethics of a prospective donor against
a set of criteria agreed by the Trustees or
Governing body of your organisation.
Is it important to screen prospective
donors on their ethical credentials?

Organisations may consider it important to do
some level of ethical screening in order to:



Ensure the visions and practices of the prospect
are not in direct conflict with the mission of the
charity
Establish whether there is a good match between
prospect and charity
Maintain good business practice, and best
fundraising practice in cultivating and soliciting
donors
Is it important…..?



Reassure and inspire confidence in other donors
and prospective donors
Prevent controversy and high profile in the media
Prevent major internal and political battles.
Other issues to consider

Getting the balance right: keeping research profiles
factual and objective whilst providing
recommendations on ethical suitability of prospect
 What to include in a profile, what to leave out
 Reputation
 In-depth screening of all corporate and individual
investments, connections and networks
 Time and resource issues
 No ethical criteria to guide you, what do you do?
Conclusions and best practice tips



Use your organisation’s ethical policy as a benchmark
for your research
Ask to review if the ethical policy is not relevant,
outdated or unworkable
Continue to undertake your research using best
practice:





present the information factually
date and source everything
choose the best and most reliable sources where possible
highlight where sources may be unreliable and need further
checking
clearly mark subjective recommendations as such
Conclusions…..
Keep ethical screening in perspective. Don’t
panic!!
 Not your personal responsibility to decide
whether or not to solicit or accept a donation.
 Your job is to research and present the
information as objectively and clearly as
possible to help others make that decision.
