The Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) exists to foster the development and growth of fundraising professionals and the profession, to promote high ethical standards in the fundraising profession, and to preserve and enhance philanthropy and volunteerism.
Ethics
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.
Visit the main AFP website to learn more about our ethics.
Donor Rights
The Donor Bill of Rights was created by the American Association of Fund Raising Counsel (AAFRC), Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP), the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). It has been endorsed by numerous organizations.
The 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 ensure that philanthropy merits the respect and trust of the general public, and that donors and prospective donors can have full confidence in the nonprofit organizations and causes they are asked to support, we declare that all donors have these rights:
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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.
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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.
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To have access to the organization’s most recent financial statements.
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To be assured that their gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given.
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To receive appropriate acknowledgement and recognition.
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To be assured that information about their donations is handled with respect and with confidentiality to the extent provided by law.
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To expect that all relationships with individuals representing organizations of interest to the donor will be professional in nature.
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To be informed whether those seeking donations are volunteers, employees of the organization, or hired solicitors.
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To have the opportunity for their names to be deleted from mailing lists that an organization may intend to share.
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To feel free to ask questions when making a donation and to receive prompt, truthful, and forthright answers.
View some Frequently Asked Questions about donor rights.
