This Bill of Rights for charitable givers
was developed by the following four industry experts: American
Association of Fund Raising Counsel, Association for Healthcare
Philanthropy, Council for Advancement and Support of Education, National
Society of Fund Raising Executives. It is industry-accepted and all
quality charities should subscribe to the beliefs espoused here.
"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 that 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 donation 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."
