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 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 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
their gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given.
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To receive appropriate acknowledgment 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 seeing 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.
Developed by:
American Association of Fund-Raising Counsel (AAFRC),
Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP), Council
for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE),
National Society of Fund Raising Executives
(NSFRE).
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