 Welcome to the non-profit show. We are so glad you found your way back here. But if this is your first time, we're glad that you're here. Also thrilled to have with us in virtual studio, Lashonda Williams. She's a trainer with Fundraising Academy at National University. She's joining us for two days. So this is day one to talk about ethics and non-profit fundraising. Lashonda is not new to us, but this conversation with Lashonda is going to bring some new topics. So stay with us because Julie and I are here. Julia Patrick, she serves as the CEO of the American Non-profit Academy. And I'm Jared Ransom, your non-profit nerd and CEO of the Raven Group. Together, we have been so honored to have the ongoing support from our presenting sponsors that allow us these conversations like a two-day drill down with Lashonda. So thank you to our sponsors that includes Bloomerang American Non-profit Academy, Fundraising Academy at National University, again, thanks to Lashonda for joining us today. Also, thank you to non-profit thought leader, your part-time controller, staffing boutique, non-profit nerd, as well as non-profit tech talk. Again, these companies, they're not only here with us, but they're here with you because they are really on your team to help you do more good to fulfill your mission. And they have helped us to produce nearly a thousand episodes. Can you believe that? So you can still find us on broadcast and podcast and then you can still scan this QR code right in front of you, download that app, and later today, you'll get a notification that our conversation right here, right now with Lashonda has been uploaded. So I want to say welcome back to you, Lashonda. I always love when we have a Fundraising Academy representative on because I know for sure we're going to nerd out. So welcome back. You're happy to be here. Thank you for having me. This is like the perfect time as we're culminating this wonderful 2023 and preparing to ramp up for 2024. Absolutely. I love that you put that into perspective because it seems like it's every day is a whirlwind, right? And we're just moving along, moving along, trying to do everything that we can until we get our chain yanked, so to speak. And we have to talk about ethics. And unfortunately, we don't talk about it until we have to talk about it as opposed to building it into the ecosystem of how we behave and how we approach our profession. And so we really wanted to talk to you about this. It's also, I'm embarrassed to hold up my cause selling book because it's got all these sticky notes on it. But we love sticky notes. That means are you? I do, I do. It's actually, it's in my office. But let's talk about ethics and let's frame it up with what are ethics and then go from there as to in fundraising, what does that mean? Yeah. So LaShonda, tell us what you think about ethics and how we should define it. So ethics is thinking about everything from a global perspective. And when I say global, the most important part of ethics is making sure that you're being honest, you're being upright, you're being forthcoming, you're being responsible, you're being transparent in the way that you're engaging your donors because we want to ensure that as we are representatives of our various nonprofit organizations that those individuals who entrust us with their funds can trust that we will do the right thing with their said funds and we direct the funds according to how they would like them to be directed. But more importantly, having a higher level of accountability for ourselves as fundraising professionals as we're facilitating the relationship. You know, when you think about the cost selling cycle you've got the pre-approach and you've got your discovery but during that process, the information that you are collecting on behalf of the organization and you're getting to know the perspective donor better making sure that you're maintaining that relationship with integrity, that you're asking questions that are essential to the relationship that you're forming on behalf of the organization making sure that how you record that information is in compliance and that it is regulated and not only regulated from an ethical standpoint but ensuring that the way that you document the information is truly reflective of the relationship and how you would like the donor to be perceived and how the donor should be perceived should they be reading those said documents. So you want to make sure that you are being very forthcoming and not necessarily exaggerating opportunities nor are we recording information that is non-essential for a donor's record because again, as a fundraising professional you're held to a higher standard of not only confidentiality but with transparency as far as reporting is concerned and as a professional in the industry you'll have access to information about individuals that is very sensitive. So with that, we have to make sure that we handle that sensitive information in a way to maintain safeguards and to protect donors confidential information as well. Yeah, such good insight LaShonda thanks for starting us off with that. You know, yesterday Julia mentioned to you we had a phenomenal conversation about ethical storytelling using consent and then because we produced over 900 episodes at some point and I cannot remember the guest Julia they shared with us about ethical photography. So ethics are showing up, right? In so many ways. And what I love that you said LaShonda it really for me drives home ethics is not one person's job or responsibility it's all of our jobs and it's all of our responsibilities regardless of your title, right? Like it is across the board inside and out, upside and down, like everything. So you're gonna share with us some ethics basis and I'm really curious to dive deep in this. Again, for those of you watching and listening this is day one of a two-day drill down. So let's get deeper, right? In this conversation LaShonda, ethic base number one, what is this universal code? What are you referring to here? So when we're talking about the universal code of ethics we're talking about ensuring that all of our interaction is limited to things that are trustworthy. When I say limited to we wanna make sure we stay within that scope as we're building a culture of higher ethical standards. We want to ensure that we're fostering a sense of respect within that culture. We also wanna make sure that we're being responsible and as you mentioned earlier it's everyone's responsibility and being everyone's responsibility that means that we need to have standard operational procedures in place as to how we are to conduct ourselves as individuals and how we want to conduct ourselves and be perceived as an organization. In addition to that, we also want to make sure that we are fostering a caring environment because that's really important in the space in which we're currently residing in self care is becoming very paramount as we are navigating balance. As COVID has taught us the importance of balance and how we can continue to safeguard our health as well as maintain high levels of performance and keeping in mind that we want to be ethical in that because with responsibility there also comes some heightened sense of ethical response and how you behave and navigate those opportunities. And then last but not least I think they all culminate and they create a space that from an ethical perspective and creating a universal code that creates citizenship among not just those within the organization's infrastructure but also creates citizenship for those prospective donors and donors that become a part of the organization as they support the various causes. You know, I'm fascinated because so often when we talk about fundraising it's like specific to that group over there down the hall and to the left, right? And what I hear you saying is that this really pulls in across everybody within our organizational structure. It's not just our fundraising folks. Even though we're talking about ethics and fundraising it really, it circles back around. It should be fostered throughout the organization's infrastructure ranging from the person who answers the phone or welcomes our greeters into the organization throughout because at some point each and every one of us within the organization the nonprofit organization will have access to engaging with prospective donors, current donors, recipient of said services and at some levels will have access to sensitive information. So ethics and maintaining that accountability and trust is everyone's responsibility. You know, there are many instances that organizations have non-disclosure, confidentiality agreements that they put in place to ensure that everyone understands the importance of respecting the privacy of those who are our donors as well as those that are recipients of services. Yeah, interesting. You know, the one thing that you just mentioned on the universal code and maybe it was that or the previous just, you know, outlying ethics. I love that you mentioned, you know, putting into the notes what needs to be put into the notes, nothing less, nothing more and really having discernment on that I think, you know, is a critical filter. Talk to us about truthfulness because that hit home to me too because I think of, you know, nothing more, nothing less as we kind of take notes on our donors and we capture the information as we would good professionals because we know the work we're doing now is going to, you know, show up a decade from now. So we're really paving the way for our future, you know, professionals. How does truthfulness take a place in this space? So truthfulness is really important because truth is the foundation for any relationship. And as development professionals and the relationship manager on behalf of the organization, we have to make sure that we're very truthful with our current donors as well as prospective donors. And that means being very transparent in what the possibilities are and what the limitations are. There are instances where we may encounter prospective donors who may want to fund something for your organization. However, it's not in alignment with the mission of the organization. So we have to redirect and we have to guide conversation and we have to be forthcoming with what it is that we are actually able to deliver. And most importantly, what our limitations are but how we can work collectively with funders to ensure optimal outcomes and to increase impact on behalf of the organization. So being very transparent with that is very essential as we're thinking about ethical standards. It's paramount. That's at the top of the list. Yeah. And Julia, I love this image you picked. Truth is a verb, right? LaShonda, what does that mean to you? So truth is ever, it's ever changing. It's a verb, it's moving. It is an action. And when you think about action and I'm gonna go a little scientific, it's constantly moving. It's constantly evolving. So there's not a stopping point for the truth. Truth is fluid. And you can't necessarily pick and choose because as you are managing the relationship on behalf of the organization, it's important that you keep open communication and you know with communication that also involves motion, which is a verb. And so you want to make sure that those verbs are meshing very well together and keep an ongoing open conversation that is transparent and is truthful because in essence, it goes back to building trust which is very important if you not only want to secure the relationship but to sustain the relationship. Such insight. It's really, it's a great way to frame this up. And I think especially as we are hearing more and more that the nomenclature around trust philanthropy and trusting the donor trusting or the funder trusting organization enough to be good stewards of the money as opposed to holding on with tight reins and saying that money has to be spent this way and that way. So I love that you bring this up because it kind of puts us into a different lens of how we behave and how we can look at ethics. Let's talk about number three of this ethics base and it's personal accountability. What does that look like to you? And why should we be talking about that in relationship to this whole ecosystem? So personal accountability is also essential because as fundraising professionals, many of us are members of AFP, Association of Fundraising Professionals and we have a code of ethics in which we are required to adhere to. And when engaging with donors, they want to be assured that you understand what your roles and responsibilities are but not only that we're personally accountable not only for maintaining high ethical standards but also making sure that we have systems in place to protect the donor like the donor bill of rights which is very important because we want to create that synergy of the trust, the citizenship, the fluidity we talked about, the verb of truthfulness and all of it works together in concert. And so with personal accountability that also may mean that if in the instance that there are instances of conflicts of interest being very much so a cognitive of that and being very forthcoming in the event that someone's putting you in a position in which it is creating conflict of interest or perhaps compromising yourself and or the organization. Personal accountability also encompasses making sure that as development professionals that we're also treating donors according to the way they should properly be treated which I referenced earlier as we were thinking about the donor bill of rights and recording the information that's only essential making sure how we handle the access to the information as an infrastructure. Are we allowing open records for everyone in the building or are we making sure we have safeguards in place to ensure that only individuals that need to access specific attributes of a donor's profile have that access and are we making sure that we're protecting their privacy because as individuals, your perspective donor will share with you whether or not they'd like to be acknowledged upon the gift and if they want recognition and or if they'd like to receive solicitation methods solicitation methods if they'd like to receive emails, correspondence, phone calls or none at all. So we are accountable as we are navigating and managing the relationship to ensure that we are honoring those donors requests. LaShonda, I have to ask and this is a compliment you and I and Julia, probably many of our viewers and watchers we've been in this field quite some time. We've seen ethics go right and we've seen ethics go wrong, right? Can you help us for our viewers and listeners that are like, oh, this is so sticky. I wish that our organization or whomever, right? Like had some different practices when it came to ethics. So I guess my question really is for many of our viewers and listeners that are still navigating the best ethics base to put into place, how would one go about really championing this for their cause because this is so sticky? So I would say we take the same approach that we would with a prospective donor, linkage, ability, interests, but looking at it from a perspective of an organization holistically and how it would impact the culture. It is to our organization's best interests that we were implementing ethical standards and practices and have policies in place. We have the ability to do that by creating, standard operational procedures, infrastructure to protect privacy, incorporating specific things that are important as it relates to acknowledgement, stewardship and all of the things encompass within the donor cost selling cycle. And then most importantly is to ensure that it's being implemented. And so as you champion that, identifying those key influences within the organization as we would when we're identifying individuals to be champions for our campaigns. And so those key individuals that you have the best relationships with and be very truthful because we started this conversation talking about trust and transparency, express some concerns and you're speaking about it from a preventive measure. We want to ensure that we maintain the integrity and the reputation of our organization. I'm a little bit concerned about some of these things that I may have seen. Can I speak with you in depth about some ideas that I have? What are your thoughts? We cannot make our organizations better if we sit in silence and if we work in silos. So it behooves us to not only implement the ethical practices and standards as we engage with our donors and prospective donors but as we work together as colleagues and empowering each other and making sure that our organization has the essential mechanisms in place to function effectively and also to be able to maximize impact opportunity. Right. Such great advice. Thank you. I know that was a curveball question, but you know, and just when we think we're getting ethics right, something might show up that makes you tilt your head. We've got a series of questions that would love to go through with you here and it's the five question ethics checklist. Number one, is it legal? That is such a good question. I love that it's number one. It's like- Yeah, and it is number one, you know, and we're talking about the cost selling cycle. These are clear questions that we have in the book that Julia just referenced. Isn't it legal? Yeah, show that again, Julia. You know, you've got your sticky note on the legal one. Absolutely. That is like question number one as we're thinking about ethics. And so to find out if it's legal, you know, understanding what your state laws and regulations are, it's very important that it's fundraising professionals. And I keep using the word professionals because if we want to be considered professionals, we need to know what the standard requirements are, how it relates as it relates to IRAs, how we take up DAFs, how we're collecting funds, how we're receding funds. And then, you know, we talk about ethics. Quick Pro Quo is something that often comes into play that you will encounter at some point in your career in understanding what that is and how the implications may impact your organization and being ethically sound enough to recognize it when you hear it coming from across the table from a prospective donor or a donor. Exactly. You know, I think this is really important, especially as there's a confluence of value and donation and in kind and people donating assets and saying, you know, we always say the velvet painting of Elvis, you know, and that a donor will say, well, I'm gonna donate this to you and it's worth $7 million and you're like, not really, it's worth $25 at the park and swap, right? But there's things of value and all of that that's going through. But number two on your checklist is, is it ethical? And so it's really going back to the very beginning of our conversation to kind of frame this up, isn't it? It definitely is. And when you're thinking about, when you're asking yourself that question, is it ethical? You want to really dive in deep and think about from the legal standpoint and you also wanna think about it from a professional standpoint, referencing the AFP ethics rules, referencing the donor bill of rights, making sure that you're in compliance with IRS policies and regulations on how we're documenting gifts, making sure that we're receding things properly. And then also you wanna make sure that you're asking yourself, is this something that I would want to be attributed to me and if I'm comfortable with that? And whenever in doubt, my rule of thumb is always to ask, whenever in doubt, always ask because you don't want to be in a difficult situation in which you're jeopardizing your professional reputation nor the organization's reputation. Yeah, I love that too. And I always find myself, if I'm questioning it, it's important for me to speak it out loud with another professional colleague to say, hey, can you help me think through this, right? Like, what am I seeing? What am I not seeing? What are you seeing differently? And just having that person, I think, is really important. Number three you have here, and I'm being mindful of our time. I know we still got a few to go through, but we have tomorrow is what I want someone to act this way with me. That's a big one. That is the perfect one because it kind of reminds you of John Kenyon is what would you do, right? So we want some more days with you in that manner. And so putting yourself in someone else's shoes for lack of better terms creates an opportunity and a heightened sense of responsibility, obligation and accountability because we want to make sure that best case scenario that you are treating everyone as great as you would like to be treated. And so with that in mind, how would I explain my actions to someone else? If it is something that you do not feel great about or would not feel great about or be embarrassed by, then that means that there is a problem. And so we want to be very mindful of the decisions that we make because again, everything that we do whether we are center stage at work and we are in our professional role, but the things that we do offline, social media has taken flight and we have to be mindful too as we think about personal accountability that we have to be mindful of the types of things that we post because although it may be your personal page, if you say something or put something out there that could be potentially offensive to someone, then it could cause a problem for you professionally and it also could impact the organization. So we just really want to be mindful of those things. Yeah, great point. And when you say social media has taken flight, you are so right, you know, and even personal accounts show up in that professional space just as you mentioned. What's question number four? So of the five question ethics checklist, number four says, how would I explain my actions to someone else? And that is very clear. That's a clear, clear question. And if you are able to explain your actions that they are reflective of reasonable actions, then you're in a great space. But if it is questionable, then that means that you have crossed over those ethical boundaries and that means that there's a problem. But most importantly, if there is a problem in places, as it relates to ethics, is thinking about how is it, can you resolve that particular problem or challenge? But as Jared and Julie, we both led on earlier, it's really important to operate in the premise of being proactive as opposed to being reactive. And then you finish it up and this has been kind of a constant thread in a very quiet but meaningful way throughout this conversation is number five, how will it make me feel about myself and how we build our own reputation, we monitor our own reputation and we stand behind it or we make a correction? Really an interesting thing. You don't often see this question tagged in to ethics, but it really should be there. It should be there because it circles back to personal accountability. Yeah. And so when you're thinking about personal accountability and how it can impact the organization and those that you are engaging with and entrusted to engage with, it's really important that we maintain, again, that highest level of ethical standards and how it makes you feel about myself. I'm not feeling great, like you said earlier, Jared. I have to ask somebody the question and I know that I perhaps may have crossed the line just a little bit. And so what we have to do as professionals in maintaining our accountability is dial it back and also seek assistance in resolving any potential conflicts and or ethical challenges or dilemmas that we see ourselves in. But most importantly, we need to be able to have a co-op, a community of practice in which we can reach out to in the instance that we actually encounter things in real time. And you mentioned earlier, Jared, how there are a variety of different scenarios that happen. I'm excited because one of the things that we have with the fundraising academy is tons of free trainings and with that training, with our last ethics webinar with Adriana, she talks about some specific scenarios and gives clear examples of potential ethical challenges and conflicts of interest in which individuals can kind of take a moment to look back and reflect and identify ways to approach them from a different perspective. Right, which is so important. It's so important. I'm glad you mentioned the portal, the online portal. That's critical. And then I also wanna make a tease because LaShonda in May of this year, the second annual Cultivate Conference will be taking place. So currently, I believe, Fundraising Academy and National University is seeking call for presenters. And soon, I believe the registration will be open. And so it's a day and a half or two days rather this year and I know I will see you there, LaShonda. It's always a great time to be there. Fundraising Academy puts on some phenomenal educational opportunities whether it's online or in person. I should say IRL. I'm sorry, Julia. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah. We'll be talking about that more and more and you can get more information at fundraising-academy.org. LaShonda Williams, you know, this is a really a big treat for us. We're gonna have you here for a second day where we drill down even more into this concept and the practice of ethics. As always, your training brings out the best in all of us and I love how you're out there marching all of us along to become more professional and then to get the rest of the sector to understand that this is a profession and an incredibly valued one, right? So we just love having you with us and I always learn something new and I think you always challenge me in a different way and so what is better than that? Again, you can join us tomorrow and we'll have another full day with LaShonda as we do drill down day number two. Again, I'm Julia Patrick, CEO of the American Nonprofit Academy. I've been joined today by the nonprofit nerd herself, Jared R. Ransom, CEO of the Raven Group. That's right, sister, push up those glasses. We can all do that in unison, right? Let's all just beat her. Hey, we're pushing up our glasses along with Blumerang, American Nonprofit Academy, your part-time controller, nonprofit thought leader, fundraising academy at National University, staffing boutique, nonprofit nerd and nonprofit tech talk. Again, these folks have been with us most of them from day one. We're gonna be adding some new sponsors in 2024, which will be fun, but it's really important to recognize these folks that have been with us on this arduous but really fulfilling journey. So we thank them profusely. Hey, okay, LaShonda, get some good rest because tomorrow you're back on my friend and we're gonna drill down on ethics and get even more out of this because it's really, really important work. So thank you. Thank you and you'll have a great day see you tomorrow. Thank you, ladies. Hey, as we end every episode, we want to remind everyone, including ourselves and our viewers and our wonderful guest, LaShonda Williams, to stay well so you can do well. We'll see you back here tomorrow.