Ethical Decision-Making For Nonprofits

Ethical choices are not always so obvious. Day-to-day pressures at nonprofits can have a big impact on the decisions managers or employees make. Suddenly these individuals find themselves in the middle of situations they didn't anticipate, leading them to make spur-of-the-moment decisions.

So with ethical decisions being anything than clear-cut, how are you supposed to make the "correct" decision?

Speaking during the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) 49th International Conference on Fundraising, Barbara R. Levy of Organization & Fundraising Counsel acknowledged the difficulties nonprofit employees face when making tough decisions. To help make the right decisions for your organization, Levy offered five questions to ask when trying to determine the more ethical path:

• What are the critical facts of the situation?
• What are the key, perhaps competing, values and ethics at stake?
• Who are the players and stakeholders in the decision?
• What are the driving forces in the situation?
• What is the worst case scenario and the effects or impact on all the players who are stakeholders?