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Nonprofit Federation: Ethics and Policy

Ethical Marketing and Fundraising Builds Trust with Donors and Supporters

Giving advances our society by sustaining the best missions and helping our communities across the country. The Nonprofit Federation activates this tremendous ongoing giving movement through education and best practices for marketing and fundraising by its members.

Learn more about ethical marketing and fundraising through our tools and get involved in shaping a trusted and ethical fundraising landscape.

Ethics Resources

Donor trust is fundamental to organizations and preserving that trust can only occur with ethical best practices and standards.

Here are key resources on specific fundraising ethics:

  • Fundraising Principles: Working with agencies and others on your campaigns and overall best practices.
  • Face to Face Fundraising Principles: Outreach to potential supporters on the street and in other face-to-face settings is evolving and growing.
  • Good to Give/Seasonal Giving: As Americans continue to demonstrate generosity throughout the holiday season, these holiday safeguards should be reviewed each year.
  • Disaster Relief and Giving: Important tips for disaster relief outreach when immediate support is crucial.
  • ANA Center for Ethical Marketing: As a leader in self-regulation, the ANA, through the Center for Ethical Marketing, helps businesses build brand and consumer trust through best practices, guidelines, guidance, compliance services, and committees. The Center seeks to educate, elevate, and advance accountability for the industry and mediate consumer complaints.

Nonprofit Policy Issues

Nonprofit organizations are in every community helping those in need and creating positive outcomes. Nonprofits are regulated as tax-exempt entities making them accountable to the public trust, locally and nationally. The ANA Nonprofit Federation has a long record of success protecting and advancing nonprofit policy issues through our member network and Washington office.

Issues ahead:

  • Charitable Giving Initiatives: The nonprofit community received a temporary universal charitable deduction for donors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, we seek a permanent solution: a universal charitable tax deduction that applies to all donors as Congress reviews tax reform proposals that incentivize donations.
  • Postal Rates: Nonprofits count on a healthy and sustainable United States Postal Service to deliver their appeals and to receive donations and support. As the USPS faces diminishing volume and seeks to raise prices on mailers, we seek accountability for these increases and to maintain service standards.
  • Privacy: Nonprofit organizations are stewards of vitally important information and must ensure that data is secure under data privacy rules. We seek a reasonable national privacy standard to avoid the costly state-by-state patchwork that is now occurring.
  • Robocalls: New requirements for nonprofit organizations beginning in July, 2023.

Advocate with the ANA Washington Office

Nonprofit organizations face regulatory and legislative challenges as one of the most regulated sectors in the nation. The ANA’s Washington Office is monitoring and advocating on issues at the state and federal level that impact advertisers, marketers, and fundraisers. If you would like to participate in the ANA's advocacy efforts and remain informed as developments occur, please join the ANA Government Relations Committee and sign-up for the weekly ANA ADviser policy brief by updating your email preferences. To inquire directly about a nonprofit marketing and fundraising policy issue, please contact Senny Boone, SVP at the ANA's Center for Ethical Marketing.

Nonprofit Policy Resources

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