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Abstract

As nonprofit human service agencies become increasingly involved in financial resource development they will face issues that can potentially compromise the ethical conduct of such activity. The authors discuss six issues that can potentially compromise ethical resource development and they examine the implications they may create for social administration. The six issues are (a) the ambiguity of organizational identity, (b) the portrayal of the agency's cause and its relationship to fund development strategy, (c) resource development as cause-oriented advocacy, (d) the potential vulnerability of the donor, (e) the nature and content of the resource development plea or request, and (f) the provision of adequate information to potential donors. An agency can empower potential donors by respecting their personal situations, including their vulnerability to manipulation, and by equipping them with the understanding and information they need to make good decisions about whether and what to contribute.

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Ethical Issues in Agency Resource Development: Implications for Social Administration

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