Читать книгу Achieving Excellence in Fundraising - Группа авторов - Страница 44

The nonprofit and philanthropic sectors are built on a covenant of trust that serves the public good (Pribbenow 1994). Trust anchors nonprofit organizations, the constituencies they serve, and the patrons who support them. Although there is a correlation between trust and donor generosity (Sargeant and Lee 2001), recent studies express some contradictions. One report finds that trust in nonprofits is high among educated, upper income, urban residents, but low among those from underserved, impoverished, rural communities (Independent Sector 2020). Another finds there is little trust in institutions worldwide due to systemic injustice and bias (Edelman 2020), while a third indicates that nonprofits are viewed as more trustworthy than for‐profits and government, but overall trust has declined among donors (Give.org 2020).

Trust is the foundation on which philanthropy is developed and sustained. Donors must be assured that their contributions will be used as promised and applied in ways to generate the impact intended. Benefactors and beneficiaries expect transparency and accountability from public benefit organizations. The nonprofit sector has not been immune from scandals or stories of abuse and mismanagement, and the inevitable result is an erosion of the public's confidence. Faith in the sector is restored through “stewardship of the public good” (Pribbenow 1994, 40) when nonprofit leaders and fundraisers practice ethical behavior and maintain organizational cultures that honor “… a set of core values that are in keeping with the historical, philosophical, moral, and religious roots of the voluntary sector” (Jeavons 2016, 207).