Ethics for Fundraisers

Book excerpt: Invoking a variety of classical and contemporary models, Albert Anderson examines what it means to think and act ethically. Proceeding from the views of Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill-who created perhaps the two most influential, albeit competing, ethical frameworks-Anderson poses the choice between what we understand to be our moral duty and what will likely result in the greatest good for the majority. He applies these notions to a wide range of situations familiar to nonprofit development officers, volunteer, and organizations. His goal is to help readers rethink decision-making and the principles that guide their decisions.