Advisory Board - Ethical Standards of Practice

Advisory Board Member Obligations

  1. Advisory Board Members shall not engage in activities that harm the members’ organizations, clients or profession.
  2. Advisory Board Members shall not engage in activities that conflict with their fiduciary, ethical and legal obligations to the organizations, clients or profession.
  3. Advisory Board Members shall effectively disclose all potential and actual conflicts of interest; such disclosure does not preclude or imply ethical impropriety.
  4. Advisory Board Members shall not exploit any relationship with a donor, prospect, volunteer, client or employee for the benefit of the Advisory Board Members or the organization.
  5. Advisory Board Members shall comply with all applicable local, state, provincial and federal civil and criminal laws.
  6. Advisory Board Members recognize their individual boundaries of competence and are forthcoming and truthful about their professional experience and qualifications and will represent their achievements accurately and without exaggeration.
  7. Advisory Board Members shall present and supply products and/or services honestly and without misrepresentation and will clearly identify the details of those products, such as availability of the products and/or services and other factors that may affect the suitability of the products and/or services for donors, clients or nonprofit organizations.
  8. Advisory Board Members shall refrain from knowingly infringing the intellectual property rights of other parties at all times. Advisory Board Members shall address and rectify any inadvertent infringement that may occur.
  9. Advisory Board Members shall protect the confidentiality of all privileged information relating to the provider/client relationships.
  10. Advisory Board Members shall refrain from any activity designed to disparage competitors untruthfully.


Solicitation and Use of Philanthropic Funds

  1. Advisory Board Members shall take care to ensure that all solicitation and communication materials are accurate and correctly reflect the organization mission and use of solicited funds.
  2. Advisory Board Members shall take care to ensure that donors receive informed, accurate and ethical advice about the value and tax implications of contributions.
  3. Advisory Board Members shall take care to ensure that contributions are used in accordance with donors’ intentions.


Presentation of Information

  1. Advisory Board Members shall not disclose privileged or confidential information to unauthorized parties.
  2. Advisory Board Members shall adhere to the principle that all donor and prospect information created by, or on behalf of, an organization or a client is the property of that organization or client and shall not be transferred or utilized except on behalf of that organization or client.
  3. . Advisory Board Members shall give donors and clients the opportunity to have their names removed from lists that are sold to, rented to or exchanged with other organizations.


Compensation and Contracts

  1. Advisory Board Members shall not accept compensation or enter into a contract that is based on a percentage of contributions; nor shall members accept finder’s fees or contingent fees.
  2. Advisory Board Members may accept performance-based compensation, such as bonuses, provided such bonuses are in accord with prevailing practices within the organizations and are not based on a percentage of contributions.
  3. Advisory Board Members shall neither offer nor accept payments or special considerations for the purpose of influencing the selection of products or services.
  4. Advisory Board Members shall not pay finder’s fees, commissions or percentage compensation based on contributions, and shall take care to discourage the organizations from making such payments.
  5. Any member receiving funds on behalf of a donor or client must meet the legal requirements for the disbursement of those funds. Any interest or income earned on the funds should be fully disclosed.