Ethical Fundraising: A Practical Framework

Dr. Lauren Taylor discusses the ethics of fundraising and emphasizes the responsibility nonprofits have in the fundraising process as moral agents. She highlights potential harms that may come with accepting donations with conditions that could compromise the mission of the nonprofit. Dr. Taylor proposes a "motive agnostic" framework for assessing the public impact of a donation before accepting it. She also suggests setting up a blind trust to sever the relationship between donors and nonprofits and alleviate the moral calculus and demandingness of ethical fundraising. However, the shift may be challenging, and it remains to be seen whether donations will fall as a result.