Then there are times when fundraise is all that bad, and then some

As I mentioned earlier this week, when "done well," fundraising has the power to inspire transformative change. But when done badly, well, things like this happen:

"Federal prosecutors in New York today unveiled criminal charges against Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu for allegedly operating a massive Ponzi scheme that defrauded victims across the country out of more than $60 million... Hsu is accused of pressuring investors to contribute ten of thousands of dollars to various candidates in presidential and congressional races in an effort to raise his public profile and thus encourage more victims to invest in his scheme."

Though specifically a political scandal, don't think for a moment that the backlash of this, and other fundraising scandals, isn't going to impact the nonprofit sector. Increased regulation is part of our future. Have I told you that here in California I'm already legally prohibited from soliciting on behalf of my clients? I'm restricted to only training others how to make the ask themselves. This came about not because it is the right thing to do (it is), but because of unethical fundraisers, who in the past have not passed any of their collected donations along to the good cause that hired them.

Ethical fundraising must be at the core of our daily practice. Because if we don't function ethically the entire sector is in danger of collapse -- just like Hsu's ponzi scheme -- for ours is a sector built on the building blocks of trust and good will.

This is just one more reason professional training is so critical. For one of the best blog post related to this topic, please check out Lilya Wagner's article today on onPhilanthropy. Includes over 50 links to fundraising career articles and resources. What a gift, thank you Lilya!