Rebecca Boughamer Ethics and Accountability in Advancement
Services
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Agenda Introduction Defining Ethics and The Role We Play
Management Accountability Q&A
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Introduction Rebecca Boughamer Assistant Vice President,
Advancement Services Database Management, Gifts Processing,
Prospect Research, Budget and Finance & some Donor Relations
and Career Services UMUC since 2012 Prior to that UDC, Marymount U
and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
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Ethics Define Ethics synonyms: moral code, morals, morality,
values, rights and wrongs, principles, ideals, standards (of
behavior), value system, virtues, dictates of conscience "your
so-called newspaper is clearly not burdened by a sense of
ethics"morality ethics eTHiks/ noun plural noun: ethics; noun:
ethics 1.1. moral principles that govern a person's or group's
behavior. "Judeo-Christian ethics" the moral correctness of
specified conduct. "the ethics of euthanasia 2.2. the branch of
knowledge that deals with moral principles.
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Ethics Define Your Role The Person Part Define your own moral
standard Trust your gut as long as your gut is informed What are
you working to accomplish? The Group Part Do you and your
colleagues share core values? Do your missions and goals align?
Where do you fit in? Combining the Two Parts Strategy, management,
communication and documentation
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Ethics in Advancement Services Ethics Management Strategic
Management Policies and Procedures Strategic Plan Setting
Benchmarking
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Ethics Management Strategic Management Guides or assists
ethical decision-making and establishes accountability standards
Clearly defined management structure and division of labor Security
checks and balances Ethical checks and balances Accountability and
trust Clear chain of communication and open communication channels
Who is able to communicate what information to whom? Transparency
speaks volumes. Communicate policies and procedures. Communicate
decisions. If you dont feel comfortable communicating it to the
masses, ask yourself why? Strategic delegation of responsibilities
and power Division-wide Department-wide Organization-wide
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Strategic Management Confidentiality Agreements Employees
Usually held by HR and IT departments Protect the organization and
constituents of the organization Students or Volunteers Usually
held by Manager of the student worker or volunteer Certain access
granted; protects the organization and constituents and the
volunteer! Example for Student Agreement
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Strategic Management Maintenance vs. Inquiry USM = Ellucian
Advance All databases have some form of Inquiry vs. Maintenance vs.
Super User Inquiry Access Access to view specific information
through the system. Maintenance Actual maintenance of data; access
to change information and run reports Super User Back end access
and reports creation Why does this matter? Super users should be
rare. Maintenance access should also be limited within a department
Procedures as to data work flow and who updates what are
needed
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Strategic Management In-Office Information Privacy Secure
Credit Card Numbers and SSNs Prospect and Patient Files Hard copy
under lock and key/Digital files encrypted and password protected
No medical or health information for Higher Ed Available to
prospects or patients at any time. Healthcare is seeing more
patients logging into online portals to access their own
information. Access and checks/balances. Example: If you hold the
key to the safe, someone else should have the code.
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Ethics Management Policies and Procedures The unauthorized
AdvServ Bible Outline the management structure, responsibilities,
and expectations Donor Bill of Rights, FERPA, HIPAA, as well as
internal policies already established. Dont reinvent the wheel like
I did: document management is actually easy. Document security
access, confidentiality agreements, gift agreements and other
ethical happenings Revisit, edit or adjust as appropriate, but try
and remain consistent
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Policies and Procedures Pledge Agreements Verbal vs. Written
Verbal cannot be entered as a technical pledge and cannot be
enforced Written pledge agreements should be kept as you keep your
gift files Should specify exactly what the donor and institution
have agreed on (time, contingencies, programs, etc.) Where are
these files stored and who has access? Example of our Gift/Pledge
Agreement
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Ethics Strategic Plan Setting Set goals Individual and/or team
goals Align with the organizations mission and departments mission
Gather input Be specific and realistic. It is OK to set stretch
goals if you have a plan for accomplishing them! Communicate goals
Revisit progress toward goals Document metrics and progress Keep
the metrics and progress for historical purposes, benchmarking and
accountability Promote your results. Data speaks volumes! Fun fact:
UMUCs President hails from the Institutional Research
department.
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Higher Education Special Cases Campaign Planning and Campaigns
Campaign Consultants Interviews with Potential Donors Record
keeping and reporting out Specific campaign-related agreements and
policies Naming Opportunities, anonymous donors Special Events
Auctions, ticket purchases and donations, oh my! Record keeping and
reporting out Know the rules and policies and the expectations
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Ethics Benchmarking Benchmarking builds trust Should be
multi-faceted: quality, quantity, pace, performance Compare against
others Consider the relevance and importance Consider short-term
and long-range impacts Specify desired outcomes Remain consistent
Examples
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Ethics Accountability synonyms: responsibilityresponsibility,
liability, answerability "there must be accountability for the
expenditure of every public cent"liabilityanswerability
accountability koun(t) bild/ noun noun: accountability 1.the fact
or condition of being accountable; responsibility. "their lack of
accountability has corroded public respect"
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Accountability Why? Why is it Important? Organizational
integrity, trust Speaks to the mission Trust with donors and
constituencies Trust in the public eye Personal integrity Your rep
is at stake Your career is at stake Why not? Short-term and
long-term impacts of unclear accountability
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Accountability How? Decision-making Have clearly defined roles
and responsibilities Have a basis for decisions Look at short-term
and long-term impacts. Documentation External CASE Reporting
Standards & Management Guidelines AASP best practices Internal
Core data best practices Document management policies Departmental
project plans Consistency Reliable work flow and communications
channels Reliable data, benchmarking and metrics (again!)
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Accountability Example Higher Education is being scrutinized
across the nation and asked to justify or prove their value.
Gainful employment is a key factor Get ahead of this new
accountability standard Analyze your existing data for support
Prepare your database for new measurements Discuss with your
department and across departments Familiarize all staff with the
issues at hand and keep an open discussion. Get your staff
involved!
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Ethics in Advancement Services In Summary Ethical
decision-making is important at all levels across all
organizations. Everyone plays a role Strategic management and
transparency are key Understand the significance of accountability
and the part you play; guide your own moral compass.