This session will explore the issues surrounding privacy and ethics as they relate to the use of personal information in the advancement profession. Questions of confidentiality, accountability and conflicts of interest will be addressed. Discussion will focus on guidelines and best practices for the ethical collection of information and subsequent uses. This session will also explore the impact of technology and the internet on privacy, especially the burgeoning phenomena of social networks and other new outlets of personal information. Presenter: Steve Knight, Wealth Engine

1. The Information that You
Gather:
Application of Ethics & Privacy in
Fundraising
Stephen M. Knight
CASE 8 District Conference · Seattle, Washington · February 19, 2009

2. Stephen M. Knight
Manager, Client Service
WealthEngine.com
9+ Years in the Non-Profit Research Profession
Formerly at the University of Florida Foundation,
University of South Florida Foundation, Inc., and
American Cancer Society, Florida Division, Inc.
Immediate Past President, APRA-FL
APRA International Ethics Committee; Annual
International Conference Volunteer Co-Chair, 2006 &
2007

3. How Have Things Changed?
Rise of the internet has allowed information to move
freely and quickly, primarily within the past 15 years.
Electronic transactions enable Information brokers easy
dissemination of personal information.
Individuals are choosing to disclose more information
about themselves via new technologies such as social
networks.

4. Advancement Research &
Ethics
What Makes Your Information
Confidential?
Research is Gathered From Publically Available
Resources…
But
When all the information is put together into a
profile format the information is highly
confidential!!!

5. Pillars of Ethics
Accountability
Confidentiality
(Maintain no) Conflict of Interest
Relevance

6. Best Practices
Who is responsible for collection and
security of prospect/donor Information?
Everyone in Development

7. Best Practices
1st Step: SET POLICY
Define what is included as confidential
Delineate who has access
Set parameters for information gathering
& use
Write it into policy…read it, know it, live it

8. Best Practices
2nd Step: CONFIDENTIALITY STATEMENT
Everyone that handles confidential
information signs statement (staff,
relevant faculty, volunteers, students)
Include APRA Statement of Ethics and
Donor Bill of Rights with Statement

9. Best Practices
3rd Step: SECURITY
Documents/Files…Online & Hard Copy
Clearly mark files/documents “Confidential”
Lock-up hard copy docs in secure filing
cabinet
Password protect files/maintain on secure
server
Be weary of transmitting via email & fax
Do not email profiles in Word format
Shred documents no longer needed

10. Best Practices
4th Step: DOCUMENT SOURCES
Make sure that information used from
databases, books, online, contact reports,
etc. are documented on any research
profile or compilation

11. Best Practices
5th Step: CONTINUOUS REVIEW AND
UPDATE OF POLICY
Technologies change, and laws change.
Stay up to date and revise your policy as
needed

12. Know The Laws!
Gramm Leach Bliley (GLB)
Family Educational Rights and Privacy
Act (FERPA)
Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act (HIPAA)

13. Security Failure
2006 * UCLA officials say hackers broke into a
database containing personal information on about
800,000 current and former students, faculty and
staff members. The database accessed by the
attackers contained personal records with the
names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, home
addresses and other contact information.

14. Security Failure
2005-2007 * TJX Companies, ( which operates
discount retail chains including TK Maxx in the UK
and Marshalls and TJ Maxx in the US) had a 45.7
million accounts were compromised over nearly a
two-year period installed software to harvest such
sensitive customer information as account
information, names and addresses, drivers' license
numbers and military and state identification.

15. Security Failure
2008 * Countrywide Financial Corp. found as many
as 2 million customer records which included
sensitive personal information were allegedly
stolen from the home lender’s computer files. A
former Countrywide employee was arrested and
charged with illegally accessing the firm’s
computers for more than two years. The
information was being sold to mortgage brokers to
be used as sales leads. It was estimated that he
profited by as much as $70,000 on the sales.

16. Social Networking & Ethics
The latest means for individuals to
connect to other individuals, groups,
companies, etc. via the web.
Its not just for kids!
A tempting repository of personal
Information for development purposes.

17. Social Networking & Ethics
(Continued)
Never use a false identity to contact, or “friend” a donor
or prospect.
Be weary of taking any information from a social
network site at face value.
Do not include information gleaned from a social
networking site in official prospect/donor records for
your institution without independent verification

18. Impact of Social Networking
Facebook now has over 150 million
members worldwide (the company is only
5 years old!)
MySpace runs about 100 million users
worldwide (and is only a year older than
Facebook)
LinkedIn is specifically focused for
professional networking

19. Social Networking &
Philanthropy
FACEBOOK, the popular social-networking
site, is allowing nonprofit groups and
companies to develop new technology tools
to reach out to its 58 million members. More
than 45,000 charity efforts are now under
way on the site, experts estimate.
--Chronicle of Philanthropy, February 7, 2008

20. Ethics Guidance
APRA International Statement of Ethics http:
//www.aprahome.org/AboutAPRA/PrivacyEthics/StatementofEthics/tabid/74/Default.aspx
AFP Donors Bill of Rights
http://www.afpnet.org/ka/ka-3.cfm?content_item_id=9988&folder_id=898

21. Electronic Privacy Information
Center
www.epic.org
EPIC is a public interest research center in Washington, D.C. It was
established in 1994 to focus public attention on emerging civil liberties
issues and to protect privacy, the First Amendment, and constitutional
values.

22. Research Listserv
PRSPCT-L: a free listserv for the
Advancement Research community
Registration is free
A good place for feedback on ethical
situations from professionals in advancement
research
http://listserv.apra-prspct-l.org/wa.exe?A0=PRSPCT-L

23. APRA International Ethics Committee
Karen P. Maki, Chair, University of British Columbia
David Eberly, Board Liaison, Children's Hospital Trust
Kate Fultz Hollis, University of California, Los Angeles
Sandy Johnson, Iowa State University Foundation
Stephen M. Knight, WealthEngine.com
Lynn Lazar, William Patterson University
Kim Pace, EARTH University Foundation

24. Q&A

25. Stephen M. Knight
Manager, Client Service
WealthEngine.com
4339 Montgomery Avenue
Bethesda, MD 20814
240-722-4378
sknight@wealthengine.com