practice their
profession with the highest sense of integrity, honesty,
truthfulness to maintain and broaden public confidence;
adhere to all
applicable laws and regulations in all aspects of grantsmanship;
continually
improve their professional knowledge and skills;
promote positive
relationships between grant professionals and their stakeholders;
value the
privacy, freedom, choice and interests of all those affected by
their actions;
ensure that
funds are solicited to program guidelines (when available);
adhere to
acceptable means of compensation for services performed; pro bono
work is encouraged;
foster cultural
diversity and pluralistic values, and treat all people with dignity
and respect;
become leaders
and role models in the field of grantsmanship
Standards of Professional Practice:
Moreover, as
members respect and honor the above principles and guidelines
established by the AAGP Code of Ethical Principles, infringement or
breach of standards outlined in code are subject to disciplinary
sanctions, including expulsion, to be determined by committee
elected body of their peers.
Professional
Obligations:
1. Members shall
act according to the highest ethical standards of their institution,
profession, and conscience.
2. Members shall
obey all applicable local, state, provincial, and federal civil and
criminal laws and regulations.
3. Members
should avoid the appearance of any criminal offense or professional
misconduct.
4. Members shall
disclose all relationships that might constitute, or appear to
constitute, conflicts of interest.
5. Members
should not be associated directly or indirectly with any service,
product, individual, or organization in a way that they know is
misleading.
6. Members shall
not abuse any relationship with a donor, prospect, volunteer or
employee to the benefit of the member or the member’s organization.
7. Members shall
recognize their individual boundaries of competence and be
forthcoming and truthful about their professional experience,
knowledge and expertise.
8. Members shall
continually strive to improve their personal competence.
Solicitation
and Use of Funds:
9. Members shall
take care to ensure that all solicitation materials are accurate and
correctly reflect the organization’s mission and solicited funds.
10. Members
shall take care to ensure that grants are used in accordance with
the grant’s intent.
Presentation
of Information:
11. Members
shall not disclose privileged information to unauthorized parties.
Information acquired from consumers is confidential. This includes
verbal and written disclosures, records, and video or audio
recording of an activity or presentation without appropriate
releases.
12. Members are
responsible for knowing the confidentiality regulations within their
jurisdiction.
13. Members
shall use accurate and consistent accounting methods that conform to
the appropriate guidelines adopted by the American Institute of
Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)* for the type of organization
involved. (*In countries outside of the United States, comparable
authority should be utilized.)
Compensation:
14. Members
shall work for a salary or fee.
15. Members may
accept performance-based compensation, such as bonuses, provided
such bonuses are in accord with prevailing practices within the
members’ own organizations, and are not based on a percentage of
grants.
16. Members
shall not accept or pay finder’s fees , commissions , or percentage
compensation based on grants, and shall take care to discourage
their organizations from making such payments.
17. Compensation
should not be written into grants unless allowed by the funder.
A Note about Fees:
Many client
organizations propose incentives that peg the fees to the monies raised.
Steer clear of any firm that offers to take a percentage of the money
raised. This unethical practice implies that the consultant’s work is
only dependent upon the final reward. When Tiano Consulting Group
contracts to perform services for a client, the fee is determined by the
work to be performed and the effort expended will be of the same
quality, regardless of grant size.
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The
American Association of Grant Professionals (AAGP), a nonprofit
membership association, is committed to serving the greater public
good by practicing the highest ethical and professional standards.
AAGP members have joined forces to
be the leading authority and resource for the practice of
grantsmanship in all sectors of the field. Membership in this
association promotes positive relationships between grant
professionals and their stakeholders, provides a vehicle for grant
professionals to gain professional growth and development, and
enhances the public image and recognition of the profession within
the greater philanthropic, public, and private funding communities.
Member’s foundation is stimulated by the rich diversity within the
grant profession.
