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Ethics are important to us. Below you will find our statement of ethics. As members of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), we are also committed to the AFP Code of Ethics.

Statement of Ethics

Our Commitment to Our Clients

Association for Fundraising ProfessionalsWe will mutually establish with our clients realistic expectations of the benefits and results of our services.

We will only accept assignments for which we possess the requisite experience and competence to perform and will only assign staff or engage colleagues with the knowledge and expertise needed to serve our clients effectively.

Before accepting any engagement, we will ensure that we have worked with our clients to establish a mutual understanding of the objectives, scope, work plan, and fee arrangements.

We will treat appropriately all confidential client information that is not public knowledge, take reasonable steps to prevent it from access by unauthorized people, and will not take advantage of proprietary or privileged information, either for use by Saad&Shaw, the client’s organization, or another client, without the client’s permission.

We will avoid conflicts of interest or the appearance of such and will immediately disclose to the client circumstances or interests that we believe may influence our judgment or objectivity.

We will offer to withdraw from a consulting assignment when we believe our objectivity or integrity may be impaired.

Our Commitment to Fiscal Integrity

We will agree in advance with a client on the basis for fees and expenses and will charge fees that are reasonable and commensurate with the services delivered and the responsibility accepted.

We will not perform fund development services on a commission basis, nor charge for our services based on a percentage of dollars raised.

Our Commitment to the Public and the Profession

We will respect the rights of consulting colleagues and consulting firms and will not use their proprietary information or methodologies without permission.

We will represent the consulting profession with integrity and professionalism in our relations with our clients, colleagues, and the general public.

We will not advertise our services in a deceptive manner nor misrepresent or denigrate individual consulting practitioners, consulting firms, or the consulting profession.

This statement is adapted from the ethics statement of the Affiliate Consultant Network of the Center for Community Benefit Organizations of which we were members. The organization is no longer in existence, but we remain committed to these principles.

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