Honesty
- Comply with all controlling laws and regulations.
- Make appropriate use of resources. Do not misuse resources for personal gain or tolerate such misuse by others.
- Do not conceal conflict of interests or allow them to make you disloyal.
- Be truthful in all our dealings, but keep confidential that which should not be disclosed for the sake of others.
- Share bad news with the person(s) who needs to know.
Transparency
- Keep the best records we can.
- Always create and file a documentary record of financial transactions.
- Allow any authorized person to inspect them at any reasonable time and place, after verifying that they have the right to do so.
- Earn the public’s trust. Explain our methods of handling grants, donations, and contributions to anyone who wants to know.
- Admit mistakes.
Fairness
- Give due consideration to the interests of all affected persons or organizations in making decisions.
- Be skeptical of a pattern of decisions that always favors one’s preferences.
- All other things being equal, lean toward decisions that help the helpless and support the vulnerable.
- Whenever possible, make amends for mistakes or errors.
Respect
- Treat everyone with dignity, respecting cultural differences that we can accommodate, while holding to our norms of fairness and equality.
- When encountering angry, offensive, or crude behavior, meet it with a calm, firm and professional response.
Diligence
- Work efficiently and effectively in aid of our mission and the people we serve.
- Be a team player, but take initiative whenever appropriate. Don’t wait for others to address issues or concerns that you have spotted.
- Communicate with coworkers in a timely, respectful, and adequate manner.
- Do not tolerate violations of our ethics. If you see or suspect wrongdoing, report it. If it implicates the executive director, take it to the board president.