{"id":11462,"date":"2021-08-17T21:44:30","date_gmt":"2021-08-17T21:44:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/?p=11462"},"modified":"2021-08-17T21:44:30","modified_gmt":"2021-08-17T21:44:30","slug":"ethics-101-for-association-professionals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/ethics-101-for-association-professionals\/","title":{"rendered":"Ethics 101 for Association Professionals"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s time that we rethink the ways we look at ethics.<\/span><\/p>\n

Conversations about ethics are often thought to be (and in some cases rightly are) punitive in nature. We tend to only talk about ethics once they\u2019ve been breached. Instead, our expectations around ethical behavior should be part of an ongoing dialogue across all areas of our associations, agreed <\/span>Nabil El-Ghoroury<\/b> of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, <\/span>Lindsay Childress-Beatty<\/b> of the American Psychological Association, and<\/span> MaryAnne Bobrow<\/b> of Bobrow Associates, Inc. The three presented a Learning Lab titled Ethics 101 for Association Professionals at the ASAE 2021 Annual Meeting.<\/span><\/p>\n

An open environment where ethics are discussed and displayed improves our relationships, promotes professional behavior, encourages accountability, and protects the public served by our association and our members.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s important for associations to create a culture where ethical behavior starts at the top with leadership and ethics policies are clearly communicated and understood by everyone – staff, members and volunteers – who play a role in your association. It\u2019s a mistake to assume that \u201ceveryone knows what\u2019s right,\u201d when human tendency is to cut corners or go through the motions, especially when under stress.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the end of the day, ethics is about trust, so it\u2019s important for even the smallest of actions to be done well and with ethics in mind.<\/span><\/p>\n

El-Ghoroury, Childress-Beatty and Bobrow went into detail on a few areas in particular where associations tend to run into ethical challenges, including embezzlement, conflict of interest, social media and gifts. But no matter the specific action in need of addressing, they offered a flowchart and three broad steps your association should take:<\/span><\/p>\n

Ethical Decision-Making Flowchart<\/b><\/p>\n

> Document the problem<\/span><\/p>\n

> Ask yourself, Is the action legal?<\/span><\/p>\n

> If legal, is there still an ethical issue?<\/span><\/p>\n

> Consider conflict of interest and objectivity<\/span><\/p>\n

> Review relevant policies and precedents (what have you done before in similar situations)<\/span><\/p>\n

> Brainstorm and evaluate options<\/span><\/p>\n

3 Actions to Take for a More Ethical Association<\/b><\/p>\n