Privacy and Prospect Research

Approved by the APRA Board of Directors, December 2000

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Statement of Policy: APRA affirms the fundamental right to privacy for all individuals. APRA directs its members to follow APRA's Statement of Ethics and to commit to the ethical collection and use of information for our employing organizations.

Discussion: As privacy issues gain an increasing presence in our society, it becomes imperative for many professions dealing with information to have a proactive stance and strong foundation to address the concerns of our constituents. APRA members are on the front lines of this issue, compiling data and information on philanthropic prospects and donors, and we take privacy and our responsibility to our constituents very seriously. To that end, we abide by the following tenets:

The availability of information in the public domain does not drive the collection of data nor supercede ethical principles and practices in its use.

As outlined in APRA's Statement of Ethics, the fundamental principles that drive our work include:

the protection of confidential information;
the accurate recording of all data;
relevancy in the information that is sought;
honesty in revealing our identities and the purpose of our work;
taking responsibility and being accountable for our actions as professional researchers.

APRA members follow all applicable federal, state and local laws governing the collection, use, maintenance and dissemination of information

Policies and procedures are amended to address changes in laws and available technologies while preserving the underlying ethical standards.

It is the responsibility of our profession to require information vendors to disclose the sources of their data and their use of any data our organizations might provide to them.

We utilize only those resources and work with only those vendors that meet our ethical guidelines.

We abide by the principles of confidentiality and appropriateness when sharing internal information between departments and between organizations.

We seek only information that is needed for effective fundraising for our organizations and avoid the collection of unnecessary peripheral data that might compromise an individual's privacy.

The discussion of privacy and its impact on fundraising brings up issues without simple answers, but APRA is an association willing to take the lead in this arena. Our belief in the fundamental rights of individuals and our Statement of Ethics are the foundation of our daily work. They serve as examples of where our profession stands for our colleagues and our constituents.