One of my favorite spiritual guides is the “Tao Te Ching” by Lao Tzu. Loosely translated, this means the Way of Virtue. It includes the concepts of integrity, self-control, and inner knowledge. The Tao Te Ching is the main text of Taoism which believes in the basic tenet that all things should live in balance with the universe.

As a proponent of ethical behavior, I understand that we are imperfect beings. No one does it right all the time, and yes, ethical people likely did some unethical things in their past that they are not proud of and cringe whenever they think of it. That “icky cringe feeling” is great motivation not to do it again, but also a reminder that we usually know when we are doing something wrong.

When my company joined the ASAE CAE Approved Provider program in 2019, we were excited to offer one of the first ethics courses for nonprofit professionals created specifically to fulfill the new ethics requirement for CAE renewal. I personally felt adding an ethics requirement was a strong step forward for our profession so I showed my support by supporting the provider program.

Radio Free 501c is the voice of Rogue Tulips Consulting. The author reads her weekly message from the Rogue Tulips Consulting newsletter, "Rogue Speak."  This week's topic is: “Standards of Conduct and Their Importance”

The topic of the moment is artificial intelligence (AI) and why we need rules, regulations, and guidelines for its behavior. Debates are happening nearly constantly as experts pick sides (for or against AI) and researchers from both ends of the spectrum make arguments and give examples from their research and experience. Based on what I’ve seen and learned, most commenters think some rules are necessary even if these rules are basic.

Radio Free 501c is the audio version of the Rogue Speak message published weekly by Rogue Tulips Consulting.

ASAE has Standards of Conduct for members, and at the August 2022 ASAE Board meeting, the organization even added a new one. These are not aspirational, meaning they are not something you “try to do.” These are the Standards of Conduct we should use and model in our daily lives and so we should use these to the best of our ability. It demonstrates to the world that we are a profession that should be taken seriously because we take ourselves and our work seriously.

The 501c League offers an insightful and thought-provoking ethics course that is designed for professionals in the nonprofit profession. It demonstrates our commitment to supporting ethical development within our profession, which protects the integrity of what we do.

Dictionary.com defines ethics as “moral principles that govern a person’s behavior or the conducting of an activity, [e.g.] medical ethics also enter into the question.” Making decisions that affect the organization you serve as a board member requires the application of ethics within that activity as well.