Read the case vignette below. Visit the NASW Code of Ethics (link is below), as well as the Association of Fundraising Professionals' Donor's Bill of Rights that is attached along with the rubric for this assignment and review providing a post to the following (200 word minimum but more): What ethical principles should be considered in Doris' dilemma?
NASW Code of Ethics Link: https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics
Case Vignette: Doris Lieberman
Background
Sitting at her desk and staring at the schedule for the Spring Community Banquet, one of the annual fundraisers for Jewish Family Services (JFS) in Milwaukee, Doris thought back to what her professor in community and organizational practice shared with her class seven years ago:
The longer social workers practice, the more likely they are to have opportunities to move into leadership. As social workers move into leadership, their work often shifts from direct practice with clients to indirect practice that supports the work of frontline professionals. The comprehensive training for social workers as generalists prepares them to be successful practitioners in both capacities. Still, when practitioners move into leadership, they have to cope with the transition.
Coping with the transition is exactly what Doris was experiencing. After graduating with her BSW, Doris accepted a position as an adult case manager at JFS. She worked with a caseload of sixty-five clients and their families as they dealt with the transitions associated with aging. Her position put her in contact with a large network of community professionals as she developed and implemented service plans with her clients. She stayed in the position for three years, becoming a respected professional with a diverse network of relationships with community leaders. When the development director of the agency retired, the executive director of the agency received an informal recommendation from her friend, a nursing home administrator, about considering Doris for the position. The executive di- rector approached Doris, encouraged her to apply, and eventually hired her as the director of development.
The Context
JFS is one of the oldest and most active human service organizations in Milwaukee. Since the 1860s, JFS has offered services to support and nurture healthy families, children, and individuals. Two religious values guide the work of JFS. Staff members view the service they provide as opportunities to live out the Jewish values of chesed and tzedekah. When considered together, the two Jewish values mean to show love and kindness to others (chesed) and to promote justice and righteousness in their relationship with God (tzedekah). Consistent with the agency values, JFS provides services to people living in the Milwaukee community regardless of race, religion, or lifestyle. JFS uses a life-cycle approach to organizing services, offering counseling and case management to children and youth, teenagers, families, adults and couples, and older adults. There is also a separate program that provides case management services to immigrants and survivors of the Holocaust.
Providing comprehensive services to the community is expensive. Even though JFS is a nonprofit organization, the agency must generate enough revenue to pay for the services. A significant portion of the revenue comes from foundations, grants, and government contracts as well as individual and corporate contributions, endowments, and special fundraising events. Similar to other nonprofit service organizations, client fees account for only a fraction of the revenue. Client fees are determined with a sliding scale fee, and most of the people needing services from JFS usually pay the lowest level of the fee scale. The agency simply could not provide services to the community without the financial support generated from development.
For the past four years, Doris has shifted her time and efforts to raising support for the agency. Her networking and communication skills were part of what made her an effective case manager. In that direct micro practice role, the networking relationships developed made advocating and co- ordinating services for clients possible. As director of development, Doris cultivates relationships with people representing various stakeholders (e.g., individual donors, foundation staff, government employees, religious leaders) to develop collaborative partnerships that lead to financial support. She also works closely with the executive director, the chief financial officer, and members of the board of directors to prepare fiscal budgets, annual reports, and strategic plans for the agency.
The Situation
The Spring Community Banquet is one of the annual fundraisers for JFS, usually clearing $90,000 to $110,000 after expenses. Each of the other three fundraisers usually generates similar levels of support. The support raised from the banquet and other fundraisers help offset some of the costs of the intensive one-on-one counseling services that are more expensive to pro- vide. Planning for the spring banquet is an ongoing endeavor. Doris personally meets with and invites nearly all of the guests each year. She also works with her development assistant to plan the evening.
This year, the preliminary figures indicate the banquet will be a success. A week before the dinner, 355 of the 400 people invited had replied that they would attend. Another twenty guests reported they could not attend, but enclosed checks to cover the cost of the evening. Altogether, Doris estimated that the banquet could potentially raise the most support for JFS in a single event. Guests pay $360 to attend the banquet. The evening includes a five-course meal, a live band, ballroom dancing, and a guest speaker.
In planning the banquet, Doris contacted a colleague at the mayor’s office who had connections with the vice president (VP) of marketing for the Milwaukee Brewers. The colleague arranged for Doris to meet the VP where she would have the opportunity to arrange for one of the baseball players to be the guest speaker. Doris quickly developed a rapport with the VP, shared her vision for the banquet, and invited him to attend. The VP accepted and also agreed to talk with some of the players to see if any were interested in attending as a guest speaker. Within a few weeks, the VP sent Doris an email telling her that one of the players had agreed to speak at the event. Two days before the event, Doris finds out from her development assistant that the VP had called to let her know that the player had a family emergency come up and had to fly home. Therefore, he would not be coming to the event. Doris had 355 guests paying a lot of money expecting to hear from this baseball player. She sat down at her desk, looked at the schedule for the evening, and wondered what she could do.