Unveiling the NEW Fundraiser Bill of Rights
Just like the work, the Fundraiser Bill of Rights is ever-evolving
By AJ Loper
When we first released the Fundraiser Bill of Rights, the purpose was—and still is—to lift up fundraisers as human beings just as worthy of safety, respect, and joy as the donors we partner with. We set out to address the power imbalances created by traditional fundraising practices, build a standard of conduct centered on respect and collaboration, and dismantle the structural inefficiencies that drive turnover and burnout in our field.
Now, as our movement toward philanthropic equity deepens, we’ve updated this vital framework. The 2026 Fundraiser Bill of Rights moves past policy citations to deliver an expanded, human-centered declaration, reminding us that no donation is worth sacrificing the dignity, safety, or well-being of the people doing the work.
While our core goal to protect and empower development professionals remains completely unchanged, this updated version addresses today's realities head-on. Here is a closer look at what has stayed the same and the powerful ways this essential tool has evolved.
What Stayed the Same
The core categories of the Fundraiser Bill of Rights remain unchanged. They are still broken down into Fundraiser Safety, Donor Relations, and Nonprofit Support.
The new version continues to highlight the protection of fundraisers from workplace and donor-facing discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy, national origin, age, disability, or genetic information.
The right of fundraisers to report unlawful, unethical, or inappropriate behavior without fear of employer or donor retaliation has not changed.
The new document continues to support the right of fundraisers to decline or step away from interactions with donors who engage in (or are suspected of) harassment or discriminatory behavior.
Fundraisers still have the right to ask hard questions about donor practices, expectations, application requirements, and decision-making processes before committing organizational time or accepting gifts.
The new version still emphasizes that a fundraiser’s professional, academic, and lived experience should be valued equally alongside the expertise of board members, executives, and donors.
Both assert the right to fair market compensation, clear paths for advancement, and accessible professional development opportunities.
What Changed & Why
Good frameworks evolve alongside the communities they serve. The 2026 Fundraiser Bill of Rights shifts from a legalistic guideline to an expanded, human-first declaration of rights. We’ve added key protections around workload capacity, emotional well-being, and organizational support—because protecting fundraisers requires meeting today's workplace realities head-on.
Here are the major changes you’ll find in the new version:
Expanded Rights (13 to 20 Rights): The original Fundraiser Bill of Rights outlined 13 points across its sections; the 2026 revised document expands and restructures these into 20 detailed, comprehensive rights.
New Sections and Core Philosophy: The 2026 revision introduces a brand-new introduction setting the context for burnout and power dynamics, and concludes with a powerful new standalone section: "The Fundamental Right."
Shift from Statistics to Human Stories: While our original document relied heavily on statistics and survey data to justify the need for these rights, the 2026 version focuses purely on telling the human story and setting bold organizational standards.
Action-Oriented Principles over Legal Jargon: Where the original version leaned heavily into policy citations and legal guidelines, the 2026 update trades compliance language for clear, uncompromising principles. It shifts the focus from avoiding liability to affirming humanity—offering grounding truths like "Not every dollar is a good dollar" and "Leaving does not mean a fundraiser failed."
| TOPIC | Original Version | 2026 Updated Version |
|---|---|---|
| Personal Identity | Framed around legal free speech protections and autonomy over personal social identity. | Framed broader as the "Right to be themselves" (Right 19), emphasizing individuality without surrendering voice for employment or donor access. |
| Collective Action | Right to unionize and collectively bargain under labor law frameworks. | Broader "Right to organize and advocate" (Right 18) for fair working conditions and professional standards. |
| Organizational Response to Harassment | Focuses on assisting in developing messaging plans and publicizing complaints. | Focuses on internal processes, safety, standing behind staff, and giving fundraisers a voice in continuing/terminating donor relationships (Rights 3, 5, & 6). |
How to Use the Fundraiser Bill of Rights
Putting the Fundraiser Bill of Rights into action requires commitment from every level of an organization. Leaders and boards can use this declaration as an internal audit tool to evaluate workload sustainability, resource allocation, and safety reporting processes. Fundraisers can use them to lead candid conversations with executive teams about realistic goals and donor boundaries. By treating this document as an ongoing dialogue, organizations can create environments where development professionals don't just survive, but thrive.
Join a movement of nonprofits across the country ready to create more equitable relationships for donors, fundraisers, and nonprofits. Download the 2026 Fundraiser Bill of Rights today.
The NEW Fundraiser Bill of Rights
Fundraising works best when it is built on trust, respect, honesty, and shared responsibility.
Yet too often, fundraisers are expected to absorb the pressure created by unrealistic goals, difficult donors, inadequate resources, and unhealthy workplace cultures. We are told to protect the donor relationship at almost any cost, to make more happen with less, and to treat burnout as part of the job.
It doesn't have to be this way.
The Fundraiser Bill of Rights establishes a standard for how fundraisers should be treated by the organizations they represent, the donors they work with, and the communities they serve.
These rights are not about giving fundraisers more power than anyone else. They're about creating the conditions for fundraisers to do their jobs well — with dignity, safety, professional respect, and a meaningful voice in the work.
Fundraiser Safety
The right to a safe and respectful workplace. Fundraisers have the right to work free from discrimination, harassment, intimidation, and retaliation, including discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy, national origin, age, disability, or genetic information. Fundraisers should never have to choose between their personal safety and their professional responsibilities.
The right to speak up. Fundraisers have the right to report unlawful, unethical, unsafe, or inappropriate behavior in the workplace or in interactions with donors, volunteers, board members, community leaders, or other stakeholders. They should be able to do so with the support of their organization and without fear of retaliation.
The right to be taken seriously. When a fundraiser reports harassment, discrimination, or other inappropriate behavior, they have the right to a clear process for reporting and addressing what happened. Organizations have a responsibility to listen, investigate appropriately, communicate what they can, and take meaningful action when necessary.
The right to say no to unsafe relationships. Fundraisers have the right to decline or step away from interactions with donors, prospects, volunteers, or community leaders who have engaged in (or are reasonably suspected of engaging in) sexual harassment, discrimination, intimidation, or other harmful behavior. Fundraisers should not be required to tolerate abuse in the name of philanthropy.
The right to organizational support when things go wrong. When a donor or other stakeholder behaves in a discriminatory, harassing, threatening, or otherwise inappropriate way, fundraisers have the right to expect their organization to stand behind them. That includes support in determining what happened, deciding how to respond, communicating with the individual or organization involved, and protecting the fundraiser from further harm.
The right to participate in decisions about donor relationships that affect their safety. Fundraisers should have a voice in decisions about whether and how their organization continues a relationship with a donor or other stakeholder whose behavior has created a safety or ethical concern. No gift should be considered more important than the people doing the work.
Donor Relations
The right to ask questions. Fundraisers have the right to ask donors and prospective donors questions about their priorities, practices, expectations, restrictions, and decision-making processes before entering into a partnership. A fundraiser’s job is not simply to secure a gift. It is to help determine whether a partnership is appropriate for everyone involved.
The right to understand the rules. Fundraisers have the right to clear, accessible information about donor guidelines, application requirements, funding priorities, restrictions, and expectations. Donors have the right to establish their own criteria. Fundraisers have the right to understand those criteria before investing significant time and organizational resources in pursuing a gift.
The right to transparency. Fundraisers have the right to ask how funding requests are reviewed and evaluated, who makes decisions, and when organizations can reasonably expect a response. Organizations should not be expected to operate in the dark while navigating opaque funding processes.
The right to walk away. Fundraisers have the right to recommend that their organization decline a gift, grant, partnership, or donor relationship when the conditions attached to it are harmful, unethical, discriminatory, or inconsistent with the organization’s mission and values. Not every dollar is a good dollar.
Nonprofit Support
The right to be treated as a professional. Fundraisers bring professional expertise, academic training, lived experience, community knowledge, and years of relationship-building to their work. Their expertise deserves to be respected and valued alongside the expertise of donors, board members, executives, and community leaders.
The right to realistic expectations. Fundraisers have the right to fundraising goals that reflect organizational capacity, available resources, economic conditions, donor behavior, and the realities of the work. Fundraising outcomes are influenced by many factors that no individual fundraiser can control. A difficult revenue year is not automatically a fundraiser failure.
The right to the resources needed to do the job. Fundraisers have the right to adequate staffing, technology, data, administrative support, budget, and organizational investment to reasonably accomplish the work they are being asked to do. Organizations cannot continually reduce the resources available to fundraising while increasing expectations for what fundraising must produce.
The right to good data. Fundraisers have the right to accurate, timely, useful donor and organizational data, and to the tools and training necessary to understand and use it. Good fundraising requires good information.
The right to fair compensation. Fundraisers have the right to fair compensation that reflects their skills, experience, responsibilities, and the market value of their work. They also have the right to understand how compensation decisions are made and to have access to meaningful opportunities for advancement.
The right to professional development. Fundraisers have the right to opportunities to learn, grow, develop leadership skills, and advance their careers. Professional development should not be treated as a luxury reserved for people who have already reached the top.
The right to have a life outside of fundraising. Fundraisers have the right to reasonable boundaries between their work and personal lives. Fundraising is important work. It is not an emergency every day. Fundraisers should not be expected to sacrifice their health, families, relationships, or personal well-being to prove their commitment to the mission.
The right to organize and advocate. Fundraisers have the right to advocate for fair treatment, better working conditions, appropriate compensation, and professional standards. They have the right to organize and collectively advocate with coworkers and other nonprofit professionals without fear of retaliation.
The right to be themselves. Fundraisers have the right to their own identities, beliefs, voices, and personal lives outside of their professional roles. They should not be expected to surrender their individuality in exchange for employment or access to donors, provided that their conduct does not discriminate against or harm others.
The right to leave. Fundraisers have the right to leave an organization, donor relationship, or position that is no longer healthy, ethical, safe, or sustainable. Leaving does not mean a fundraiser failed. Sometimes, leaving is the most professional thing a person can do.
The Fundamental Right: Fundraisers have the right to be treated like human beings.
Fundraising is relationship work. It requires trust, vulnerability, judgment, emotional intelligence, and professional expertise.
Fundraisers are not ATMs, order-takers, donor concierges, miracle workers, or the organization's solution to every financial problem. They are professionals doing important work on behalf of their communities.
We can ask fundraisers to do hard things without asking them to accept harmful things.
The future of fundraising depends not only on how much money we raise, but on whether we build a profession where talented people can do this work with dignity, safety, and the support they deserve.
Ready to take the pledge? Join a movement of nonprofits across the country ready to create more equitable relationships for donors, fundraisers, and nonprofits. Download the Fundraiser Bill of Rights.
