Conscious of our responsibility to God and to the People of God; respectful of the directives of the Holy Father, the laws of the Church as well as the laws of the land; acknowledging the changeless principles of good stewardship in this ever-changing apostolate; anxious to elevate fund raising to the sacramentality of true charity; and mindful that our common purpose is one of uncommon service to our fellow man; WE, as members of the National Catholic Development Conference, do affirm our adherence to the following precepts:

I. Authority

That member organizations shall have approval of the appropriate religious authority for all fund raising and promotional activities.

Any Fund Raising or Development Office should be established by specific and formal action of the appropriate governing body of the parent or founding organization. The authorizing resolution should set forth the scope, powers, and objectives of the office to be established.

The parent organization or institution should be specifically listed in the Official Catholic Directory. The Development Office, if under a different name or location from the parent organization, should also be listed.

The Development Office should be responsible to, and should report on a regular basis, to a Board of Trustees, Executive Committee, Provincial Council or similar independent body chosen by, although not necessarily from, the parent organization. The names of this Executive Committee should be filed annually with the NCDC Office as part of the membership application or renewal.

II. Accountability

That sound business practice is fundamental to good stewardship. Particularly WE, as receivers of monies given in trust, have the binding obligation of full accountability in accordance with the most stringent ethical, legal, and fiscal standards.

A detailed financial statement should be provided to the governing body and appropriate religious authorities annually. An accountability statement (financial report) is available to donors and is provided to the NCDC Office annually.

A letter signed by the Director of Development should accompany this financial statement, attesting that all financial accounts and records of the Development Office have been examined, and that there has been full disclosure of all monies and all accounts receivable and payable.

Long-term investment of funds by a Development Office is not a desirable practice. Investment activities in general should be conducted at a different organizational level and one that is completely isolated from the solicitation office. Even at this higher level, any investment of funds received from the public should be of a nonspeculative nature and in full contemplation of the intention of the donors.

Development Offices as non-profit organizations should not use their preferential tax position to compete unfairly in the commercial market place. The utilization of business equipment, computers, printing presses, mailing machinery, even office space directly or by sub-lease, unless the fees charged are similar or equal to those of competitive firms offering similar services, could provide grounds for the charge of unfair competition and jeopardize the tax status of the parent or founding organizations.

III. Stewardship

That appeals be marked by a dignity of nature, a clarity of language, and a validity of purpose in harmony with the highest Christian principles, stressing the Love of God as the motivation for giving.

Consideration should always be given to avoid undue conflict with other approved appeals. It must be recognized that saturation techniques can seriously affect other approved appeals. Efforts of this nature should be subject to the ecclesiastical regulations covering a public collection of funds".

In the event items of piety, religious cards or other promotional pieces are incorporated in any appeal, they shall be in good taste, presented as gifts without obligation or constraint of payment. In the broad sense, it is not feasible to attempt to define or prohibit the use of premiums or unsolicited merchandise in the raising of funds. It is reasonable, however, to discourage this general practice and to urge that other and less objectionable methods be employed. Most particularly, the sending of blessed articles should be restrained except in such instances where the article is utilized as a means of expressing appreciation for a prior gift.

Enrollments in Mass Associations, and Purgatorial Societies, and the use of Spiritual Bouquet cards are in keeping with Catholic tradition. However, numerical emphasis on Masses and other spiritual benefits is to be avoided.

Similarity of copy, art work, and general presentation is unavoidable in our closely related field of endeavor; however, the exact reproduction or evident imitation of the material of another organization by a member should be avoided.

IV. Techniques

That no member shall enter into any arrangement or contract involving payment in the form of a percentage or commission on funds raised.

Such an agreement may well work to the disadvantage of the religious organization in the long run and lead to many disputes between the organization and the commercial firm. An arrangement of this type ignores a fundamental truth of fund raising: in the final analysis, gifts are attracted by the merits of the organization and the people who are committed to it.

Religious organizations who seek to enter such an agreement are motivated by false assumptions about how fund raising works, who will solicit the funds, and a deep-seated certainty that there is a quick and easy way to secure the sums they require.

V. Ethical Statement

That great prudence should be exercised in obtaining, maintaining and utilizing lists of names and addresses of present, prospective and past benefactors. Any written request that a name be removed from a mailing list should be honored. Such lists should at all times be within the full ownership and control of the fund-raising entity.

VI. Implementation

That procedures for resolving reported instances of non-compliance have been established by the NCDC Board of Directors and shall be utilized in situations that are in conflict with these Precepts of Stewardship.