NPTech Code of Conduct
Flickr Photo: kota2006The NPTech Professional Principles Affinity Group has been hard at work these last few months. Led by John Kenyon, Nonprofit Technology Strategist, the group has tackled a different topic each week to create a code of conduct that will show the world that we, as nonprofit professionals, follow the basic tenets of ethical service, whether as staff, support orgs, consultants, or vendors.
The need for these principles also arose out of a desire to have a standard most of the field could agree on to help connect us to one another.
The following is the result of the discussion:
Nonprofit Technology Professionals' Principles/Code of Conduct
We, as technology professionals serving nonprofit organizations, pledge to:
1. Do no intentional harm to data or devices containing data.
2. Appreciate, respect, and adapt our approaches appropriately for an organization's culture, mission, context, and resources.
3. Focus on solutions appropriate in both the short and long term to an organization's culture, mission, context, and resources.
4. Explain/demonstrate technology strategies and tools using clear, non-technical language.
5. Understand and communicate the applicable excellent practices and legal and technical requirements related to our work.
6. Engage in continuous learning practices to maintain our skills and knowledge.
7. Regularly participate in and share our knowledge with our community.
8. Maintain ethical practices and declare any conflicts of interest.
9. Provide recommendations and not directives, communicating the reasoning behind those recommendations, ensuring the decision is always the clients.
10. If we charge for our services, to be transparent about product pricing and/or project costs.
John wonders what the next steps might be? Please share your thoughts by commenting, below.
