Be True to Donors

5. Establish internal controls to ensure that donations are properly authorized, recorded and reported.

6. Provide for whistle blowers. An organization should encourage people with concerns about its ethics and accountability to come forward. “Nonprofit directors and officers should let staff members, volunteers and other stakeholders know how they can raise concerns. If an organization listens to its whistle blowers early on, it can save itself a lot of trouble in the long run,” Marenakos writes.