Rocking the Boat: Ethical Relations Between Nonprofit Organizations

In relations between nonprofit organizations, competition is the central ethical dilemma. There are at least 2 types of competition. The first, frontal competition, occurs when 2 organizations on opposite sides of an issue attack each other. The 2nd form of competition is collegial, where organizations with similar objectives fight over resources, territory, recognition, or clients. Frontal competition tends to operate according to distinct ethical parameters, while ethical decisions in collegial conflicts tend to be more ambiguous and subtle. Ethical questions in collegial conflicts include: 1. Should a nonprofit organization take over a program which was originated and developed by another organization without its consent? 2. Should an organization take advantage of an event or mailing list generated by another organization for its own purposes? An organization should examine its hierarchy of values and establish a policy for ethical action along its boundaries.