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How fundraisers experience trust

The AFP Foundation for Philanthropy is conducting this survey to explore topics related to trust, organizational leadership, donor relationships, and workplace experiences of fundraising professionals. Your responses will help contribute to future programming, educational materials, and research aimed at improving organizational practices and understanding the dynamics that shape trust and generosity.

Participation is voluntary, and your responses will remain confidential. No identifying information will be reported, and results will be presented only in aggregate form.

There are no right or wrong answers. Please respond as honestly and thoughtfully as possible based on your experiences. It should take you about 10 minutes to complete. Thank you for participating.
1.Are you currently employed in fundraising, advancement, or development?
The following set of questions measure how trust – the belief that others are making a good faith effort to act in accordance with their commitments – is experienced in your organization.
2.Please choose the answer to the right of each statement that most closely describes the opinion of you and your fundraising team toward others in organizational leadership roles.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Neither agree or disagree
Agree
Strongly agree
Senior leadership uses donated funds in ways that align with the organization’s mission.
I trust organizational leaders to make ethical decisions regarding financial resources.
We monitor whether our organization meets its obligations to donors/funders.
Organizational leaders demonstrate integrity in decisions involving donor funds.
Leadership communicates honestly about how donated funds are allocated and spent.
When financial challenges arise, leadership is transparent with fundraising staff.
Leadership provides accurate financial information to fundraising personnel.
I trust leadership to represent the organization truthfully to donors and external stakeholders.
I feel confident in leadership’s overall ethical stewardship of donor contributions.
I worry that donor funds may occasionally be used inconsistent with organizational priorities.
My organization tells the truth in conversations and negotiations with donors.
I feel empowered by leadership to exercise professional judgment.
I am proud to serve as a fundraiser for my organization.
3.Please choose the answer to the right of each statement that most closely describes the opinion of you and your fundraising team toward donors.
Strongly disagree
Disagree
Neither disagree or agree
Agree
Strongly agree
We believe donors engage with the organization in good faith.
Donors generally respect ethical and professional boundaries in their interactions with fundraising staff.
We feel that most donors genuinely care about the organization’s mission and impact.
Donors typically follow through on commitments they make to the organization.
I can generally rely on donors to communicate clearly regarding their giving intentions.
We think donors keep their commitments.
Donors usually engage with the organization in a consistent and dependable manner.
We think donors misrepresent their capabilities in negotiations.
We feel we can depend on donors to negotiate with us honestly.
Donors often attempt to exert inappropriate influence over organizational decisions.
Donors generally treat fundraising staff with professionalism and respect.
I feel that most donors view fundraisers as partners rather than transactional agents.
My interactions with donors are usually characterized by mutual trust and respect.
We think that donors are dependable.
We feel confident that donors won't take advantage of our organization.
Some donors create ethical tensions for fundraising staff.
We intend to work openly with donors because they will not take advantage of us.
We intend to share information cautiously with donors to avoid loss of financial support.
Our fundraising team adheres to the highest ethical standards of transparency and accountability when working with donors.
The following questions invite you to reflect on moments when trust was challenged in your professional fundraising experience. Your responses will help us better understand the dynamics of trust between fundraisers, employers, and donors across the nonprofit sector.
4.Describe a moment when your trust in your employer was tested as a fundraiser.
5.Describe a moment when your trust in a donor was tested as a fundraiser.
6.Before we capture a few demographic details, is there anything else you would like to share as it relates to how you’ve experienced trust in your work as a fundraising professional? Are there perspectives, experiences, or challenges related to trust that you believe are important but were not addressed in this survey?
Just a few demographic questions to end the survey. Your answers will help us understand differences across the profession.
7.For what type of organization do you currently work?
8.Approximately how much money did your organization raise in philanthropic contributions (gifts) from all sources during the last completed fiscal year?



This does not include government grants, even if people on the fundraising staff worked on the proposal. Include any charitable gift your organization reports. That will vary by type of organization. Some include in-kind, pledge commitments, or legacy intentions. Others do not. Use the total you know about based on what your organization tracks. “I don’t know” is an option.
9.What is your current fundraising job/title?

Please select the ONE choice that best describes the level of your responsibilities, even if it is not your exact title.
10.For how many years have you been employed as a fundraising professional? (Round up)
11.For how many years have you been with your current employer? (Round up.)
12.What was your age in whole years (e.g., 25, 34) at the time you entered fundraising?
13.What is your age now?
14.Please check all responses that describe your primary ethnic background(s) or race(s).
15.Last question: Are you a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals?