Ethics in the nonprofit sector has often been discussed in the light of nonprofit organizations’ missions and their relationships with the constituencies they serve. Because they often work with at-risk or marginalized populations, there is always a potential for abuse, fraud, or waste, and there is a requirement that nonprofits have a firm foundation of ethics. With this regard, many nonprofits are guided by the ethical standards of their respective professions and what to do or not to do while providing the service.
At the same time, nonprofit leaders also follow the norms of conduct established in the nonprofit world. For example, nonprofit boards of directors depend on volunteers, contrary to their business counterparts. Nonprofit board members often donate labor, fiscal, legal, and perform other tasks that aim to achieve broader goals of the mission of their organizations.
Ethics in Nonprofit Management : A Collection of Cases (1998)