I know I say this almost every post, but this value may be my favorite value. When you're working with a fundraiser, integrity is vital. That person is responsible for the precious funds that allow your organization to serve, so you must be able to trust their character.
The same goes for us at Sharpshooter.
Defined as being honest and forthright, SC team members use the value of integrity to determine all actions, both within the organization and in relationship with clients and the general public. When we commit errors, we admit the error openly and seek to ameliorate its impact. We fulfill all commitments and follow all ethical, legal and moral regulations, even when doing so may not be to our own benefit.
Integrity encompasses multiple things. Honesty in regards to the amount of work that is done and the time it took. Extending our values into our personal lives and presences within the community. Being forthright in any mistakes.
Having integrity 100% of the time can be difficult - but we do it anyway.
Over my 30 year career I can think of all the mistakes I've made (and there have been many), and I can think about how many of those mistakes I could have passed off to someone else to save my own skin. But I didn't.
Not too long ago, Sharpshooter was working with a new client on a federal grant that had a super quick turnaround. Looking back, it was not the ideal working relationship for both Sharpshooter and this client. However, we were really moved by the work the organization did, and we decided to attempt the impossible - write a federal grant in less than 7 days for a completely new-to-us organization.
Long story short, we tried, and we failed.
In that moment, we were honest with our client. We decided to not charge them for the work we did. And we left the door open to work on the same federal grant for next year - at no cost. Finally, we offered to make a Point Report for them at no cost.
It is not the smartest business practice to do what we did. We had a contract that said we would be paid for our work. There was no clause that said we would offer our service pro bono should it not end as we anticipated (and definitely no clause saying that we will provide am additional $2,500 service for free). However, given our value of integrity, we did what was right - not what was "business smart".
This is one example of what you can expect when you work with Sharpshooter. Although we try to not make mistakes (especially large mistakes like this one), we will do our best to make amends and continue to support you on the frontlines serving our community's most vulnerable.