A Review of Professional Ethics Codes:
             How the AFP (Association of Fundraising Professionals) Code of Ethical Principles and Standards of Professional Practice Compares
             Introduction: In this paper, the ethical code of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) is compared with the ethical codes of five other professional organizations in order to more completely discover those areas in which the AFP Code is on solid footing with other, like organizations, as well as where the AFP Code may be lacking from an objective viewpoint. The comparative codes used were some of the best-written professional conduct codes from various well-respected professions of our society. These codes are:
             · American Bar Association (ABA) Creed
             · American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Code of Professional Conduct and Bylaws
             · American Medical Association (AMA) Oath and Law of Hippocrates
             · American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC) Code of Ethics
             · United States Department of Commerce (DOC) Model of Business Principles
             Professional ethical codes have been in existence for thousands of years. Just as codes were established to protect professions from outside contamination (i.e.: a person pretending to be a physician when s/he was not) and external regulation; so too have ethical codes become shields for the clients using the services of those various professions. Ethical codes and professional creeds of practice often protect the public from unseemly actions of the practitioner. They also provide direction for the training of new professionals. Standards of conduct for actions taken while performing services or even standards of conduct in general life, which would reflect negatively on the individual as a member of the profession are sometimes addressed, as well as a sense of organization around a professional that could establish a corporation or guild, with regu...