Synonyms
Answerability; Board governance; Duty; Ethical obligation; Ethics; Fraud; Liability; Misconduct; Responsibility
Definition
Accountability: The obligation to act responsibly and with transparency
Breach of trust: A violation of accepted duties, by action or inaction, both intentionally or inadvertently
Introduction
Nonprofit organizations are accountable to multiple and frequently competing stakeholders – both in theory and in practice. In the general sense, accountability is being responsible, transparent, and responding to stakeholders, which may be challenging for nonprofits who must answer to numerous stakeholders including funders, program participants, employees, and taxpayers. Realistically, this means that acting in a responsible manner in the eyes of one stakeholder may be, or appear to be, in conflict with acting responsibly to another stakeholder. Regardless, nonprofit organizations should strive to both act responsibly and with transparency. What happens if they...
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Butta, F., Carman, J.G. (2018). Accountability: Breaches and Trust. In: Farazmand, A. (eds) Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20928-9_2774
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20928-9_2774
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