ABSTRACT
The eth ical challenges faced by pri vate nonprofi t organi zations (NPOs) are shaped , to a large cxtCllI , by the distinctive role they play in society (Anheicr 2(09). NPOs are hybrids between government and business. They produce publ ic goods and services that contri bute to the general wel fare of society, yet they pursue their m iss ions with pri vate resources, often in a competiti ve environment. Some NPOs are purely charitable but others less so. In fact, some NPOs arc actual ly highl y profitable. T he most visible NPOs arc sophisticated corporate giallls, commanding v asl sums of money and ex pe rtise, but most arc quite small, w ith on ly a few employees and tin y budge ts. Moreover, the nonprofi t sector in the United States is relatively unregul ated and is li ke ly to remain so for the foreseeable future. Consequen tly, transparency in the nonprofit sector is relatively low, especially in comparison w ith most government organi zations a nd even in comparison with some business enterpri ses.
