Doing things right: here are three examples of smart decisions and action.

American Cancer Society (ACS) launched what its executives described as an "unprecedented" campaign to encourage a national debate about access to healthcare in the United States. Speaking to reporters at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., the organization's leaders said fixing the nation's broken healthcare system is key to winning the war against cancer, as well as other diseases.

The organization did not endorse any particular program for healthcare reform. The plan is to frame the debate about healthcare as the country moves into an election period, in hopes that elected officials--of whatever political party--will take steps to address the problem.

The kick-off was a perfect example of advocacy in an election cycle. ACS will run a series of advertisements network and cable television, in print, and online through November. The ads highlight the plight of people diagnosed with cancer when they had no health insurance or too little coverage to pay all their costs.

Let's hope that ACS keeps the pressure on throughout the election cycle, not just until November. The organization makes it clear that there is plenty of work to be done and that it's willing to collaborate with whoever is listening. That's how to get things done while advocating a position.

The other major health organizations shouldn't leave ACS out there by itself. All of the national players should launch similar campaigns so that the only way to turn off the noise is to fix the problem of people dying simply because they can't afford care.

There's a direct connection between a charity and a donor when they use the mailing labels given to them as a thank you for a donation or an enticement to give. There's generally a small symbol in the label's left column referencing the cause and 8.5 times out of 10 the donor's name is correctly spelled.

The same can be said for the umbrella from a nature organization or those truly horrible folk music CDs from a public broadcasting station.

Charities start to get into trouble when they stray from mission and get into product. And, the package of stories in this issue regarding nonprofit retail should raise a few eyebrows.

WGBH, the public television station in Boston, reacted to its online donors who thought that jumping from a donation to the prize for giving on the Web site was too commercial and adjusted the encounter. Guess what? They are "selling" more stuff. Listening to donors is what makes them more than just a check in the mail or credit card transaction. It makes them guardians of your mission and sustainers.

The leadership of the National Catholic Development Conference (NCDC) is to be commended for its new "Code of Stewardship And Ethics" the organization unveiled at its recent national conference. NCDC had already endorsed the national Donor Bill of Rights but sought to deepen the commitment with additional language that spoke directly to its members and their donors.

It includes a 10-point "pledge and promise" to which NCDC members should strive to meet. The points include: fidelity, integrity, loyalty, trustworthiness and respect, loyalty, respect for authority, honesty, fairness and truthfulness, accountability and transparency.

As with most of these pledges, there's a lot of wiggle room when it comes to enforcement. But, as NCDC members know, Sr. Georgette Lehmuth, the group's president and CEO, wields a big ruler.