C orruptio optimi pessima is an old...

C orruptio optimi pessima is an old Latin saying meaning “the corruption of the best thing is the worst kind of corruption,” says Michael O’Neill, director of the Institute for Nonprofit Organization Management at the University of San Francisco.

That is why religious organizations especially should pay attention to their own ethical behavior, O’Neill said, “including how they treat their employees and volunteers, and how they communicate with their membership.”

As the moderator of a hands-on workshop on ethics and philanthropy titled “Are We Still the Good Guys? Ethics and the Nonprofit Sector,” O’Neill will take time off from teaching at the Jesuit university to talk to Angelenos about some of the main ethical issues and challenges that people in religious and other nonprofit organizations face.

“It shouldn’t be assumed about people in any organization that they will behave well just because they’re in business to do good,” O’Neill said.

The workshop, scheduled for May 24 at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center in Little Tokyo, will pose realistic ethical dilemmas for small panels to tackle with help from the audience. Participants will confront such thorny issues as nepotism and HIV testing for employees. Potential problems will be explored in the areas of financial management, fund raising and marketing, board of director activities, and human resources management.

Among the 16 panelists will be Father Gregory Boyle, director of Jobs for the Future, Delores Mission; Linda Griego, chief executive officer of RLA, and Deborah Ching, executive director of the Chinatown Service Center.

O’Neill noted that the nonprofit sector of the economy accounts for 1.4 million organizations with a money flow of about half a trillion dollars a year, 8 million paid staff and 90 million volunteers. He said about half of all charitable giving in the United States goes to religious organizations.

Mary Jean Gilbert, a conference organizer who is chairwoman of the ethics education committee of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Society of Fund-Raising Executives, said it is important to heighten awareness of ethical behavior in nonprofit organizations “so that we don’t endanger philanthropic giving--which comes down to helping individuals.

Los Angeles was ranked 48th among 50 large cities for philanthropic giving in the February issue of the Chronicle of Philanthropy, O’Neill said. But he cautioned that the study may not reflect ethnic giving patterns in cities as diverse as Los Angeles.

A study titled “Ethnic Philanthropy” just published by his institute examined practices of giving, sharing and volunteering in eight ethnic communities in the San Francisco area. It showed that members of minority communities are “as likely as in the dominant culture to share money, food, housing and clothing, but in a much less formal way. And ethnic philanthropy in America is even more likely to be linked to religious tradition than white philanthropy,” he said.

The ethics workshop, sponsored by the local chapter of the National Society of Fund-Raising Executives and the California Community Foundation, is set for 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 24, at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center, 244 S. San Pedro St., Los Angeles. A $35 fee includes a box lunch and written materials. For registration information, call (818) 951-4557. For information about the Institute for Nonprofit Organization Management, call (415) 666-6867.

DATES

* “The Catholic Woman” is the subject of seminars presented by the Jacques Maritain Center of the University of Notre Dame and the St. Gerard Foundation from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Pasadena Hilton, and Thursday at the San Diego Hilton on Mission Bay. Joyce Little of St. Thomas University in Houston, will discuss “Feminist Power versus Ecclesial Authority.” Other speakers discuss such topics as “Pro-Life Feminism” and “Dating in the ‘90s.” For registration information, call (800) 852-9962.

* The director of the Skirball Institute on American Ethics, Rabbi Alfred Wolf, will discuss “What Can Religion Do to Help Preserve the Environment?” at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Temple Beth Hillel in North Hollywood. Admission is $1, including bagels and coffee. 12326 Riverside Dr. (818) 763-9148 or (213) 877-3431.

* “Jewish Justices, Jewish Justice? Supreme Court Justice From Brandeis to Ginsburg” is the fourth annual Lily Rosman Lecture of the Hebrew Union College Skirball Museum, to be delivered by Melvin I. Urofsky, professor of history at Virginia Commonwealth University, at 1 p.m. May 15, at Wilshire Boulevard Temple, 3663 Wilshire Blvd. Admission is free; reservations are required. (213) 749-3424, Ext. 240.

* Registration for a free women’s Bible study course on Moses will be given by Bible Study Fellowship International at 9 a.m. Tuesday at First Baptist Church of Reseda. The 33-week course begins Sept. 13. 18644 Sherman Way. (818) 347-8563.

* “Decent Proposal: The Jewish View on Sexuality” is a symposium to be presented from 8:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sunday by Young Israel of Century City. Theologians, rabbis and others discuss homosexuality, sex education and sexuality and modern society. Admission is $10 at the door. 9317 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 273-6954.

PERFORMANCES

* Chapel of Charlemagne, a choral group dedicated to the performance of Christian music of the Middle Ages, will perform Gregorian chants at 8 tonight in the Kresge Chapel at the School of Theology at Claremont. Admission is $10, $8 students and seniors. 1325 N. College Ave. (909) 626-3521.

* The Four Seasons Symphony, directed by Roger Hickman, performs Mendelssohn’s and Beethoven’s fifth symphonies at 8:15 p.m. Friday in the Crystal Cathedral. Organ soloist Frederick Swann is also featured in Poulenc’s organ concerto, and carillonneur James R. Lawson performs in recital at 7:40 p.m. Admission is $10, $8 seniors and students. 12141 Lewis St., Garden Grove. (714) 971-4000.

Notices may be sent to Southern California File by mail c/o Religion Editor, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053, or by fax to (213) 237-4712. Items must be brief and arrive at least three weeks in advance of the event announced. Include a phone number, date, time and full address.