Our Mission

The Ethics & Compliance Initiative (ECI) empowers organizations to build and sustain the programs that are proven to increase integrity. We help leaders create strong ethical workplace cultures and successful businesses that do the right thing.  

ECI provides leading ethics and compliance research and best practices, networking opportunities and certification to its membership, which represents more than 500 organizations across all industries. ECI is comprised of the Ethics Research Center and the Ethics & Compliance Association.

Our work is guided and informed by our beliefs and commitments noted in our ECI Values:

Honesty
Honesty is being forthcoming, trustworthy and truthful when we interact with others and ourselves. It ensures sincerity in our relationships both internally and externally.

Integrity
Integrity is an alignment between what we say and what we do in respect to how we embody our core values in our lives and work. Acting with integrity helps us see ourselves and each other as accountable and authentic and be seen by others as reflecting the highest values and best interests of our organization, profession and the individuals and groups we serve.

Respect
Respect is treating others with dignity and mutual consideration internally and externally. It builds an organization that encourages individuals to relate openly and fulfill their potential.

Excellence
Excellence is the pursuit and achievement of exceptional quality. It inspires the integration of ethical practices within our organization and among those we serve.

Service
Service is the act of knowing and understanding the needs and interests of our members, our stakeholders and ourselves as an organization, and dedicating our time, attention and financial resources to meet and exceed expectations.

HISTORY

Introduced in 2014, the Ethics & Compliance Initiative (ECI) is the most powerful and complete resource for the ethics and compliance profession. ECI is the only organization in the ethics and compliance industry that presents new ideas and benchmarks grounded in research, then connects those ideas with practitioners and partners in meaningful ways, including a best practice community, education and certification.

To provide the best research, community and certification opportunities for its members, ECI brings together the capabilities, experience and legacies of two of the most revered organizations in ethics and compliance: the Ethics & Compliance Association (ECA) and the Ethics Resource Center (ERC).

RESEARCH: Founded in 1922, the Ethics Resource Center (ERC) is the research arm of ECI. It is America’s oldest non-profit organization devoted to independent research to advance high ethical standards and practices in public and private institutions. Recognized as the industry’s leading research group, ERC analyzes current and emerging issues to produce new ideas and benchmarks.

COMMUNITY: The Ethics & Compliance Association (ECA) is the membership community of ECI. This community provides learning through the exchange of ideas and the sharing of best practice in ethics and compliance programs. The association connects global practitioners, thought-leaders, academicians and partners.

CERTIFICATION: ECI provides ethics & compliance training and certification opportunities through our Elevating Ethics & Compliance (E2C) training and Leadership Professional in Ethics & Compliance (LPEC) certification.