University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Policy Name: University Development
Policy Number: LR 206.1
Effective Date: July 2004
Revised Dates: September 1996; July 2004
Most Recent Review Date: –
Policy
(To include gift reporting procedures, charitable gifts, solicitations, and donor stewardship, and fundraising activities by campus organizations.)
University Development’s goals are to see that gifts are deposited, disbursed, and processed in a timely manner, that donors are properly thanked and receipted within an appropriate time frame, that alumni and friends of the university are not inundated with requests for support, and that the campus’ fundraising priorities are addressed and met. To ensure the efficient and effective operation of development programs and to maximize the campus’ potential for receiving private sector support, the following guidelines have been established:
- All annual fund programs and solicitations, especially direct mail solicitations, are to be carried out for the university’s departments and colleges by University Development. (By definition, an annual fund gift is one that is solicited annually for less than $10,000.) This should not be confused with fundraisers like bake sales, ticket sales for fund raising events, etc., which are approved by the appropriate advisor or department head.
- No campus unit is to conduct major gift solicitation or carry out a fundraising activity without the knowledge and consent of the associate vice chancellor for development. To ensure that the university’s fundraising priorities are being met and, at the same time, to insure that our donors do not receive an avalanche of requests for support from different campus units at the same time, all direct fundraising solicitations should be cleared in advance by the associate vice chancellor for development and by the appropriate dean or director. Access to alumni labels for fundraising purposes also requires the approval of the associate vice chancellor for development.
- University Development is responsible for depositing all gifts, processing them into the proper accounts, sending gift acknowledgment letters and receipts to the donors, and gift deposit reports to the deans and department heads. For audit purposes, the departments are to provide, with their deposits, copies of pertinent correspondence relating to the gifts. Deans, directors, and department heads will be notified on a regular basis of all annual fund gifts given to their college or department. Gift notifications will include the name and address of each donor, the gift amount, the gift restriction, the date the gift was processed, and the account into which the gift was disbursed. All gifts received through University Development’s annual fund are assessed a 15% fee to cover the cost of planning, soliciting, processing, acknowledging, and recording.
- Exceptions to the 15% fee are gifts to endowments, scholarships, memorial funds, and engineering academies.
- All gifts received by colleges, departments, or other campus units are to be forwarded to University Development within one working day, along with the appropriate gift deposit form, for deposit and processing. To ensure that donations are disbursed into the proper accounts, a deposit form should be properly completed and attached to each gift. If the gift is a payment on a pledge that fact should also be noted on the deposit form. At no time should gifts be sent directly for deposit from a department to the Treasurer’s Office or to the University of Arkansas Foundation office for deposit. This merely delays the process since these gifts are returned to University Development by the Treasurer’s Office and the University of Arkansas Foundation for deposit, proper processing, acknowledgment, and gift receipt. [The gift will first be deposited as indicated on the donor’s check – unless accompanied by an official U of A solicitation response form that indicates the gift is to be directed to the Foundation. Otherwise, gifts made payable to the University of Arkansas or one of its entities (i.e., College of Education) will be deposited into a university account. Gifts payable to the University of Arkansas Foundation will be deposited into a Foundation account. If the account the donor wishes to support already exists, but is held by an entity other than the one indicated on the check, the funds will first be deposited as indicated on the check, and then transferred along with an appropriate transfer memo.] Gifts received by the various campus units are not subject to the 15% fee by University Development. Currently, the full amount of the gift is disbursed into the recipient’s account. If the gift is for an account not yet established, a new account form should be completed and attached with the deposit. Questions about the process or the new account form should be directed to University Development.
- In some cases donors make payments that are part gift and part payment for goods or services. For example, a payment may include the price of admission or participation in an event along with an additional gift amount. These are called quid pro quo (QPQ) receipts. Even though these receipts are payment for goods or services (in part), such payments are clearly being made for fundraising purposes and should be processed through University Development similar to gift receipts. University Development will issue the appropriate QPQ receipt to the donor/payer with the total of such payments being deposited intact as determined appropriate by University Development.
- Departments producing QPQ programs must apply for approval from University Development through the development officer in their academic unit. If there is no development officer assigned to the unit, application may be made directly to the associate vice chancellor for development.
- Non-gift payments that are strongly related to generating private support for the University (i.e., the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame, Business Forecast Luncheon, Red Tie Gala) may be deposited in the University of Arkansas Foundation with the advance approval of the vice chancellor for finance and administration. University Development should request this approval during the planning of the events that are likely to generate these funds.
- Non-gifts made to the University of Arkansas Foundation, but not approved by the vice chancellor for finance and administration, will be submitted to the University of Arkansas Treasurer’s Office for deposit. QPQ payments and non-gifts approved by the VCFA for deposit in the Foundation cannot be made from university general funds.
- The University of Arkansas receives between $200,000 and $300,000 a year in gifts from matching gift companies. Matching gift companies require one designee from the University of Arkansas to sign the matching gift form, confirming receipt of the company employee’s gift and certifying that it was given in support of academic purposes. The designee’s signature is submitted to each matching gift company on a special form so that the signature of certification can be checked for authenticity at any time by the matching gift company. For this campus (University of Arkansas and the University of Arkansas Foundation, Inc.) the university officer is the associate vice chancellor for development.
- The associate vice chancellor for development is the chief development officer of the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, and represents the campus on all university-wide councils and committees dealing with fundraising and development. The associate vice chancellor for development is responsible for the coordination of all campus-wide academic fundraising activities and for the receiving, depositing, processing, disbursing, and acknowledging of all gifts to the university. The associate vice chancellor for development is also responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of donor and prospect computer records and files. The associate vice chancellor for development will chair all search committees for development positions and will have a major voice, along with the vice chancellor for university advancement and, when appropriate, the dean of one of the university’s colleges, in recommending the hiring of development professionals.
- Development professionals in the various campus components will work with their dean in setting component-based priorities and goals and with the associate vice chancellor for development in devising programs and strategies to achieve those goals. The associate vice chancellor for development will meet regularly, one-on-one, with each development professional to advise and assist the fundraiser with the development of plans, programs and strategies for prospect identification, cultivation, and solicitation. In addition to meeting regularly with each development professional, the associate vice chancellor for development will meet as necessary with the component fundraisers and their respective deans to assist with fundraising strategies, cultivation visits, the preparation of proposals or other documents necessary to carry out a solicitation, and will, along with the vice chancellor for university advancement, advise and assist the fundraiser, the dean and when appropriate, the chancellor, on the planning and actual solicitation of major gifts.
- All development professionals will meet regularly as a group with the associate vice chancellor of development to report on the past activities and accomplishments and to outline upcoming plans and objectives. This open sharing of activities and programs is designed to help fundraisers avoid conflicts and assist each other in meeting the overall fundraising goals and objectives of the university.
Source: UA Board Policy
Status: Active
Approved By: UA Board of Trustees, July 2004
Originator:
Custodian: UA Board of Trustees