- Last Updated
- May 31, 2022
1. Introduction
Today’s donors and grantors are constantly improving their understanding of the causes and organizations they support. Many individuals and organizations want to direct funds with confidence toward programs and organizations that demonstrate well-managed fundraising efforts. Respecting donor/grantor intent in the use of funds is key to building long lasting relationships with recurring donors/grantors.
2. Fundraising Responsibility
The Division’s Executive Director is responsible for the fundraising activities of the Division. This includes ensuring all legal and regulatory obligations relating to fundraising are met.
The Executive Director may from time to time enlist other staff and volunteers to assist in fundraising as appropriate.
3. Volunteer Involvement in Fundraising
Volunteers may be involved in a variety of capacities of fundraising activities, including working events, soliciting donations, and other roles as designated by the Executive Director. Recruitment of volunteers, use of program participants as volunteers, training and supervision of volunteers, dismissal of volunteers, and necessary background checks are to be conducted in accordance with the Division’s policies on volunteers.
4. Donor Relationship Management
Engaging donors is key to the Division’s fundraising efforts. The Division uses a variety of mechanisms to allow it to reach and establish relationships with donors based on their connection to the organization’s mission, services, results, or other factors. These include, but are not limited to:
- Mail out letters;
- Advertising;
- In-person interactions; and/or
- Fundraising events.
All communications with donors, with the exception of mail out letters, must be conducted only with a donor’s consent. Mail out letters must comply with all legal and regulatory requirements governing the same. Donation-related communications with a donor must cease immediately upon request to do so from the donor and may only be restarted if the donor indicates this is acceptable.
One-time or infrequent donors are to be sent a thank you letter for their donation at the earliest available opportunity. Recurring donors are to be sent a thank you letter upon initial donation and yearly thereafter. If applicable, an appropriate tax receipt compliant with the requirements for tax receipts from the Canada Revenue Agency will be sent to donors either initially when the donation is made or at the time specified by the donor. Tax receipts must not be issued for donations made through the Canada Helps online giving platform as this platform automatically issues tax receipts on the Division’s behalf.
The Division will periodically send updates to donors who indicate they wish to receive updates on the Division in accordance with the Division’s practices for communicating with stakeholders. The aforementioned practices also govern the record-keeping of donor information used for this purpose.
All donor records are to be held as confidential information and stored appropriately to ensure such confidentiality is maintained. Physical files must be digitized and physical copies destroyed unless required to be held for a period of time for legal or regulatory purposes and, if this is the case, they shall be digitized and physical copies destroyed when no longer needed.
Donors wishing to remain anonymous will have these wishes respected.
Credit card and bank account numbers are never to be kept on file.
Donations and thank you letters must be tracked in accordance wit the procedures outlined in the administrative tasks portion of the latest revision of the staff handbook.
Donor records must be kept up to date to the best of the Division’s ability and the Division must do its best to make updates to donor information if the Division learns a donor has moved or passed away.
5. Use of Donations in Accordance with Donor Intent
Use of donations must always be in accordance with donor intent. All donation solicitations for a particular project must prominently advise donors what will happen if their donation if it is received after the fundraising goal for the project is reached.
6. Valuing of Donations
The value of non-cash gifts, including electronics, furniture, and other goods or services, is determined in accordance with the requirements for valuing non-cash gifts set out by the Canada Revenue Agency. Only Division leadership may make such determinations.
A tax receipt will only be issued in accordance with regulations and requirements from the Canada Revenue Agency. If a donor requests a receipt for a higher value than the donation is worth, the tax receipt will only be issued for the value of the donation and the donor will be notified that their request cannot be met.
7. Recognition of Donors
Recognition of donors by name, donation amounts or other descriptors will be carried out as agreed upon between the Division and the donor. Donors wishing to remain anonymous will have these wishes respected.
8. Regulations
Fundraising and solicitations may only be carried out in jurisdictions where the Canadian Organization of the Blind and DeafBlind meets the legal and regulatory requirements to do so.
9. Review
This policy will be reviewed at least annually and updated as needed.through
