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The Donor Bill of Rights and Community Foundation Confidentiality Policy

The Princeton Area Community Foundation subscribes to the Donor Bill of Rights which was created by the American Association of Fund Raising Counsel (AAFRC), Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP), the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). It has been endorsed by numerous organizations.

Philanthropy is based on voluntary action for the common good. It is a tradition of giving and sharing that is primary to the quality of life. To ensure that philanthropy merits the respect and trust of the general public, and that donors and prospective donors can have full confidence in the nonprofit organizations and causes they are asked to support, we declare that all donors have these rights:

I. To be informed of the organization’s mission, of the way the organization intends to use donated resources, and of its capacity to use donations effectively for their intended purposes.

II. To be informed of the identity of those serving on the organization’s governing board, and to expect the board to exercise prudent judgment in its stewardship responsibilities.

III. To have access to the organization’s most recent financial statements.

IV. To be assured their gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given.

V. To receive appropriate acknowledgement and recognition.

VI. To be assured that information about their donation is handled with respect and with confidentiality to the extent provided by law.

VII. To expect that all relationships with individuals representing organizations of interest to the donor will be professional in nature.

VIII. To be informed whether those seeking donations are volunteers, employees of the organization or hired solicitors.

IX. To have the opportunity for their names to be deleted from mailing lists. The Community Foundation never sells, rents, shares, or trades its mailing or donor lists.

X. To feel free to ask questions when making a donation and to receive prompt, truthful and forthright answers.

CONFIDENTIALITY POLICY

The Princeton Area Community Foundation recognizes that the efficient operation of the Foundation requires the maintenance and management of extensive donor and prospect records. These records may contain sensitive information that has been shared with or developed by the Foundation staff or volunteers on a confidential basis. (“Records” is construed to mean all files, including electronic data, containing information on donors or prospective donors to the Foundation.) Donors and prospects may be attracted to the Foundation on the basis of its ability to assure temporary or permanent anonymity. Protecting donor confidentiality is an essential part of providing good service to donors.

Additionally, care must be taken to preserve confidentiality of discussions that take place and information that is shared in the course of conducting Foundation business.

The purpose of this policy is to codify the position of the Foundation on confidentiality.

I. Confidentiality of Records: The Executive Director shall be responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of donor and prospect records, as well as fund information. Records will normally be available to staff as needed to fulfill their duties. At the discretion of the Executive Director, staff may make all or part of any record available to Foundation volunteers to assist them in executing their specific responsibilities. The Foundation's auditors, legal counsel and other contractors are authorized to review donor/prospect and fund records as required for the purposes for which they are engaged.

All persons accessing donor/prospect or fund records in the conduct of Foundation business shall maintain the confidentiality of said records. This applies to agency endowment funds as well as to other types of funds. Staff may share information with donors, fund beneficiaries, and grantees pertaining to their own gifts, funds, grants, etc. Except in those instances, any copies of confidential information shall not be held outside the Foundation office for extended periods, and are to be destroyed as soon as possible.

II. Publication of Donor Names: Unless otherwise requested by the donor, the names of all individual donors may be printed in the Foundation's annual report and in other appropriate listings. The Foundation will not publish the amount of any donor's gift without the permission of the donor. Unless otherwise specified in the document, donors making gifts to the Foundation by bequest or other testamentary device are deemed to have granted such permission.

III. Memorial/Tribute Gifts: The names of donors of memorial or tribute gifts may be released to the honoree, next of kin, or appropriate member of the immediate family, unless otherwise specified by the donor. Gift amounts are not to be released without the express consent of the donor.

IV. Anonymous Gifts: The Executive Director is authorized to accept anonymous gifts to the Foundation, and to handle them appropriately. The name of the donor and size of the gift may be withheld from the Board of Trustees at the Executive Director’s discretion, if so requested by the donor. When made known to Board members, they will respect the anonymity of any such gift.

V. Giving Categories: If giving categories have been stipulated for a specific fund drive, challenge grant, or project, or as part of the Foundation’s ongoing recognition program, then the donors, unless they otherwise specify, are deemed to have given permission for the Foundation to publish their names associated with the particular giving category. Similarly, the Foundation may publish giving categories associated with donor names in its annual report, and unless a donor specifies otherwise.

VI. No Disclosures to Third Parties: The Foundation shall not release to third parties or allow third parties to copy, inspect or otherwise use Foundation records or other information pertaining to the identification of a donor or donor's gifts. No disclosures to third parties of such information, including addresses and demographic information, shall be made without the donor's consent.

VII. Confidentiality of Foundation Business: Discussions that take place in the context of the Foundation’s operations require discretion, including discussions pertaining to grantmaking, personnel issues, development activities, operational fundraising, investment management, etc. The positions or statements of individual board members, advisors, or staff should not be discussed outside of official Foundation meetings and processes. Likewise, the content of Foundation business, including documents or Foundation analysis of documents, should not be discussed or shared outside official meetings and processes.

VIII. Discussion of Information: Confidential information about clients, their families and friends will not be discussed for any reason except on a need-to-know basis.

IX. Public Disclosure: The Foundation will comply with both the letter and spirit of all public disclosure requirements, including the open availability of its Form 990 tax returns. This Confidentiality Policy shall not be construed in any manner to prevent the Foundation from disclosing information to taxing authorities or other governmental agencies or courts having regulatory control or jurisdiction over the Foundation. However, all staff, volunteers, and contractors must hold strictly confidential all information of a private nature, including, but not limited to, all items explicitly discussed in this policy.

X. Consequences of Policy Violation: Violations of the Confidentiality Policy are considered very serious, and may result in disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal for employees or contractors, or removal from the Board or any committee for volunteers.

Adopted by a unanimous vote of the Board of Trustees May 20, 2003

Princeton Area Community Foundation
15 Princess Road, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648 tel: 609.219.1800 fax: 609.219.1850

info@pacf.org

Nancy W. Kieling, President and Executive Director