The objective of this policy is to ensure that P.E.A.C.E.’s relationship with its donors is on a sound footing and that its fundraising practices meet high ethical standards and comply with existing laws in Canada and P.E.A.C.E.
Definitions
- Board refers to the Board of Directors of P.E.A.C.E.
- Staff refers to the staff of P.E.A.C.E.
- Volunteers refers to those who contribute their time and/or services to P.E.A.C.E. willingly and without remuneration.
- Donors refers to individuals and corporations who donate money or other gifts to P.E.A.C.E.
- Donations refer to gifts of money, services or other gifts given by P.E.A.C.E. donors.
- Fundraising Activities refers to the organized activity of soliciting money, bequests, endowments, resources or other in-kind contributions to support the delivery of P.E.A.C.E.’s mission and programming.
- Bequest is a gift of assets left to P.E.A.C.E. in a donor’s Last Will and Testament. There are four types of bequests: a specific bequest, a residual bequest, a contingent bequest and a bequest subject to a trust. In a Will, a donor can make a charitable bequest by specifying a percentage of his/her estate; leaving a specific dollar amount or a specific asset; or leaving a residue of the estate following the satisfaction of other bequests. A bequest may be outright or restricted for a specific purpose.
- Gifts In Kind include capital property, depreciable property, personal-use property including listed personal property, a leasehold interest, a residual interest, a right of any kind whatever, a license, a share and inventory of a business. A gift in kind, however, does not include a gift of services. Endowment is a gift that provides a stream of income over a period of time.
Policy Statement
- P.E.A.C.E. is committed to treating donors with respect, gratitude and consideration through the effective stewardship of their donations and through donor relation activities such as facilitating proper gift acknowledgement, fund reporting, donor appreciation activities and events, and donor recognition. Through these and other activities, P.E.A.C.E. seeks to acknowledge, inform and engage donors and be accountable to them.
- P.E.A.C.E. seeks to conduct its fundraising activities in a manner that meets high ethical standards, demonstrates respect for its donors and is open, honest and transparent.
- P.E.A.C.E. will accept only donations (including donations recognizing donors through naming), endowments, and bequests where the purpose of that donation, endowment or bequest is aligned with its mission. P.E.A.C.E. reserves the right to refuse or return a donation, endowment, or bequest.
- While all gifts are welcome, P.E.A.C.E. issues charitable tax receipts for only those gifts that meet the Canada Revenue Agency’s (CRA) definition of a charitable donation.
- P.E.A.C.E. will respect donor requests regarding frequency of contact, the means of contact (electronic and/or other), confidentiality of donor information, the provision of documentation regarding P.E.A.C.E., and any requests to discontinue contact. Donor requests to remain anonymous will be respected.
- P.E.A.C.E. will encourage potential donors to seek independent advice if it believes the donation may significantly affect the donor’s financial position or relationship with other family members.
- P.E.A.C.E. does not sell, rent, exchange or otherwise share its donor list.
- All P.E.A.C.E. fundraising activities will: be truthful; accurately describe its activities and the intended use of donated funds; disclose the organization’s name; disclose the purpose for which funds are being requested; disclose P.E.A.C.E.’s policy with respect to issuing Official Income Tax receipts including any policy on minimum amounts for which a receipt will be issued; and disclose upon request whether the individual or entity seeking donations is a volunteer, employee or contracted third party.
- P.E.A.C.E. shall not make claims that cannot be upheld. It shall refrain from using marketing materials or making representations that could be misleading. Any fundraising materials distributed by P.E.A.C.E. will include its address or other contact information.
- P.E.A.C.E. shall not exploit its beneficiaries. It shall be sensitive in describing those it serves (whether using graphics, images or text) and fairly represent their needs and how these needs will be addressed.
- Volunteers, board members, employees, and third party consultants or solicitors who solicit or receive funds on behalf of P.E.A.C.E. shall: act with fairness, integrity, and in accordance with all applicable laws; cease contacting a prospective donor who states that they do not wish to be contacted; disclose immediately to P.E.A.C.E. any actual or apparent conflict of interest or loyalty; not accept donations for purposes that are inconsistent with P.E.A.C.E. ‘s mission; and raise any concerns regarding P.E.A.C.E. fundraising and the application of systems, policies and procedures with the Executive Director in a timely manner.
- If P.E.A.C.E. undertakes cause-related marketing in collaboration with a third party, it shall disclose how it benefits from the sale of products or services and the minimum or maximum amounts payable under the arrangement. If no minimum amount is specified, P.E.A.C.E. will disclose this.
- P.E.A.C.E. shall not, directly or indirectly, pay finder’s fees, commissions or percentage compensation based on contributions.
- To demonstrate transparency and accountability, P.E.A.C.E. posts a variety of information on its website including this policy, its financial statements, annual reports, the public portion of its Registered Charity Information Return (T3010), a list of members of its Board of Directors, and privacy policy. P.E.A.C.E. accurately discloses in its Annual Reports all costs associated with its fundraising activities.
- P.E.A.C.E. will disclose on its website details of the purpose and amount of payments for products or services to board members or companies in which a board member is an owner, partner or senior manager.
- Should P.E.A.C.E. conduct any face-to-face fundraising activities such as door-to-door campaigns, street-side fundraising, or workplace campaigns, P.E.A.C.E. will provide verification of the affiliation of the person representing the organization; and secure and safeguard any confidential information, including credit card information, provided by donors.
- P.E.A.C.E.’s practices in the conduct of on-line fundraising will be consistent with or exceed the provisions of the Canadian Code of Practice for Consumer Protection in Electronic Commerce.
- P.E.A.C.E. will reject any donation that poses any significant risk to P.E.A.C.E.’s name, reputation, or integrity.
- P.E.A.C.E. will not solicit or accept gifts from for profit or not for profit entities that meet any of the following criteria: A corporation that is a weapons systems contractor; A corporation that violates fair labour practices as established by Canadian Labour Standards (in Canada) and ILO (internationally); A corporation that has a record of failure to abide by national and local environmental regulations; and A corporation that has a record of human rights violations or contributes to repressive governmental practices in Canada or overseas.
- P.E.A.C.E. will accept restricted gifts or endowments only for existing core programs or for new programmatic initiatives or pilot projects that are part of our strategic direction and support organizational priorities. If the proposed gift or endowment falls outside of these program priorities, the donor will be approached to remove or modify the restrictions. P.E.A.C.E. reserves the right to accept only gifts or endowments that are consistent with its mission.
- In accepting restricted gifts or endowments, P.E.A.C.E. will do so only if donors agree that P.E.A.C.E. may re-designate the gift or endowment to another purpose that fits within its mission and priorities under one of two conditions: a) when the need for a program or project has been met; or b) P.E.A.C.E. determines the program or project cannot be completed for any reason.
- To avoid conflict of interest, P.E.A.C.E. representatives should not be named in a donor’s will or trust, or act in an official capacity such as witness, executor or trustee.
- P.E.A.C.E. representatives should not prepare wills or living trust documents for donors, but may provide suggested wording for the charitable beneficiary clause, for final approval by the donor’s legal and/or financial advisor. Official income tax receipt(s) will be issued to the estate of the deceased.
- It is in the best interests of P.E.A.C.E. that donors offer unrestricted gifts to P.E.A.C.E. for “its general charitable purpose”. If a bequest gift is restricted for a specific purpose, donors must include a clause in their Will that releases the funds for other purposes, should the restriction not be operational at the time the gift is realized.
- If, in the opinion of P.E.A.C.E., the purposes of the restriction can no longer be served, it may devote any remaining assets exclusively for charitable purposes that: (a) are within the scope of the charitable purposes of P.E.A.C.E. (b) most nearly approximate the original purpose of the gift; and (c) benefits P.E.A.C.E.
- P.E.A.C.E. will make best efforts to contact the lawyer of the estate and/or living relatives to advise them of the change in how the funds are to be used.
- P.E.A.C.E. accepts gifts “in-kind” that are of benefit to the organization’s goals and objectives. When gifts-in-kind are given with the intent of the donor to receive an official tax receipt P.E.A.C.E. will ensure that the gift and determination of value is in accordance with Revenue Canada regulations.
- P.E.A.C.E. will accept gifts of securities that are traded on the major exchanges (TSE, NYSE, and NASDAQ). P.E.A.C.E. will not accept restricted securities (unregistered securities, investment-letter stock, control stock, closed end funds, private placement stock, units of hedge funds etc.).
- P.E.A.C.E. will only accept real estate following: a title search; a marketability check; an on site evaluation by the Executive Director or designate; and an environmental impact study to ascertain if it is subject to environmental restrictions, sanctions, toxic wastes or otherwise encumbered in such a manner to cause present or future economic liabilities for P.E.A.C.E.
- P.E.A.C.E. will accept tangible and intangible personal property (e.g. works of art) only if accompanied by an independent appraisal conducted by a person who is not in any way connected to the donor, charity, art dealer, or artist.
- P.E.A.C.E. accepts opportunities to recognize donors through naming. All naming needs to be pre-approved by P.E.A.C.E.’s Board of Directors and can include stipulations on time limits or procedures that will be followed if the original form of recognition becomes untenable in the future.
Roles And Responsibilities
- The Board will have responsibility for ensuring the Executive Director has in place management systems to ensure effective, transparent and accountable fundraising practices and procedures and sound donor relations that are in compliance with this policy; approving any new fundraising programs or initiatives; approving any restricted bequests that have a value of $50,000 or more; approving any restricted gift or endowment having a value of $50,000 or more; in collaboration with the Executive Director, supporting fundraising efforts and in particular donor recognition activities; reviewing on a quarterly basis a report on fundraising activities and results for the period; approving any naming of buildings or other assets owned by P.E.A.C.E. in recognition of a donor’s contribution; and reviewing those aspects pertaining to fundraising and donor relations as part of P.E.A.C.E.’s annual legal compliance exercise.
- The Executive Director will have responsibility for managing donor relations and fundraising activities; ensuring the effective implementation of this policy, including any appropriate training of staff and volunteers involved in donor relations or fundraising; providing copies of this policy to any staff, volunteers or third parties who are involved in donor relations or fundraising activities; developing a quarterly report for review by the Board or one of its committees on fundraising and donations; ensuring that donor relations and fundraising activities are in compliance with P.E.A.C.E.’s Privacy Policy; resolving any question as to the appropriateness or advisability of accepting a particular donation, naming request, endowment or bequest in consultation with the Board of Directors; including in P.E.A.C.E.’s annual report a section on donor relations and fundraising; ensuring that endowment funds are invested pursuant to P.E.A.C.E.’s Policy on Investments; meeting the reporting requirements of the Canadian Revenue Agency for receipting.