Faculty and Staff Resource Book

 

FORT HAYS STATE UNIVERSITY
PROSPECTIVE DONOR CLEARANCE SYSTEM PHILOSOPHY

 

An essential element of effective fund raising involves strategic coordination of solicitation contacts between askers and key prospective donors. To help this process, the University has established a prospective donor clearance process. The process is designed to bring the right cause, preferred asker, and potential donor together. The spirit of this prospective donor clearance activity is cooperation, consistency and success.

The Prospective Donor Clearance System is used with strategic approaches to donors. The primary goal is to develop personal relationships with prospective donors that provide opportunities for giving which fulfill the desires of donors and objectives of the University.

A separate policy is in place for student organizations.

POLICY

Prospective donors to University departments, affiliates, projects, or causes are not solicited for a contribution unless "clearance" is obtained through the Development Coordinating Committee. Contact with prospective donors, designed to build an ongoing relationship or interest in a specific program or project, is encouraged. Actual solicitation must be cleared before the donor is approached. Targeted campaigns are discouraged during the months of August through January, due to conflict with the annual phonathon.

The following traditional, annual fundraising events held by the FHSU Endowment Association are specific exceptions to this policy:

Tiger Call phonathon held in October and November
Campus Fund Drive held every spring semester
Community Fund Drive held every spring
PROCEDURE

The prospective donor clearance process is intended to be simple but administered for effectiveness in one of three ways, depending on the type of prospective donor:

Individual and Corporate Prospective Donors

Name clearances are given only to a select group of unit heads who can best facilitate the intent of the prospective donor clearance process. Unit heads include University and Endowment Association administrators, college deans (or director equivalent), and department chairs. Those involved in fund raising who are not specifically mentioned in this group must clear names through their closest line supervisor who is included.

Prospective donor names are submitted to the Development Coordinating Committee. Members of the committee are representatives from the Alumni, Athletic, Endowment, President?s, and University Relations offices. A Prospective Donor Clearance Request Form is used to submit names for clearance. The Committee is chaired by the FHSU Endowment Association president and meets the first Tuesday of each month. The Committee will review the submitted names and provide clearance feedback within five working days. A meeting of the Committee can be called if there is an emergency request.

After a prospective donor is cleared, an asker has six months to make appropriate contacts with the donor and provide clear indications to the Committee of such contacts. (These should be in the form of personal visits, cultivation letters, visits to an institution, involvement with campus events etc.) The asker must complete a call report on each prospective donor contacted and send the form to the FHSU Endowment Association. Subsequent name clearance periods are given only when productive fund raising or cultivation activity exists. Without this activity, future clearance requests by the asker for the same prospective donor are generally denied.

During the period a name is cleared for contact, if another party wishes to contact the same prospect, such contact is first discussed with and cleared through the unit head who holds clearance approval.

Corporate Foundation and Private Foundation Prospective Donors

The nature of relationships with corporate foundations and private foundations is unique. They normally ask that contacts for charitable grants from a given institution be carefully orchestrated through one focal point which represents all interests. For this reason, all corporate foundation or private foundation contacts are coordinated through the FHSU Endowment Association.

Askers indicate their desire to seek funding from a corporate foundation or private foundation by using the Prospective Donor Clearance Request Form just as they would for individual or corporate clearances. They are then contacted by the FHSU Endowment Association which assists them in submitting their charitable grant request. Under no circumstances should an asker contact a foundation on his or her own.

Federal, State, and Local Government Funding Agencies and Entities

Contact for solicitation of a federal, state, or local government entity or agency shall be cleared through the office of the Dean, Graduate School.

Occasionally, a requested clearance is denied. This happens only if:

a name is cleared to another party;

the Committee believes that the number of clearances for a given area is too high for effective cultivation; or,

the prospective donor figures prominently in the University?s plans where the donors gift and its impact would he maximized.

If the clearance of a name is denied, contact the Committee and ask for feedback about the action. The reasons for a denial will be readily shared. Contact the FHSU Endowment Association for additional information.

Adopted by Cabinet 04/07/99