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College Advancement and Public Relations

10:00:00 College Advancement

 

  1. Introduction
    1. The purpose of this policy is to establish responsibilities and procedures regarding the solicitation and acceptance of gifts to Chattanooga State Community College (College) and the Chattanooga State Community College Foundation (Foundation). All fundraising and related development activities of the College and its units are coordinated by the College Advancement Office, herein referred to as the Advancement Office, as designated by the President.
  2. Delegation of Authority
    1. The Vice President of College Advancement and Public Relations serves in the executive staff role to the Foundation. The Foundation receives, invests, administers and disburses restricted and unrestricted gifts according to TBR and IRS regulations as well as their own by-laws (Foundation Policy 10:02:02 Foundation Bylaws), the agreement between the College and Foundation (Foundation Policy 10:01:00 Agreement Between College and Foundation), and the Foundation Investment Policy (Foundation Policy 10:02:05 Investment Policy).
    2. The Chattanooga State Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, consists of volunteer community leaders responsible for raising funds from individuals, corporations, foundations, and organizations in support of the mission of the College. All gifts in support of the College should be directed to the Foundation.
    3. In the case of fundraising activities sponsored by student groups, in addition to notifying the Advancement Office, prior approval of the Executive Vice-President of Business and Finance is required.
  3. General Statement
    1. All activities related to the solicitation and acceptance of gifts shall be implemented in a manner that serves the mutual interests of the donors and Chattanooga State Community College.
  4. Solicitation of Gifts
    1. The President designates the Vice President of College Advancement and Public Relations to approve and conduct activities for the purpose of soliciting gifts to the College and Foundation.
    2. The Advancement Office will seek gifts for support of projects, programs and operating support determined to be priorities of the College through the Strategic Plan.
    3. Solicitation of gifts which may require a commitment of institutional resources must be approved by the President.
    4. Solicitation of gifts, funds or property should not be made by anyone in the name of, or for the benefit of Chattanooga State without communication and guidance from the Advancement Office.
  5. Acceptance of Gifts
    1. The Vice President of College Advancement and Public Relations is authorized by the President to accept gifts on behalf of the College and Foundation, subject to review and confirmation by the President and the conditions pursuant to TBR Policy 4:01:04:00 Acceptance of Gifts.
    2. The College may not accept gifts specifically intended for the Foundation, and only gifts specifically intended for the Foundation may be accepted by the Foundation.
    3. Employees should not automatically indicate acceptance of any gift offered; some donations are not suitable for the College due to restrictions or other reasons.
    4. All gifts must be within IRS regulations governing charitable contributions and cannot be restricted for the donor’s direct benefit nor used in any way, which could be construed as a conflict of interest for the donor. Such a conflict includes but is not limited to donors selecting scholarship recipients. Nor shall any gift be accepted that is so restrictive as to make its use impossible or unnecessarily difficult.
    5. The nature of the gift, the identity of the donor and the kind of program which the gift is intended to support shall be carefully evaluated in order to avoid placing the College or Foundation in an undesirable position. A prospective gift which could subject the College or Foundation to criticism and controversy must be weighed against its ultimate value to students and the community.
  6. Types of Gifts Accepted
    1. Cash contributions should be made payable to the Foundation indicating the specific restrictions rather than to the College.
    2. Corporate stock gifts may only be received by the Foundation. Securities given to the Foundation may be sold by the Foundation through or in consultation with a registered broker within 60 days of receipt pursuant to TBR Policy 04:01:04:00 Acceptance of Gifts.
    3. Planned or deferred gifts from individuals may include wills/bequest, life insurance policies/proceeds, or gifts using charitable estate planning vehicles such as charitable trusts.
    4. Non-cash gifts of equipment, supplies and other in-kind gifts are accepted in accordance with TBR and IRS regulations following established College procedures and must be approved by the Vice President of the originating department prior to acceptance. The Advancement Office must be contacted before accepting any donations of equipment valued at over $5,000, any works of art, and all motor vehicles, boats, and airplanes. All non-cash items must be those that the College needs and will use. Documentation for all non-cash gifts must be routed through the Advancement Office for review and approval by the College.
    5. Real Property or any permanent interest in real property may only be accepted by the Chancellor and TBR pursuant to TBR Policy 4:01:04:00 Acceptance of Gifts.
  7. Records and Reporting
    1. Adequate records of all gifts shall be maintained by the College in accordance with accepted accounting procedures to allow a proper audit trail.
    2. Document Destruction: The Advancement Office, in coordination with the Foundation’s Accountant, are responsible for the ongoing process of identifying Foundation records which have met the required retention period and overseeing their destruction in compliance with Foundation Policy (10:02:07 Document Retention). Destruction of financial documents will be accomplished by shredding. Document destruction will be suspended immediately, upon any indication of an official investigation or when a lawsuit is filed or appears imminent. Destruction will be reinstated upon conclusion of the investigation.
    3. The EVP of Business and Finance will submit quarterly financial and activity reports to the College President and Foundation Board.
    4. The Advancement Office shall maintain a donor record system on behalf of the Foundation that complies with Foundation Policy (10:02:07 Document Retention). All gifts made by a specific donor to the Foundation shall be recorded and can be tracked on an annual and cumulative basis for recognition purposes.
    5. The Advancement Office is charged with coordinating the acknowledgement of gifts to the Foundation through letters to donors. The acknowledgement letter, signed by a development officer, shall include information that is needed by the donor for tax purposes in accordance with IRS regulations. Other appropriate acknowledgements from vice presidents, deans, directors, faculty and staff will be encouraged. The Advancement Office will maintain Donor Acknowledgement letters that comply with Foundation Policy (10:02:07 Document Retention).
    6. The Advancement Office shall report private gifts to the College and the Foundation during a fiscal year in the summary of gifts (i.e. Voluntary Support of Education Report) to be included in its annual report to TBR, as required by TBR Policy (1:02:10:00 Annual Reports).
  8. Foundation
    1. The Chattanooga State Community College Foundation is the legal entity through which most gifts intended for use by Chattanooga State Community College are received, managed, and dispersed. Such gifts are to be received by the Foundation in full accordance with policies set forth by TBR, Chattanooga State, and any controlling agency, such as the IRS (TBR Policy 4:01:04:00 Foundations).
    2. The College may not accept gifts specifically intended for the Foundation, and only gifts specifically intended for the Foundation may be accepted by the Foundation.
    3. In general, College resources may not be used to meet conditions of gifts to the Foundation; however, exceptions may be approved by the President in accordance with the provisions of this policy on Acceptance of Gifts.
  9. References
    1. Internal procedural guidelines for this policy are on the employee portal The Daily Bengal.
    2. TBR Policy 1:02:10:00 Annual Reports
    3. TBR Policy 4:01:04:00 Solicitation and Acceptance of Gifts
    4. TBR Policy 4:01:07:02 Foundations
    5. Agreement Between College and Foundation 10:01:00
    6. Chattanooga State Foundation Policy 10:02:00
    7. Foundation Charter 10:02:01
    8. Foundation Bylaws 10:02:02
    9. Foundation Investment Policy 10:02:05
    10. Foundation Collection Policy 10:02:06
    11. Foundation Document Retention Policy 10:02:07

 

Reviewed by the Foundation Governance & Risk Committee: February 2024

 

Submitted to Policy Review Committee on February 10, 2020

Submitted to Policy Review Board on March 6, 2020

Approved by Policy Review Board on April 8, 2020

 

See Previous Version(s):

Submitted to Policy Review Committee on June 14, 2019

Submitted to Policy Review Board on July 22, 2019

Approved by Policy Review Board on July 31, 2019