Section IV - College Relations & Development

IV D

Internal, External and Non-College-Related Fundraising Policy

To state the College’s policy on fundraising by the College, Foundation, student clubs, on-campus groups and student / employee groups working to help RCC and non-RCC charitable entities.

Definition: Fundraising includes any solicitation of a monetary gift, a gift of property, a discount, etc. for the benefit of Randolph Community College, a student organization, a charitable group or for a cause adopted by students, staff and/or faculty. The policy on grant applications is contained in Section IV C of the Personnel Handbook and Policy Manual.

Fundraising for college programs and needs serves as a means of accomplishing the initiatives outlined in Randolph Community College’s (RCC) strategic plan. The President is responsible for the fundraising activities of the college.

Fundraising by RCC: All fundraising for the college or by college-affiliated groups must be coordinated through RCC’s Vice President for Institutional Advancement who oversees the day to day implementation of fundraising efforts. Communication with the Vice President for Institutional Advancement maximizes the chance for success through coordination so that potential donors do not receive multiple or inappropriate requests and so that the gift request and the donor are suitably matched. Any appeals of the Vice President for Institutional Advancement’s decision may be made in writing to the President within ten days of the Vice President for Institutional Advancement’s decision.

To avoid conflict and duplication of effort and to maximize gifts from potential donors, staff and faculty wishing to ask an individual, organization, or corporation for a gift must notify the Vice President for Institutional Advancement in writing or electronically prior to the
solicitation. This includes solicitation of food, door prizes, gift bag fillers, etc. The Vice President for Institutional Advancement will then advise faculty and staff of any potential conflicts. If, in his or her best judgment, the request is not advisable, the Vice President for Institutional Advancement may ask that the solicitation effort be modified, postponed or canceled. If there is a disagreement over a specific planned request, the President or his/her designee will make a final decision.

Gift in Kind: Staff and faculty who are approached by an individual, organization, or corporation wanting to donate any item to the college must determine whether the item to be donated can be used to further the College’s mission AND, if so, notify the Foundation Operations Manager BEFORE the item is accepted. An item is not tax deductible to the donor if the College cannot establish how the item will be used to further the College’s mission. The Foundation also reserves the right to refuse on any item.

BEFORE an item is accepted, the staff or faculty member of the area receiving the donation must submit the following information to the Foundation Operations Manager using the Gift in Kind Form:

  1. Name of individual, organization, or corporation
  2. Address of individual, organization or corporation
  3. Phone and email address of individual, organization, or corporation
  4. How the item will be used to further the mission of Randolph Community College (how it will be used in the receiving area)
  5. Estimated value of the item. (This should be supplied by the donor if at all possible. If not, please provide an estimated value which will be used for internal purposes only to determine whether or not to list the donation as a fixed asset.)

Within two business days, the Foundation Operations Manager will notify the staff or faculty member whether or not the gift may be accepted and will notify the Vice President for Administrative Services, the Director of Financial Services/Controller, and the Purchasing Agent by copy of the correspondence. If the gift is to be accepted, the staff or faculty member will contact the donor within two business days to accept the gift and notify the Foundation Operations Manager of the exact date the gift is to be received by the staff/faculty member and the physical location where the gift will be housed. The Foundation Operations Manager will acknowledge the gift once notified of the date the gift is actually received and notify the Purchasing Office of the gift, its location, and its estimated value.

Fundraising by the RCC Foundation: The Director of Development of the RCC Foundation is responsible for coordinating all planned Foundation fundraising activities with the Vice President for Institutional Advancement. When a donation to the Foundation is being considered, staff and faculty should refer the donor to the Director of Development. The RCC Foundation accepts gifts according to its Gift Acceptance Policy.

Fundraising by College Organizations: Students, employees, organizations, and groups on campus that wish to engage in a fundraising activity or solicitation must notify the Vice President for Institutional Advancement prior to the proposed activity. All student fundraising projects, whether for a college-based cause or a non-RCC effort, must have the approval of the faculty/staff advisor and the Student Activities Coordinator before being submitted to the Vice President for Institutional Advancement. The Student Activities Coordinator may impose additional requirements on campus organizations’ fundraising through information provided annually in The Student Clubs Handbook for Advisors or in order to coordinate student fundraising projects. If the fundraising activity or solicitation is deemed to be in conflict with the fundraising program and activities of the College or Foundation, the Vice President for Institutional Advancement will meet with the group or individuals to resolve the conflict and reach a mutually agreeable solution. If a conflict arises that cannot be resolved in such a manner, the President of the College will consider the issue and make a final decision.

Fundraising and Solicitations by External Groups: Solicitations, sales, and fundraising activities by external groups in the College’s facilities are strictly prohibited unless permission is given by the President or his/her designee.

Fundraising and Solicitations for External Groups: The President may designate certain charities as college-wide causes and name chairs of these efforts (e.g., Relay for Life). The Vice President for Institutional Advancement must be informed in advance of plans for any fundraising for these college-wide causes that involve requests to donors external to the college It is expected that staff will spend a reasonable amount of time on these efforts, an amount of time that will do justice to the cause but will not detract from their regular duties.

Gift Reporting: A written description of the gift plus the name and address of any individual, business or entity that donates a gift of cash or materials to the College must be supplied to the Vice President for Institutional Advancement, either in hard copy or electronically, within ten (10) business days of receipt of the gift. The Vice President for Institutional Advancement is responsible for acknowledging the gift.

Names and addresses of those donating funds to outside charities do not need to be submitted to the Vice President for Institutional Advancement, but all funds raised through the approved activity must be deposited in the appropriate College account the following business day of the conclusion of the event.

Other Fundraising by Employees: College employees are permitted, within reason, to solicit for other nonprofit, charitable causes on an individual basis, but no employee is obligated to personally support any solicitation. Such solicitations should not be conducted on college computers or in college meetings but should be conducted discreetly and on an individual basis.

 

Adopted: 11/15/2007

Revised : 05/17/2012, 05/16/2013