Northwest College

Student Senate

Gift Solicitation Guidelines

Background

Solicitation guidelines were developed in 1992 in response to an increasing desire on the part of faculty, staff and students to solicit private gifts from regional individuals, businesses, organizations and foundations on behalf of the college.  While such desire represents positive individual initiative, it also raises a few concerns which the following guidelines address.

It's most important that solicitation of gifts be promoted in a manner which reflects college-wide coordination.  In order to maintain positive donor relationships and protect the integrity of the Foundation's work, frequent solicitations of the same donors should be avoided.  With that in mind, please use the following guidelines if solicitation of private gifts is desired.  The Foundation Office defines "private gifts" as gifts of cash, securities, goods and services.  The definition includes seeking donations of goods and services to be raffled by campus clubs and organizations.

Purpose and process

First, it's expected that employees and students who wish to solicit gifts do so in order to enhance current programs or to undertake new projects.  Second, every effort should be made to secure college funding prior to considering private gift solicitation.  Third, please notify your supervisor, division chairperson or student organization sponsor of your intentions.  Calls should then be made to the Foundation Office - either Shelby Wetzel, Executive Director of the NWC Foundation; or Robbi Welch, Annual Giving Coordinator - to inform them of your desire to solicit private gifts.  They will seek the following information from you:  nature of the project and need for funding, amount of funds needed, prior attempts to secure college funding, names of solicitation prospect(s), anticipated solicitation method, if the  solicitation will be annual or a one-time request, and if funding is not secured from proposed sources, what course will be followed.

Points to be considered

Foundation staff, sometimes in consultation with the President, will consider the following:

• the solicitation's "fit" with the institution,
• if the solicitation prospect is an annual donor to the NWC Foundation,
• if the prospect has been solicited during the calendar year,
• if there has been ongoing or recent discussion with the prospect that might lead to a major or planned gift,
• the likelihood of positive response to the proposed solicitation, and
• which gift is of most value to the institution.

If the solicitation proceeds, Foundation personnel will provide appropriate assistance to employees or students.

This informal approach to guiding campus solicitations of private gifts is not intended to discourage individual initiative.  The many programs and activities sponsored by faculty, staff and students are vital elements of Northwest's character and are greatly valued as complements to the curriculum.  But, please understand that Northwest College has more worthy causes than private gifts in the region can support.

A reminder regarding fund-raising and the NWC Foundation

The only way to protect private gifts from being declared by the state as local revenue is to make them to the NWC Foundation.  The Foundation is a private, nonprofit corporation whose purpose is to cultivate, raise, recognize and invest private gifts on behalf of the college, then extend financial support to the college.  All checks should be made payable to the NWC Foundation, not to Northwest College.