Caring Ambassadors Program
Corporate Donations Policy
 PDF version
I. BACKGROUND
All nonprofit organizations require funding
to achieve their goals. Corporate donations and sponsorship are important
sources of funding by which a non-profit organization achieves its mission.
Concerns often arise that accepting corporate funds may give the appearance
of or actually compromise the ethical integrity of an organization. The
establishment of a Board-approved Corporate Donations Policy safeguards
against such compromises by clarifying for both potential sponsors and
the community at large the requisite criteria used by the organization
in soliciting and accepting corporate funding.
II. POLICY
A. CORPORATE
ELIGIBILITY
The Caring Ambassadors Program (CAP) will gratefully accept monetary
or in-kind donations from any business entity (“Corporation”)
that meets the following eligibility criteria.
1. The
Corporation is not engaged in business activities that conflict in whole
or in part with the goals of CAP or any of its disease- or condition-specific
programs.
2. The
Corporation has not attempted to manipulate or influence the activities,
policies, mission, and/or goals of CAP or any of its disease- or condition-specific
programs.
3. The
Corporation’s donation is unrestricted, i.e., no conditions or
requirements are being proposed by the Corporation that must be satisfied
by CAP to secure the donation. This does not preclude a Corporation
from making a donation that is earmarked for a specific purpose or program
activity.
B. CONFLICT
OF INTEREST
In addition to the aforementioned eligibility criteria, potential conflicts
of interest will be avoided by adherence to the following requisite criteria
for all corporate donations.
1. Donations
will not be accepted in exchange for a position on the Board of Directors
of CAP, nor will CAP solicit funds in exchange for a position on the
Board of Directors of CAP.
2. No
more than 33% of members of the CAP Board of Directors will be affiliated
with any individual Corporation donating to the organization.
3. Board
members affiliated with a Corporation will recuse themselves from any
Board vote related to CAP’s relationship with that Corporation.
4. CAP
Board members and persons employed in key staff positions by CAP or any
of its disease- or condition-specific programs may not have a financial
relationship with a potential corporate sponsor such that their personal
financial interests and the financial interests of CAP or its programs
may be perceived to be or may actually be in conflict. Serious
financial conflicts of interest as described herein must be resolved
before CAP may accept a donation from a corporate sponsor with which
a conflict exists.
C. OPEN
DISCLOSURE
1. CAP
will provide any Corporation that wishes to donate to the program a copy
of the CAP Corporate Donations Policy prior to acceptance of the donation.
2. CAP
will provide a copy of the Corporate Donations Policy to any individual
or organization that requests it.
3. CAP
will post its Corporate Donations Policy on the official CAP Internet
site.
D. OTHER
ISSUES
1. All
disease- or condition-specific programs that are part of CAP will adhere
to CAP’s Corporate Donations Policy.
2. The
program director of a disease- or condition-specific program or the corporation
chair may request Board review of a proposed donation if he/she is concerned
about the propriety of the donation.
3. CAP
and each disease- or condition-specific program will establish and implement
funding development policies that promote well-balanced sources of funding
such that ideally, neither CAP or any of its programs is primarily funded
by one or two corporate sponsors.
4. When
CAP or any of its disease- or condition-specific programs send out a
request for program support, requests should be sent to all potentially
appropriate sponsors to avoid the appearance of or inadvertently establishing
a preferential relationship with any single corporate sponsor.
5. In
the event that CAP or any of its disease- or condition-specific programs
is approached by a Corporation to partner on a special project or program,
the CAP Board of Directors must evaluate the request. Such projects
will only be undertaken with majority CAP Board approval. Contact
us for more info |
