9.23 Procedures Governing Private Gift Solicitation
Faculty, staff, and administrators are partners in fund raising for The University of Texas at San Antonio, and are encouraged to attract private support to the University. University procedures for fund raising are intended to provide a systematic and controlled approach to secure private funding from individuals, corporations, foundations and other organizations to maximize philanthropic support for UTSA and ensure that these resources support University priorities. The clearance procedures outlined below apply only to fund raising from private sources of financial support. Separate procedures developed by the Office of Research Development are applicable when external grant and contract support is being sought for research and scholarly projects. In the cases in which project support is being sought from a foundation, the Office of Research Development will advise the Office of the Vice President for University Advancement to ensure that the grant development efforts do not conflict with University fund-raising efforts.
Identifying and Prioritizing Needs
Needs are identified and prioritized according to University and unit strategic plans. The amount that can be raised from private gifts is limited, so advancement efforts must be focused to accomplish the highest institutional priorities. Projects to meet these needs and proposals to fund them are then developed, usually by the unit for which funding is to be sought. For major institutional priorities, advancement staff may assist in the identification of prospective funding sources and the development of cultivation and solicitation strategies, including the preparation of proposals and grant requests.
Procedures
Coordination and clearance procedures apply to gift requests of $1,000 or more. Requests below $1,000 must be checked against a master list of major donor prospects. Multiple appeals to prospective donors with multiple interests, i.e., those already on the master list, are coordinated through the "Request for Fund-Raising Authorization and Priority" form. This form is available from the Office of the Vice President for University Advancement and/or the Development Office. When volunteers or advisory board members are involved in solicitation efforts on behalf of a college or other University unit, it is the responsibility of the Dean or unit director to assure that solicitation efforts by volunteers are coordinated by these procedures.
The Institute of Texan Cultures (ITC) is a unique University operation with a state-wide mandate. The Board of Regents has authorized a separate Development Board and fund-raising program for the Institute. The Executive Director of the Institute is responsible for that program and for coordination with the Vice President for University Advancement.
Student organizations may raise outside funds when authorized. Any project for which outside funding is to be sought must first receive endorsement of the faculty or administrative sponsor. The Vice President for Student Affairs has the responsibility for: (1) approval of the fund-raising project, and (2) coordination of the project with the Executive Director of Development.
Any research project for which private contributions are to be sought must be coordinated with the Vice President for University Advancement and/or the Executive Director of Development. Gift solicitations for projects involving human subjects, laboratory animals, radiological hazards, biologically infectious agents, or recombinant DNA techniques must be reviewed by the Office of Grants and Contracts Administration for compliance with institutional policies and external requirements.
How to Apply
Coordination of project development and fund-raising strategies is initiated by use of a "Request for Fund-Raising Authorization and Priority" form. Forms are available from the Office of the Vice President for University Advancement and/or the Development Office. The "Request For Authorization to Submit To A Foundation" form should be used for authorization to seek private funding for sponsored projects. Forms are available from the Office of the Dean of Graduate Studies and Associate Vice President for Research.
Authorization and Priority
All projects and funding requests are reviewed initially by the dean or relevant unit administrator. The next level of review involves the Executive Director of Development. Other executive officers may also be consulted to determine the status of the project/proposal. Review will focus on criteria such as academic and institutional priorities, current and future budget impact, fund-raising potential, prospective donor history, competition with other projects already under consideration by the identified prospective donors, etc.
When a project/proposal has been authorized, it is assigned to a priority category to indicate the level of institutional effort to be focused on fund-raising for the project. This also assures that prospective donors are matched with projects that help achieve the University's priorities.
Maximum Priority: These projects have the highest fund-raising priority. The Development Office will make every effort to identify, cultivate, and solicit prospective donors. The project sponsor as well as the President and other University administrative officers will work actively with the Development Office to meet the fund-raising goals set for the project. The importance and limited number of projects with this designation require ongoing evaluation.
Special Priority: These projects are of ongoing importance to University goals. The Office of the Vice President for University Advancement will assist by identifying prospective donors (not currently being cultivated for other projects) with relevant interest and by assisting in developing strategies to acquire necessary resources.
Standard Priority: Cultivation and solicitation are on a noncompetitive basis only (i.e., prospective donor is not a prospective donor for any other approved project or prospective donor is a target of opportunity). It is the responsibility of the project sponsor to identify prospective donors most likely to give for this special purpose only.
Development Office staff will periodically review the list of authorized and rated projects in order to recommend priority changes based on the results of fund-raising efforts. Clearance authorization is effective only so long as the cultivation and solicitation process remains active.
Fund Raising Publications and Media Relations
The Office of University Communications will review fund-raising publications as outlined in University publications policies. Public relations activities should be coordinated through the Office of University Communications.
Acceptance of Gifts
All private contributions to UTSA ( including administrative units, colleges, divisions, departments, programs, faculty, and any operation under the auspices of UTSA) must be processed through the University's Development Office.
No gift will be accepted, acknowledged or deposited without acceptance approval being granted by the University's Development Office.
The processing of any and all gifts requires the submission of a complete gift processing package including:
a completed gift processing form;
the check, cash or other asset being transferred to UTSA; and
an original signed copy of the gift letter from the donor. The gift letter must identify the asset being transferred, the purpose for which it is to be used, and the university administrative or academic unit that is to benefit from the gift.
If any gifts or services were received by the donor from the University or its personnel in advance or in response to the gift, the fair market value of such gifts or services must be provided to the Development Office and considered when determining acceptance of the funds and the contribution portion of the gift.
Gifts of readily marketable securities must be processed by the University of Texas System Office of Estates and Trusts. Gifts of closely-held securities, real estate and limited partnerships as well as bequests and gifts resulting from an interest in a trust must be approved by the Office Estates and Trusts in accordance with University of Texas Board of Regents Policy prior to acceptance.
Internal Revenue Service Form 8283 is used by donors to report required information on non-cash charitable contributions. The donor is responsible for filing the form if the amount of their deduction for all non-cash gifts is more than $500. Donors file the form with their tax return for the year they contribute the property and first claim a deduction.