Gift Acceptance Policy
Purpose
This policy ensures consistency in the acceptance and management of gifts to the Geneva Centre For Autism (the “GCA”) and the Geneva Centre for Autism Foundation (the “GCAF” or the “Foundation”), while safeguarding the interests of both donors and the Foundation. All gifts are subject to this policy, and the GCA and GCAF reserve the right to decline any gift that does not align with its principles, values, vision, mission, and legal obligations.
1. Ethical and Legal Compliance
The GCA and GCAF adheres to all relevant legal and ethical standards including but not limited to those required by:
- Canadian Revenue Agency
- Human Rights Code (Ontario 1990)
- Criminal Code of Canada
- Conflict of Interest guidelines and policies of the GCA and the GCAF.
The GCA and GCAF do not accept donations from sources who are known to be involved in criminal activity and/or known to commit violations of human rights based on race, religion, gender, sexual orientation or disability.
2. General Gift Acceptance Guidelines
All gifts must support the charitable activities of the GCA and GCAF’s and must be consistent with the GCA’s and GCAF’s Objectives, Mission, Vision, and must align with its values, and legal obligations.
The GCA and GCAF do not endorse or participate in events or third-party fundraising that conflict with its mission and objectives.
The GCA and GCAF do not allow open access to the GCA and GCAF, its Board of Directors, members, platforms, events, communication channels or facilities to an outside party for promotional media, advertising, or perceived gain in relation to any single donor or group of donors. Any recognition or benefits offered must be part of a pre-arranged sponsorship agreement or as a show of appreciation for a voluntary donation. Promotional access or advertising by external parties to the GCA and GCAF may only be permitted as part of a formal sponsorship agreement.
Final decision on donations to the GCA or the GCAF on a single amount of more than $5,000 (five thousand dollars) or on an annual giving plan or monthly giving plan that is more than $10,000 (ten thousand dollars) shall be made by the Gift Acceptance Committee (“GAC”) composed of GCAF’s Vice President, Foundation; Chair of the Foundation Board of Directors; and Chief Executive Officer.
The GCA and GCAF recommend that prospective donors seek the assistance of independent legal, accounting and/or financial advisors in matters relating to their gifts and the resulting tax and/or estate planning consequences. The GCA and GCAF will not provide any legal or financial advice to prospective donors.
3. Donor Restricted Giving
All gifts must be made at arm’s length; donors cannot influence expenditures, vendor selection, program delivery, or participant enrollment.
Restricted gifts require a minimum donation of $5,000 and must be pre-approved by the GAC prior to acceptance. Restricted funds may support program operations or specific needs identified by the GCA and GCAF. The use of funds may be discussed with a donor prior to gift acceptance.
4. Charitable Tax Receipting
Tax receipts shall be issued for eligible donations in accordance with CRA guidelines. Gifts of service are not eligible for tax receipts.
Receipts are issued electronically unless a paper copy is specifically requested or when the email address for the donor is unknown.
Donations of $20 or more will receive a charitable tax receipt within 5 business days (for one-time donations) or annually at the beginning of the following calendar year (for recurring or monthly donors).
Donation receipts are only issued in the name of the true donor and are dated based on when the gift is received by the GCA and GCAF.
5. Donor Rights
The GCA and GCAF are committed to the highest ethical standards in its dealings with donors. Our fundraising practices adhere to professional codes of conduct including those of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
All prospective and actual gifts are subject to the GCA/GCAF Privacy Policy. The privacy of donors will be respected. Donor records are kept confidential but are accessible to the donor for review and verification. The GCA and GCAF does not sell, rent or trade donor lists.
Donors may request anonymity and control over public recognition. The GCA and GCAF does not disclose the amount of any gift unless agreed to by the donor.
Donors may raise concerns regarding their treatment in respect of a donation and to have any such concerns resolved. Concerns will be addressed first by GCA and GCAF supervisors and escalated to the Vice President. If the issues are still unresolved, the matter will be escalated to the President. We will respond promptly to a complaint by a donor or prospective donor. In some cases, matters will be escalated to the Board of Directors as appropriate.
The GCA and GCAF will promptly provide the following information to the donor or prospective donor upon their request:
- Our most recent audited financial statements approved by the governing board
- Our Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) registration number (BN)
- The information contained in the public portion of our most recent Charity Information Return (form T3010A) as submitted to CRA
- The names of the members of our governing board
- A copy of this Policy
Unless otherwise specified all funds raised by or on behalf of GCAF shall be used to support the activities of the Centre and the work of the Foundation.
All restricted or designated donations shall be used for the purposes for which they were given unless we have obtained legal authorization to use them for other purposes or on the consent of the donor.
Please review the GCA Foundation Privacy Policy for more details on how we use donor information, how to opt out of future mailings or update your contact information.
6. Types of Gifts
a) Gifts by cheque/credit card/EFT
GCAF welcomes all cheque/credit card/EFT charitable contributions, regardless of amount. We may decline a gift by cheque/credit card/EFT if it contravenes any of the provisions of this Policy. We will advise the donor as soon as is possible of our decision to decline a gift by cheque/credit card/EFT.
Cheques shall be payable to the Geneva Centre for Autism or the Geneva Centre for Autism Foundation, as appropriate. The GCA and the GCAF shall process all cheques promptly following receipt of the cheque. Monthly donations are processed on the same day of each month as directed by the donor.
The GCA and GCAF shall process all gifts made through credit card payments within 48 business hours of receipt of the donation. Where a tax receipt is requested, the donor must provide the information required for completion of the tax receipt.
b) Gifts of Cash
The GCA and GCAF does not accept donations of cash or payment by cash
c) Gift of Publicly Traded Securities
The GCA and GCAF recognizes the increasing prevalence of donations in the form of publicly traded securities. However, given the financial and compliance risks associated with holding and disposing of such assets, the GCA and GCAF reserves the right to decline any securities that do not meet its acceptance criteria, which is currently under development.
The date of any publicly traded securities donation will be the later of the date when the appropriate documentation is received or the date that the securities are deposited into GCA and/or the GCAF’s account.
Securities shall be disposed of as soon as is possible following their acceptance by the GCA and/or GCAF.
The GCA and GCAF only accepts shares traded on one of the TSX Group of Exchanges, including the Venture Exchange and the Toronto Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange, the New York Stock Exchange, and the NASDAQ Stock Exchange.
7. Gifts in Kind
The GCA and GCAF may receive gifts in kind (i.e. a donation of tangible, non-cash property) such as: donations in the form of electronics, art, books, collections, etc. The GCA and GCAF may also receive donations in the form of event tickets or vouchers for flights, train travel, or cultural attractions. These donations are referred to as Donations in Kind or Gifts in Kind and they require valuation for the purpose of formal acknowledgement and issuance of tax receipts by the GCA and GCAF.
When a gift in kind has been approved for acceptance by the GAC, a tax receipt will be issued in a format acceptable to CRA including:
- The fair market value of the gift
- Source of appraisal/fair market value information
- A description of the property donated
8. Other Gifts
The GCA and GCAF welcomes inquiries regarding donations of life insurance, annuities, bequests, real estate, and other forms of gifts not explicitly addressed in this policy. All such gifts will be evaluated in accordance with the principles outlined herein. Where the nature or conditions of a proposed gift requires further interpretation or presents potential risks, the matter shall be escalated to the Finance Audit and Risk Management Committee for review and decision.
Effective Date
This Policy shall have effect from 2025
Review Frequency: 12 months
Date of last Committee review: 2020
Date of last amendment: 2020
Date of last Board approval: 2019