A Donor Bill of Rights is an industry best practice created by the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Organizations which voluntarily adopt a Donor Bill of Rights are committed to ensuring that philanthropic activity merits the respect and trust of the general public, and that donors and prospective donors can have full confidence in the organization and the causes that they are asked to support.
Fundraising policies that impact students and/or faculty and/or staff fall under the purview of the University of Windsor Board of Governors. As such, these policies require approval by the Board (i.e. Donor Bill of Rights, Gift Acceptance Policy, Naming of University Assets Policy). All other policies fall under the approval authority of the Vice-President, External (or other individual as designated by the President).
Philanthropic gifts of $20.00 or more will be acknowledged with an official charitable receipt issued by the Finance Department in compliance with Canada Revenue Agency guidelines. Further information is available in the “Gift Receipting” section of the Gift Acceptance Policy.
The suite of fundraising policies applies to UWindsor students, faculty or staff who are impacted or involved in any fundraising activities, whether it be faculty-specific initiatives, capital fundraising campaigns, or select research projects. Specific information regarding the solicitation and negotiation of a philanthropic gift is outlined in the “Gift Management” section of the Gift Acceptance Policy.
The policies do not apply to fundraising activities undertaken by students in support of student groups or clubs. Further, the policies do not apply to funds received that are not eligible for a tax receipt including sponsorships, legally binding research agreements and gifts made in exchange for an advantage (i.e. advertising, admission to events, services, food). Further information on gift eligibility can be found throughout the Gift Acceptance Policy. In the event that uncertainty exists regarding policy compliance of a fundraising activity, please contact campaign@uwindsor.ca.
A list of acceptable gifts types and vehicles used to facilitate philanthropic gifts to the University is available in Appendix A (Gift Type Lexicon) of the Gift Acceptance Policy.
All fundraising policies that require Board of Governors approval authority are found on the UWindsor Central Policies Database. All other policies fall under the approval authority of the Vice-President, External (or other individual as designated by the President) and are hosted on Support UWindsor.
The majority of fundraising policies will be formally reviewed every three years or may be subject to a review before the three-year term if:
- changes in legislation impact the policy,
- a specific incident necessitates a review of the policy, or
- a request for review is made by the Board of Governors.
For specific information regarding policy reviews, see the “Monitoring and Compliance” section of each select policy in the suite.
Content found in each policy reflect statements intended to influence and determine actions and decisions of the University, while resources listed in the “Appendices” and “Cross-References” sections of the policy make reference to procedures or guidelines that describe how an action or decision should be carried out. In other words, policies are “what” the University formally does, and procedures are “how” the University intends to carry out those formal policies.
Alignment of fundraising projects to the University’s priorities is essential to the effective coordination of philanthropic activity and will assist in ensuring the consistency and alignment of faculty plans. Students, Faculty and staff should review the Campaign and Fundraising Priority Setting Policy and consult with the Advancement Office before embarking on a fundraising project.
Questions and comments pertaining to the fundraising policy suite can be sent to campaign@uwindsor.ca.
All active fundraising policies are listed on the Our Fundraising Policies page.