PROSPECT CLEARANCE POLICY Preamble. The purpose of a Prospect Clearance Policy is to optimize McMaster’s fundraising efforts by ensuring that solicitations are made to donors that will ensure the most appropriate match of donor interests and University priorities, and maximize their giving to the University. A series of uncoordinated solicitations to the same donor by different individuals in a single institution is the most undermining threat to a successful fundraising campaign. The Prospect Clearance Policy protects against this problem. No fundraising activity, event or
sponsorship arrangement, regardless of the need for charitable receipts,
should occur without the approval of the prospect clearance committee. Please
note that the deposit of such funds should be coordinated through University
Advancement who will determine whether or not we are able to issue tax receipts.
The use of external fundraisers also requires committee approval. Furthermore
when running a fundraising event please refer to the Fundraising
Activities Policy (link) for further information. Membership. McMaster’s
fundraising program is designed to obtain the maximum gifts for activities
that are the institution’s highest academic priorities. The membership of the
Prospect Clearance Team, which is chaired by the Vice-President of University
Advancement, ensures that input regarding academic mission is coupled with
the best advice of professional fundraisers to maximize fundraising success. Principles for the Prospect Clearance Team. Several principles guide the decisions of
the Prospect Clearance Team: 1.
The purpose of the Prospect Clearance Team is to match solicitors and
projects to potential donors to maximize gifts to the University for
activities of greatest academic priority. Prospect Clearance Database. The Office of University Advancement will maintain a database that
lists prospects, who currently has clearance for these prospects, the
projects for which these prospects are being cultivated, and the end date of
the clearance approval. Information from this database is accessible to
appropriate officers of the University. In addition, a database is maintained
that catalogues the donor visits that have been made to each prospect, the
results of these visits, etc. This database is searchable by prospect, solicitor
and project. It is expected that all individuals working with cleared
prospects report on activity through submission of regular Call Reports and
updates. Prospect Clearance Process. Requests for prospect clearance should be
made on the attached
form and forwarded to the Advancement Office, via the Faculty Dean or
relevant senior administrator. The Dean, at his/her discretion, may elect to
delegate this responsibility to another individual, such as the Faculty
Advancement Officer. The Advancement Research Office will provide appropriate
background information and context for each request prior to its review by
the Prospect Clearance Team; the Research Office, Advancement Services will
act as consultants to the Prospect Clearance Team. Applicants will be
notified of the decision of the Prospect Clearance Team within one week of
the meeting in which the submission is considered. This decision will also
identify the length of time for which clearance has been granted, typically
two years from the date of approval, and the projects for which solicitations
to a donor may be made. If, as a result of the original solicitation, the
donor indicates a preference for other projects, it is expected that the
solicitor will notify Advancement so that a solicitation targeted to the
donor’s stated preference can be constructed. Applicants who disagree with
the decisions of the Prospect Clearance Team can appeal through the Chair to
the Provost and President if necessary, although we anticipate few such
appeals. Violation of Prospect Clearance. As noted before, the most undermining event in fundraising is multiple,
uncoordinated approaches to the same individual. Equally difficult are those
situations in which we continually solicit a donor for a project in which she
or he has expressed or indicated little interest or affinity. Because the
purpose of prospect clearance is to eliminate this difficulty, identified
violations of prospect clearance will be reviewed and appropriate sanctions
will be considered in light of repeated violations. |