Institute of Fundraising to publish additional guidance on accepting donations - Third Sector

Institute of Fundraising to publish additional guidance on accepting donations - Third Sector: "It says the move is not inspired by the recent debate over charities accepting donations from the News of the World

The Institute of Fundraising is to publish additional guidance for charities on whether to accept or refuse donations.

A spokeswoman told Third Sector that discussions on the guidance had started earlier this year and had not been inspired by the recent debate about whether charities should accept donations from the News of the World.

The guidance, which has a working title of Gift Acceptance Processes, will sit alongside the IoF's Acceptance or Refusal of Donations Code of Fundraising Practice."

Gift acceptance issues: Dealing with difficult donors and restrictions

Gift acceptance issues: Dealing with difficult donors and restrictions: "The intense competition for donor dollars creates a difficult enough environment for fundraisers. Unfortunately, certain gift acceptance issues add innumerable obstacles to the already challenging path of finding and retaining donors. The topic was recently explored at a conference, Good at Doing Good: Safeguarding Yourself and Your Charity in a Complex World, organized by the Charity Law Information Program (CLIP), a project of Capacity Builders (a division of OCSA) and supported by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).

Malcolm Burrows defined part of the problem as the Benevolence Dilemma. Head of Philanthropic Advisory Services at Scotia Private Client Group, Burrows sees firsthand how the dilemma plays out and explains simply, 'There's a mismatch between what the donor needs and what clients need — or think they need.' The hope is for organizations to find the right fit, he continues, one that balances their mission with donors' perceived interests. The gift has to fit; it has to feel right for it to work. Though not always easy to discern, for sure, sometimes the answer is evident."