Development
Policies
Standards of Ethical Practice
It is the policy of the Foundation to encourage, inform and assist donors who wish to support the mission and priorities of Western Michigan University, but never to pressure or attempt to unduly persuade prospective donors. Persons acting on behalf of the Foundation will do so with fairness, honesty, integrity, ethics and openness.
The Foundation will not provide legal, tax or estate planning advice to donors. Individuals acting on behalf of the Foundation may provide general legal and tax information obtained from reliable qualified sources to prospective donors, but they should advise donors to consult with competent professional advisors with respect to the legal and tax implications of gifts.
The Foundation will not accept any gifts that in the opinion of the Foundation’s executive director or the board of directors may jeopardize the Foundation’s tax-exempt status.
- Persons acting on behalf of the Foundation will fully disclose the role and relationship of each party involved in the planning or negotiation of gifts to the Foundation.
- Licensed professionals affiliated with the Foundation may represent donors for any proposed gift to the Foundation only after full disclosure is made to the donor of such affiliation.
- Individuals acting on behalf of the Foundation may not receive financial benefit from any gift to the Foundation, except for salaries to employees and standard and reasonable fees to licensed professionals. Finders’ fees and commissions will not be paid to persons engaged to contact or cultivate prospective donors or to promote gifts to the Foundation.
- Except as required by law, all information obtained from or about donors or prospective donors will be held in strict confidence by the Foundation and may be shared among staff members and board members only to the extent required to carry out their duties and responsibilities. Specific requests from donors for confidentiality or anonymity will always be honored.
- The Foundation will not serve as personal representative, executor, or administrator of any estate, or trustee of any trust, in which it is not the sole beneficiary.
- The Foundation will not accept gifts from any donor that stipulate the designation of a specific recipient (for example, a scholarship recipient).