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Fundraising and Gift Acceptance Policy

Ref. No. Executive sponsor Policy steward Approval authority First approved Last reviewed Effective date Next review
85.01 President Executive Director, NSCC Foundation Board of Governors June 16, 2016 October 2025 October 27, 2025 October 2026
  1. Purpose
    1. The Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) Foundation (the Foundation) exists to advance NSCC’s vision and mission as a public institution. The Foundation is a registered charity and serves NSCC by collaborating internally, and with donors, partners and the college community to seek and steward funding in support of NSCC priorities.
    2. The purpose of this policy is to set out provisions that govern fundraising and gift acceptance activities at NSCC.
  1. Scope
    1. The NSCC Foundation has the primary authority to solicit, accept and receipt gifts on behalf of NSCC. NSCC can accept or decline gifts but has delegated the authority of gift acceptance to the NSCC Foundation.
    2.  This Policy applies to employees, students, alumni, volunteers, donors, and other members of the college community engaged in any fundraising activities, campaigns, programs, appeals, or events in support of NSCC, including government grants and funding for students or alumni, it excludes the government grant for NSCC operations. All such initiatives must be coordinated through, the NSCC Foundation, which will determine the appropriate level of involvement for activities not led by the Foundation.
    3.  This Policy does not apply to fundraising activities that take place on NSCC campuses where the intended beneficiary is not NSCC. All such activities taking place at NSCC campuses require prior approval from the campus Principal or the Regional Leadership Team.
  1. Definitions
Term Definition
Designated Gifts Gifts, given to NSCC, where the donor has indicated a specific purpose for their support. Gifts may be “designated”, for instance, to a particular faculty or program. All gifts designated to the Endowment are invested according to
the Foundation’s Investment Policy.
Endowment A fund used to hold a donation made on the understanding that the “capital” or “principal” amount of the donation (the “contribution”) will be invested in perpetuity. The investment earnings are used, according to a Gift Agreement
and the Foundation’s Endowment Management and Spending Policy, to advance purposes specified by the donor.
Gift/Donation Often referred to as a donation, a gift is a voluntary, irrevocable transfer of property owned by a donor to anyone, in return for which no benefit or advantage flows to the donor. Gifts may be monetary (cash, cheques) or non-monetary (e.g. securities, real property, or personal property).
Gifts-in-Kind Donated tangible and intangible assets and property such as real estate, notes, mortgages, limited partnerships, royalty or copyright interests, art, books, equipment, automobiles, personal properties, securities and other
physical assets or materials, which represent value to NSCC.
Official Donation Receipting The official charitable donation receipt is a statement issued by the Foundation to donors which includes all elements stipulated by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) including donor’s name, date of donation, fair market value of the gift and the charity’s official charitable registration number.
Restricted Gifts Gifts, given to NSCC, where the donor has specified that the gift is intended to be used to support a particular purpose.
Sponsorship A marketing-oriented, contracted financial alliance between NSCC and a corporation, foundation or individual. Sponsorships can be beneficial alliances in which NSCC receives a fee or other consideration and the sponsor benefits
from market exposure and/or favoured product or corporate profile. Funds provided to NSCC through sponsorships are not eligible for charitable income tax receipts in accordance with CRA guidelines. A sponsorship is not a
donation or a private grant.
Marketable Securities A donation in the form of a transfer of ownership of shares which occurs on the date the physical share certificate is issued or the date the shares are received electronically. Shares are redeemed to cash as per the Foundation’s
Gift Acceptance Procedures.
Undesignated Gifts Gifts, given to NSCC, where the donor has not specified a purpose for the gift.
Unrestricted Gifts Gifts, given to NSCC, where the donor has not specified a purpose for the gift.
  1. Policy

    Gift Acceptance

    1. General Principles
      1. NSCC will not accept gifts that compromise its integrity, autonomy, values, or academic freedom.
      2. All gifts and sponsorships must align with NSCC’s strategic and academic priorities.
      3. The Foundation will seek the guidance of NSCC’s Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion team prior to accepting any gift in support of historically disadvantaged communities such as Mi’kmaq and Indigenous, and African Nova Scotian and Black communities. Any community engagement will follow NSCC community engagement protocols.
      4. The acceptance of gifts and proceeds from sponsorships is informed by and consistent with NSCC and the Foundation’s strategic plans and priorities, including commitments to equity, accessibility, sustainability, and student and alumni success.
      5. The Foundation is responsible for receiving, recording, receipting and recognizing all gifts made to NSCC. All donations or sponsorships, monetary (cash, cheques, EFT) and non-monetary (marketable securities, gifts-in-kind, etc.) or offers of unsolicited gifts are communicated to the Foundation prior to acceptance.  
      6. The Foundation will ensure that efficient administration, legal, and accounting practices are followed in the acceptance of all gifts; that those gifts are receipted in accordance with Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) regulations, the Code of Ethics and Donors’ Bill of Rights and Public Sector Accounting Standards (PSAS).
      7. The Foundation will ensure any reporting or recognition requirements will be documented and negotiated prior to gift acceptance. Reporting and recognition will be consistent with NSCC policies and privacy restrictions and will follow NSCC community engagement protocols.  
      8. Any gifts that include the naming rights of tangible and intangible assets will be subject to the NSCC Naming Rights Policy prior to acceptance.
    2. Guidelines
      1. The Foundation’s decisions will be guided by the following criteria:  
        Consistency: ensuring that all decisions advance the vision, mission and core values of the Foundation and NSCC; 
      2. Legality: ensuring that all decisions conform to the legal requirements of charities including CRA Guidelines, Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms; 
      3. Reputation: ensuring that no decision will or has the potential to bring harm to the reputation of the Foundation or NSCC;
      4. Student and Alumni Centered: the Foundation will at all times center the interests of the students and alumni served upon negotiating any gift or partnership.
    3. Authorization
      1. The Foundation is authorized to encourage donors to make both outright and deferred gifts, as detailed in ‘Gift Valuation and Gift Types’ clause of the Fundraising and Gift Acceptance Procedure. The Foundation Board of Directors may authorize the Foundation to accept gifts outside of those specified in the ‘Gift Valuation and Gift Types’ clause if required.
    4. Gift Minimums
      1. Gifts intended for endowment will be required to meet the minimum amount of $30,000 as per the Endowment Management and Spend Policy. Any gifts intended for endowment amounting to less than $30,000 will be added to existing or emerging endowments or will be accepted as non-endowed externally restricted spend-down funds that align with the original intent of the gift.  
      2. Gift minimums for the naming rights of tangible and intangible assets are detailed in the NSCC Naming Rights Policy. The gift minimums for named scholarships, bursaries and awards are also subject to the NSCC Student Awards Policy. 
    5. Gift Advice and Agreements
      1. Independent Legal Advice- the Foundation does not provide legal,  or tax, or financial advice. Persons acting on behalf of the Foundation shall in all cases encourage donors to discuss proposed gifts with independent legal and/or tax accountants or financial advisors of the donor’s choice so as to ensure the donor receives full and accurate explanation of all aspects of the proposed gift.  
      2. Only those authorized by the Foundation are to negotiate or enter into donor, partner or sponsor agreements. 
      3. All agreement templates requiring execution by the Foundation shall be reviewed by the Foundation and NSCC’s legal counsel. Any agreement that extends beyond the approved template will be subject to further review by NSCC’s legal counsel. As detailed in the Naming Rights Policy, NSCC Executive or Board of Governors approval may be required depending on the gift level.
    6. Fundraising
      1. Fundraising at NSCC will be coordinated through the Foundation, which holds primary accountability for donor identification, solicitation, gift acceptance, fund disbursement, and stewardship.
      2. All gifts, sponsorships, monetary (cash, cheques, EFT) and non-monetary contributions (gift-in-kind, securities, real property, etc.) offered to NSCC require authorization by the Foundation. Gifts-in-Kind are subject to the Gift-in-Kind Procedures prior to acceptance.
    7. Accountability
      1. The Foundation strongly believes in preserving and protecting donor rights and privacy through high ethical standards, transparency and accountability in our fundraising and financial practices. All philanthropic activities adhere to the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ Donor Bill of Rights, Code of Ethical Principles and Standards, Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) guidelines and NSCC policies.  
      2. The Foundation is committed to accountable and transparent administration of gifts. This includes ensuring that restricted and designated gifts are used for the purpose for which they were given and appropriate donor acknowledgement including official donation receipting, recognition and stewardship.  
      3. The Foundation is committed to engaging an external auditor annually to form an opinion on the Foundation’s financial position, its result of operations, its changes in net financial assets and its cash flows in accordance with Canadian generally accepted auditing standards. Financial statements are prepared and publicly presented in accordance with Canadian Public Sector Accounting Standards (“PSAS”) reflecting the Foundation’s fundraising activities and overall financial health.
      4. The Foundation is committed to complying with the expectations outlined in gift, partner and sponsorship agreements developed at the time of gift acceptance. This documentation should outline expectations as it relates to gift intent, restrictions, reporting requirements, recognition, key deliverables and timelines.  
    8. Ethics and Donor Rights
      1. Fundraising will be guided by professional standards (AFP, CAGP) and CRA regulations.
      2. Donor privacy, confidentiality, and anonymity will be respected, subject to legal disclosure requirements.
      3. All designated gifts, restricted gifts and sponsorships shall be used only for the purposes for which they were given.
      4. Undesignated gifts shall be used for the College’s area of greatest need and in alignment with NSCC’s mission and priorities. 
  1. Policy Supports

28.01 Student Awards Policy

41.11 Employment Equity Policy

41.01 Respectful Communities Policy

85.41 Naming Rights Policy

NSCC Foundation Investment Policy

NSCC Foundation Bylaws

NSCC Foundation & NSCC Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

Association of Fundraising Professionals Donor Bill of Rights

Association of Fundraising Professionals Code of Ethical Standards

Canada Revenue Agency

Income Tax Act

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

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