Policies and procedures are the backbone of every good program. Unfortunately, they are often either developed and then ignored, or not developed at all. 

Policies
Policies are a set of guidelines that define the requirements to ensure that your organization only accepts gifts that are in its best interests. The right policies serve as filters that prevent you from accepting gifts you don’t understand and that could have unexpected consequences in terms of your accountability. While policies are high-level expressions of directions in which the organization wants to move, they are not a recitation of the law. The legal landscape is not reflected; the law is assumed. When written well and understood by all involved parties, policies balance the interests of your organization with the interests of your donors and protect you from unwanted liability. That’s why we not only write policies, but train your staff on what they mean to the organization.

Deliverables in this particular consulting area can include, but are not limited to: 

• Gift Acceptance Policy documentation and training
• Gives careful consideration to the types of funding assets your organization will accept as gifts given its current capabilities.
• Endowment Policy documentation and training
• Gives careful consideration to how your endowment will be structured and sometimes includes investments policies if appropriate, such as addressing whether or not all the endowment assets are invested together.
• Naming Policy
• Gives careful consideration to how large a gift must be to qualify for recognition in the form of naming a public asset, such as a building, in honor of the donor.

Procedures
The right procedures in place means that all involved parties understand their roles in the process of planned giving. Role definition is more than a best practice – it is a prerequisite to a successful program. Procedures serve to insulate an organization from the negative consequences of staff turnover.

They are also a communication tool for senior leadership. Procedure documents spell out exactly what is happening and by whom. They drive the organization forward and promote institutional ownership of the process.

Deliverables in this particular consulting area can include: 

• Roles and Responsibilities documentation and training
• Gives careful consideration to how various positions in your organization will cooperate cross-functionally to solicit, accept, recognize, credit, and administer gifts. 
• Gift Acceptance documentation and training
• Gives careful consideration to responsibility for recognizing and processing gifts in a timely manner.