1. Purpose

This policy expresses Christ Church Grammar School’s (the School) objectives and philosophy underpinning its fundraising endeavours and explains its protocols and processes for the acceptance, and administration of gifts as well as the acknowledgement and recognition of Donors.

The School is deeply committed to providing opportunities for an exceptional all-round education for boys to achieve these aspirational goals. It welcomes and values philanthropic support from individuals, organisations and the general community which are aligned with its values and strategic objectives.

2. Scope

The provisions of this policy apply to all philanthropic fundraising activities of the School. They do not apply to sponsorships, non-philanthropic grants or projects funded from other sources.

3. Definitions

Bequest is a gift received from a deceased estate.

Deductible Gift Recipient is an organisation or a fund which has been approved by the Australian Taxation Office to receive tax deductible gifts.

Donor is an individual or an entity that makes a Gift to the School.

Encumbered Gifts for the purpose of this policy are those which come with a third party’s right to or interest in the property which does not prohibit the property’s owner from transferring title.  Encumbrances can be classified in several ways. They may be financial (for example, liens) or non-financial (for example, easements, private restrictions).

Gift means any irrevocable transfer of property as an act of philanthropic giving on the part of the Donor including but not limited to:

• Money
• Real Estate
• Artworks and/or cultural material
• Musical instruments
• Stocks and Shares

Naming Opportunity is an offer or decision by the School to name an asset in honour of an individual for distinguished service or in recognition of substantial financial support from an individual or an organisation.

Philanthropic Giving means a voluntary donation of a gift where the donor does not receive a material benefit from donating the gift.

4. Principles

4.1 Roles and Responsibilities

All requests for philanthropic support, approaches to prospective Donors, negotiation of terms and conditions associated with gift acceptance, accountability for and administration of gifts will be co-ordinated by and through the Office of Advancement.

The School or Council retains authority to establish a Fundraising Committee from time to time, to oversee a specific campaign, co-ordinate networking events and solicit major gifts on behalf of the School. The Director of Advancement will be an ex-officio member of any such Fundraising Committee.

Any queries with respect to the appropriateness of a gift and/or its acceptance will be referred in the first instance to the Principal, and if required, to the Council for decision.

4.2 Gift Categories

4.2.1 Money

• Money includes cash, cheques, foreign currency and funds transferred online and paid by card

4.2.2 Gifts-in-kind

• A gift-in-kind is a gift donated in a form other than money
• Donors must seek their own advice regarding the tax deductibility of gifts-in-kind, including obtaining any required valuation at their own cost.
• Gifts-in-kind will be recorded as either an Asset or an Attractive Item on the School’s fixed asset Register in accordance with the School’s finance policies
• The School may dispose of gifts-in-kind for cash at its exclusive discretion, other than where a gift is bound by special conditions accepted by the School in a gift agreement
• The Office of Advancement will liaise with the Finance Office if a gift involves the transfer of shares

4.2.3 Real Estate

• The School will accept a gift of real estate on the understanding that it may be disposed of for cash and the proceeds used to support the intent of the Donor or a strategic objective of the School
• The retention or disposal of a gift of real estate will be at the discretion of the Council

4.2.4 Artworks and/or Cultural Materials

The School may accept gifts of Artworks or Cultural Materials after consideration by the Principal and if necessary, consultation with Council

4.2.5 Encumbered Gifts

Encumbered gifts may be accepted but this will be at the discretion of the Council

4.3 Gift Acceptance

• Christ Church Grammar School may accept gifts for specified and unspecified purposes, both solicited and unsolicited
• The School will work with Donors to encourage giving that supports the advancements of its strategy and will advise Donors wishing to express a purpose for their gift, to do so in broad terms to allow the School to use the gift in changed circumstances
• In accepting and administering gifts, the Office of Advancement will ensure compliance with the provisions of Income Tax Legislation, specifically Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) requirements and internal School finance policies
• Christ Church Grammar School Building Fund, Christ Church Grammar School Library Fund, Christ Church Grammar School Bursary and Scholarship Fund and the Christ Church Grammar School Centenary Indigenous Scholarship Fund are Deductible Gift Recipients with a common ABN 52 791 098 115
• The School has charitable foundations in the UK, USA and Singapore and Donors resident in those countries are encouraged to make charitable donations to Christ Church Grammar School in their own currency via Chapel and York
• The School will only accept gifts from private or public sources, which are aligned with the School’s values and whose identities and business practices are not likely to bring the School into disrepute
• The School may decline to accept a gift at its absolute discretion but particularly if there is a likely conflict of interest, or it is perceived to be a legal, financial or reputational risk for the School
• The Office of Advancement is responsible for escalating any concerns relating to gift acceptance to the Principal and Chair of Council for final decision

4.4 Gift Agreements and Records

The terms of restricted gifts with a value of $10,000 or more will be documented in a written agreement between the School and the Donor. The signatory will be a delegate with appropriate authorisation as per the School’s delegations schedule

The Office of Advancement is responsible for preparing, administering and recording gift agreements on the School’s Records Management System

4.5 Gift Expenditure

• The School will always strive to honour Donor’s intentions and adhere to the commitments set out in gift agreements
• The School will hold restricted funds (these being gifts donated for specific purposes, including endowments) in discrete accounts separate from the School’s general unrestricted funds to enable transparent monitoring of gift expenditure, ensuring an auditable trail of any investment income and distributions
• The Office of Advancement will be responsible for reporting back to the Donor on expenditure of gift monies
• The School will not refund tax deductible gifts without advice from its solicitor

4.6 Donor Stewardship, Confidentiality and Privacy

• Donors will be provided with an official receipt for all gifts within three working days of receipt by the School
• The School will acknowledge Donors in accordance with its gift stewardship program and in accordance with the wishes of the Donor
• Donors have the right to remain anonymous and the School will respect the privacy of those who choose to remain anonymous
• All information collected and held on Donors by the School will be in strict accordance with the School’s Privacy Policy
• In the course of discussing major gift prospects, employees, fundraising committee members, Council and any fundraising consultants will keep confidential the details of their negotiations, and uphold the School’s commitment to protect the privacy, dignity and trust of its benefactors
• The School may provide major gift Donors with public recognition in accordance with the Naming Opportunity Guidelines for Facilities, Landscape Features, Buildings or parts of buildings at the discretion of the Council
• The School will never provide Donors with tax or legal advice in relation to their donations

4.7 Bequests

• The School will always take into consideration the wishes and intentions of a Donor as outlined in their will when determining if it is appropriate to accept a bequest and in decision making about the manner in which the bequest might be used
• Where the School is unable to honour the intentions of the will, all appropriate measures will be explored to determine a purpose for the gift which most closely aligns with the Donor’s wishes
• Donors and/or appointed executors enquiring about a proposed bequest should be referred to the Office of Advancement
• Donors who have expressed an intention to include the School in their wills are to be encouraged to provide a copy of the will or the pertinent clause from their will to the Office of Advancement for their records. In addition any criteria to be applied in the use of the funds is to be agreed between the Donor and the School in a gift agreement
• Staff involved in decision making at the School, about the use and distribution of the proceeds of a bequest must not, on behalf of the bequest donor
  1. hold a Power of Attorney or Enduring Power of Attorney
  2. hold an Enduring Power of Guardianship
  3. Act as an executor of the will
  4. Draft a Will
• The School may provide suggested wording as guidance for a clause in the will, if there is a specific purpose for the gift.
• The School must clearly state that the wording should be reviewed by the donors legal or financial advisor to ensure that it accurately reflects the wishes of their client.

4.8 Endowments

• Endowments will be managed and invested in accordance with the School’s Investment Policy
• Where a donation has been made for a specific purpose, the School will accept the endowment only if the investment revenue is estimated to be sufficient to fund the costs associated with the purpose of the gift

4.9 Matched Funding

• From time to time the Council may on recommendation from the Fundraising Committee or the Principal, approve selected gifts as eligible for matched funding from School funds or other sources available to the School
• Through Corporate Matching Gift Programs, a Donor’s employer may double a Donor’s personal gift to the School. In such circumstances the matching gift will be combined with the Donor’s personal gift for purposes of recognition, but the employer’s gift will be receipted separately and the employer recognised for the matching contribution

4.10 Workplace Giving

• Gifts will be accepted from staff where there are sufficient controls in place to ensure that the Donor does not control the expenditure of the gift and where the gift does not fund a scholarship or bursary for a member of the donor’s family or associate
• Employees will be able to make a donation to the School via salary deduction arrangements where an effective salary deduction arrangement is in place

4.11 Outsourcing of Fundraising

Any external fundraiser or fundraising company contracted by the School will be bound by the provisions of this policy

5. Related Legislation and Policies

Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 (Cth)
Treasury Laws Amendment (2021 Measures No 2) Act 2021
Naming Opportunity Guidelines