Gift Acceptance Policy Template

Organization Name: [Organization Name]
Document Title: Gift Acceptance Policy
Effective Date: [Date]
Version: [Version Number]
Policy Owner: [Department / Role]

1. Purpose

The purpose of this Gift Acceptance Policy is to establish clear standards for the review, acceptance, acknowledgment, administration, and, where appropriate, disposition of gifts made to [Organization Name].

This Policy is intended to support charitable giving that advances the mission of the Organization while helping the Organization manage legal, financial, administrative, ethical, and reputational considerations connected to proposed gifts.

2. Scope

This Policy applies to all charitable gifts, donations, contributions, and transfers offered to [Organization Name], including:

[cash gifts]
[check and electronic gifts]
[publicly traded securities]
[real estate]
[tangible personal property]
[closely held business interests]
[planned gifts]
[bequests and beneficiary designations]
[cryptocurrency or digital assets]
[other noncash gifts]

This Policy applies to gifts solicited by or offered to the Organization through staff, board members, volunteers, agents, campaigns, or related fundraising activities.

3. General Principles

The Organization may accept only those gifts that are consistent with its charitable mission, legal status, governing documents, and administrative capacity.

The Organization reserves the right to decline any gift that, in the judgment of the Organization:

is inconsistent with its mission or values;
creates an unreasonable financial, legal, tax, environmental, or reputational risk;
imposes restrictions the Organization cannot honor;
would be impractical or too costly to administer, maintain, or liquidate;
would create an actual or potential conflict of interest or other material concern.

No person acting on behalf of the Organization may bind the Organization to accept a gift unless authorized under this Policy or other written approval procedures.

4. Authority to Accept Gifts

The following gifts may be accepted in the ordinary course by authorized staff, subject to this Policy:

☐ unrestricted cash gifts
☐ checks and standard electronic transfers
☐ publicly traded securities transferred through normal brokerage procedures
☐ routine online donations
☐ other standard gifts as approved by [Department / Role]

The following gifts require additional review and approval by [Gift Acceptance Committee / Executive Director / Finance Officer / Board / Other]:

☐ restricted gifts
☐ gifts with naming conditions
☐ gifts of real estate
☐ closely held stock or partnership interests
☐ gifts of tangible personal property of unusual value or storage burden
☐ gifts involving significant ongoing obligations
☐ gifts that may create tax, legal, environmental, or compliance issues
☐ deferred gifts, split-interest gifts, or other planned gifts
☐ other gifts identified by the Organization as non-routine

Approval authority shall be handled as follows:

[Insert approval matrix or internal approval process]

5. Types of Gifts Generally Accepted

Subject to this Policy and any required review, the Organization may generally accept the following:

[unrestricted cash contributions]
[credit card or electronic donations]
[publicly traded securities]
[donor-advised fund grants]
[matching gifts]
[charitable bequests]
[retirement plan or life insurance beneficiary designations]
[other ordinary gifts]

The Organization may accept restricted gifts only if the restrictions are lawful, practical, mission-consistent, and approved under this Policy.

6. Gifts Requiring Special Review

The following proposed gifts require case-by-case evaluation before acceptance:

[real estate]
[closely held business interests]
[intellectual property]
[vehicles, equipment, or other titled property]
[collections, artwork, or memorabilia]
[gifts subject to debt or liabilities]
[gifts requiring environmental review]
[gifts with unusual donor conditions]
[cryptocurrency or other digital assets]
[other nonstandard assets]

In reviewing these gifts, the Organization may consider:

estimated fair market value;
carrying costs and liquidity;
marketability and resale limitations;
environmental or title issues;
insurance, storage, and maintenance burdens;
appraisal, due diligence, and transfer costs;
whether the Organization intends to retain or sell the asset;
any other legal or operational concern.

7. Restricted Gifts

The Organization may accept gifts restricted to a specific program, fund, purpose, or project only if the restriction:

supports the Organization’s mission;
can be administered practically and legally;
does not create excessive financial or operational burden;
does not improperly limit the Organization’s governance or discretion beyond what the Organization is willing to accept.

Restricted gift terms shall be documented in writing when appropriate.

If a proposed restriction is unclear, impractical, impossible, unlawful, or no longer workable, the Organization may:

☐ decline the gift
☐ request revised terms
☐ accept the gift subject to a separate written gift agreement
☐ handle modification as allowed by law and governing documents
☐ other: [Describe]

8. Noncash Gift Review

Before accepting a noncash gift, the Organization may require information or documentation such as:

[asset description]
[estimated value]
[proof of ownership]
[title documents]
[environmental reports]
[independent appraisal]
[tax or legal background information]
[photographs or inventories]
[transfer documents]
[other supporting materials]

The Organization may obtain legal, accounting, environmental, appraisal, brokerage, valuation, or other professional review before accepting a noncash gift.

Unless otherwise agreed in writing, costs of donor-side appraisals, tax advice, or documentation remain the donor’s responsibility.

9. Real Estate Gifts

Proposed gifts of real estate may be accepted only after review of factors such as:

marketability;
title status;
mortgages, liens, easements, or encumbrances;
environmental condition;
insurance and maintenance obligations;
holding costs;
zoning or use restrictions;
potential sale or liquidation timing.

The Organization may require:

☐ title review
☐ environmental assessment
☐ appraisal
☐ survey
☐ proof of ownership
☐ board or committee approval
☐ other due diligence: [Describe]

10. Securities and Business Interests

The Organization may accept publicly traded securities and may generally liquidate them at a time determined by the Organization unless otherwise required by law or written agreement.

Closely held stock, LLC interests, partnership interests, or other private business interests shall be reviewed for:

transfer restrictions;
valuation difficulty;
minority-interest issues;
buy-sell agreements;
unrelated business income tax concerns;
potential liabilities or capital calls;
governance rights or obligations;
exit and liquidation issues.

11. Tangible Personal Property

The Organization may accept gifts of tangible personal property if the item is useful to the Organization, can be sold or used without unreasonable burden, and does not create significant storage, transport, insurance, maintenance, or legal issues.

The Organization may decline items that:

are difficult to value or store;
require excessive repair or handling;
create safety or compliance risk;
cannot be used or sold reasonably;
carry title defects or uncertain ownership history.

12. Planned Gifts and Deferred Gifts

The Organization may accept planned or deferred gifts such as:

☐ bequests
☐ beneficiary designations
☐ charitable trusts, if approved
☐ charitable gift annuities, if permitted
☐ life insurance interests
☐ retirement plan designations
☐ other planned gifts: [Describe]

Any planned gift that creates a contractual, actuarial, tax, or long-term administrative obligation shall require review by authorized leadership and, where needed, legal or financial advisors.

13. Cryptocurrency and Digital Assets

The Organization may accept cryptocurrency or other digital assets only under procedures approved by the Organization.

Review considerations may include:

wallet custody and control;
valuation and volatility;
liquidation timing;
platform and transfer security;
compliance and accounting treatment;
whether the asset will be held or sold promptly.

Additional digital-asset terms:

[Insert details]

14. Donor Intent and Donor Relations

The Organization will make reasonable efforts to honor donor intent as documented in accepted gift instruments, correspondence, or separate gift agreements.

At the same time, no gift may be accepted if it would:

improperly limit the Organization’s governance;
require unlawful conduct;
create private benefit or impermissible donor control;
obligate the Organization beyond what it has knowingly approved.

Staff and representatives of the Organization shall not provide legal, tax, or financial advice to donors unless separately authorized to do so in writing. Donors should be encouraged to seek independent professional advice regarding the charitable, tax, and estate consequences of any proposed gift.

15. Valuation and Tax Reporting

The Organization may acknowledge receipt of a gift but does not, unless required by law or expressly authorized, determine the donor’s tax deduction value.

For noncash gifts, the Organization may describe the donated property in the acknowledgment but generally should not assign a value unless specifically required for internal, legal, or reporting purposes.

If tax forms, acknowledgments, or related documents require completion by the Organization, they shall be handled by:

[Finance Department / Development Office / Authorized Signer / Other]

16. Acknowledgments and Disclosure Statements

The Organization shall provide gift acknowledgments and disclosure statements as required by law and internal procedure.

Acknowledgment practices may include:

written acknowledgment for qualifying gifts;
statements describing whether goods or services were provided;
quid pro quo disclosure language where required;
internal tracking of major gifts and noncash gifts;
other donor stewardship communications.

Additional acknowledgment procedures:

[Insert details]

17. Ethical Standards and Conflicts

Persons involved in gift solicitation, review, acceptance, or administration must act in the best interests of the Organization and avoid actual or apparent conflicts of interest.

No gift may be accepted if it is conditioned on improper personal benefit, undisclosed compensation, unlawful influence, or other conduct inconsistent with the Organization’s ethics policies.

Any potential conflict of interest shall be disclosed and handled according to the Organization’s conflict-of-interest policy and related procedures.

18. Naming Opportunities and Gift Agreements

If a gift includes naming rights, special recognition, endowment terms, installment terms, or significant donor restrictions, those terms should be documented in a separate written gift agreement when appropriate.

Any naming arrangement shall be subject to:

☐ separate naming policy
☐ board approval
☐ campaign guidelines
☐ revocation terms if conditions are not met
☐ other: [Describe]

19. Use of Professional Advisors

The Organization may consult legal counsel, accountants, appraisers, environmental professionals, investment professionals, or other advisors whenever a proposed gift presents legal, tax, valuation, risk, or compliance issues.

The Organization may condition acceptance of a gift on completion of such review.

20. Administration of Accepted Gifts

After a gift is accepted, the Organization shall administer the gift according to:

this Policy;
any approved gift agreement;
applicable law;
financial controls and accounting procedures;
board-approved spending, investment, or fund-administration rules.

Unless a separate agreement states otherwise, the Organization may determine when and how to liquidate accepted noncash assets.

21. Confidentiality and Donor Privacy

The Organization will handle donor information in accordance with applicable privacy practices, donor confidentiality standards, and internal recordkeeping procedures.

The Organization may disclose donor information only as required by law, for internal administration, for audit or tax compliance, or as otherwise authorized by the donor or the Organization’s policies.

22. Review and Amendment of Policy

This Policy shall be reviewed:

☐ annually
☐ every [Number] years
☐ after significant legal or fundraising changes
☐ as directed by the board or management
☐ other: [Describe]

The Organization may revise this Policy at any time through the approval process described below:

[Insert approval procedure]

23. Approval

Approved By: __________________________
Name: [Full Name]
Title: [Title]
Date: [Date]

Board or Committee Approval, if applicable:

Approved By: __________________________
Name: [Full Name]
Title: [Title]
Date: [Date]