Fact Sheet

The Philanthropic Community’s Position on Donor Intent:

All donors have the right “To be assured their gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given.”

– from the Donor Bill of Rights

The “Donor Bill of Rights” – a statement of principle governing nonprofit fundraising and management – was created and adopted by the American Association of Fund Raising Counsel, Association for Healthcare Philanthropy, the Association of Fundraising Professionals, and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. The statement of donor rights also has been adopted and endorsed by numerous other fundraising-related organizations and associations, including Independent Sector, National Catholic Development Conference, National Committee on Planned Giving, National Council for Resource Development, Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers, and United Way of America and by hundreds of individual charities, universities, and non-profit organizations.

The “Donor Bill of Rights” states:

Philanthropy is based on voluntary action for the common good. It is a tradition of giving and sharing that is primary to the quality of life. To ensure that philanthropy merits the respect and trust of the general public, and that donors and prospective donors can have full confidence in the nonprofit organizations and causes they are asked to support, we declare that all donors have these rights:

I.          To be informed of the organization’s mission, of the way the organization intends to use donated resources, and of its capacity to use donations effectively for their intended purposes.
II.         To be informed of the identity of those serving on the organization’s governing board, and to expect the board to exercise prudent judgment in its stewardship responsibilities.
III.       To have access to the organization’s most recent financial statements.
IV.       To be assured their gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given.
V-IX.      (These items deal with donor recognition, confidentiality, professionalism.)
X.         To feel free to ask questions when making a donation and to receive prompt, truthful and forthright answers.

Among the many colleges and universities that publicly embrace the Donor Bill of Rights are the University of Alaska, Arizona State University, Auburn University, Austin Peay State University, Bowling Green State University, University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), California State University – Northridge, Carnegie Mellon University, The Citadel, Colby College, DePaul University, East Tennessee State University, Eastern Washington University, Florida State University, Gettysburg College, University of Houston, Holy Cross, Indiana University, Iowa State University, Lehigh University, Lewis & Clark College, University of Maine, University of Massachusetts, University of Missouri, Michigan State University, University of Nebraska – Omaha, University of Nevada, New Mexico State University, State University of New York (SUNY)-Buffalo, Ohio State University, Purdue University, Rensselaer Polytechnic University, Southern Methodist University, Texas Southern University, Texas Tech University, University of Vermont, Wabash College and the University of Wisconsin. Princeton apparently does not.