Objectives
- To maximize the gift potential of Tulane University and to increase the probability of getting the largest possible gift from the prospect
- To prevent multiple solicitations of a person or organization that could be unwelcome to the donor, counterproductive, and perhaps embarrassing for the university
- To control access to the members of the Board of Administrators and other people or organizations who have advised us of their wish to restrict solicitations or contacts
- To promote an environment in which information is shared among all interested parties, and solicitation strategies are developed with a sense of the donor's multiple interests
Special Rules for Board Members, the President's Solicitation List, and Others Restricting Access
- All solicitations above $5,000 of members of the Board of Administrators (including emeritus administrators), or the president's solicitations list, must be cleared by the vice president for Institutional Advancement. The vice president for Institutional Advancement will maintain communication with the assigned development officer on all activity so there is a free flow of information in both directions.
- If a school or unit wishes to invite a member of the board or emeritus board or the president's solicitation list to serve on a council, this must be cleared by the vice president before the invitation is extended. If such a person is on a dean's council or other volunteer committee, the person administering this committee may freely contact this person about normal business of the committee, but any solicitations above $5,000 must first be cleared by the vice president; the vice president for Institutional Advancement will maintain communication with the assigned development officer on all activity so there is a free flow of information in both directions.
- If any person or organization has informed Tulane that they wish to restrict access (for solicitation or even contact), this request is to be strictly honored. If this person or organization has designated a sole contact, that request is to be consistently adhered to. Millennium will reflect that the person or organization has requested restricted access. This list of those restricting access should be reviewed annually.
General Policy for Gift Solicitation Clearance
- Cultivation: Any faculty or staff member may cultivate any individual, corporation, or foundation or any other organization for any purpose (note exceptions in Special Rules Section), in consultation with their school's dean and development officer
- Solicitations under $5,000:
--Corporations and Foundations and Other Organizations: For solicitation of $5,000 and under, the policy is to be very open. All faculty and staff are encouraged, with the approval of their dean or budget head, to solicit funds from corporations and foundations for gifts up to $5,000. The assistant vice president for program development and planned giving (or, for the health sciences center, the director of corporate and foundation relations) and the appropriate development officer should be notified in advance of the solicitation
--Individuals: Faculty and staff, with the approval of their dean or budget head, and the director of major gifts, are encouraged to seek gifts under $5,000. The appropriate school development officer should be notified in advance of the solicitation. - Solicitations over $5,000:
The vice president of Institutional Advancement and the assigned development officer must approve the solicitation. The Prospect Evaluation and Review Committee (PERC) that reviews and analyzes prospects and assigns managers will continue to involve development representatives from all units and will be used as a gool for effective clearance. This committee meets monthly, chaired by the director of development research. Clearance to solicit is good for six months, after which time the clearance is to be reviewed by the PERC committee in a quarterly prospect review meeting.
- Millennium will reflect clearance of prospects; any restriction of access to this information will be determined by the vice president and the prospect evaluation review committee (for example, perhaps solicitation strategies will be accessible only to development officers).
- A copy of this development clearance policy will be maintained on the university's Office of Research website, with access to faculty and staff. The approval form is also available on the website.
- Mass solicitations by mail to prospect groups will be posted on Millennium on the Millennium listserver (with the appropriate school development officer responsible for putting their mailings on the listserver).
- Prospect assignment to a manager does not exclude solicitation by the Annual Fund unless they are specifically excluded by name by the school development officer; such an exclusion list is to be reviewed at the start of each fiscal year and will be noted on Millennium.
- Newly Identified Prospects
New names will be initially assigned to the person requesting to be prospect manager. Development Research will present the names with preliminary research (Millennium-produced bio) at the next major gifts staff meeting for review. Without a challenge, the initial prospect manager assignment stands.
- Multiple Prospect Managers
Only one prospect manager will be assigned on Millennium for a single prospective donor.
- Challenges to Clearance Requests
A meeting of interested development officers presided over by the vice president for Institutional Advancement will be hald quarterly to review overlapping requests for clearance. After negotiation resolves many of these overlaps, the remaining conflicts concerning $1 million + prospects or board members will be taken to the president for the final decision as to clearance or joint clearance. The provose or the senior vice president for health sciences are consulted prior to discussion with the president, as appropriate. For solicitations below the million-dollar level, the vice president for Institutional Advancement will be the final adjudicator of conflicts.
For more information, please contact the Office of Development.
