Donation and sponsorship policy
Gift Acceptance and Management
From time to time the London Homeless Coalition may receive financial gifts or gifts in kind from individuals or organizations. All gifts will be directed toward the Steering Committee for appropriate allocation, recognition and reporting.
If the donor indicates that they would prefer their that gift support a particular project or initiative, the Steering Committee will ensure that the gift is allocated as indicated.
If the gift is undirected, the Steering Committee shall determine what to do with the funds.
In all cases, the Steering Committee shall also determine how best to recognize the donor, and advise the Members accordingly at the next General Members’ Meeting.
A receipt for any cash donations will be issued, unless the donor indicates that they do not require one.
Acknowledgement and Recognition
The key purpose of donor recognition is to sincerely show respect for, and appropriate gratitude toward donors and sponsors who support the work of the Coalition. Donors and sponsors should be recognized and thanked in ways that are meaningful to them. The ultimate goal of the following best practices in gift stewardship is to ensure that each donor or sponsor is engaged with the work of the Coalition in a meaningful and ongoing way.
The London Homeless Coalition recognizes and appreciates the generosity of individuals, businesses and organizations that contribute to our activities. Gifts are acknowledged in a manner acceptable to the donor and the Coalition. Donor recognition is based on the level of the gift. The Coalition believes that it is important to recognize the financial and in-kind investments made by all supporters as these contributions demonstrate the importance of these partnerships in the fulfillment of the Coalition’s mission.
Donor recognition shall equitably acknowledge the support of governments, foundations, associations, corporations and private individuals. Individual donors are required to give consent prior to the Coalition publicly recognizing their gifts.
At a certain level, acknowledgement will consider each individual donor’s specific needs and wishes and may include:
- Publication or cross-promotion in the Coalition’s communications (meeting minutes, e-newsletters, website announcements and web pages, social media posts, media releases, print materials).
- Updates or reports on the Coalition’s activities and/or impact.
At the time of donation, donors should be asked if they would like their donation recognized. This opportunity is being offered to donors or sponsors because the London Homeless Coalition is not a registered charity and cannot issue tax receipts for charitable donations.
The London Homeless Coalition will honour donors’ requests to remain anonymous in respect to:
- Being publicly identified as a supporter of the Coalition.
- Having the amount of their contribution publicly disclosed.
If electronic records of donations or sponsorships are kept by the Coalition, the privacy of donor information (names, contact information, donated amounts) shall be kept confidential to the greatest extent possible, as per the Coalition’s Electronic Privacy Policy.
Below are some possible ways of recognizing donors for varying levels of contribution (for financial gifts, or other gifts in kind), to be used as a guideline when recognizing donors.
- Written thank you from the London Homeless Coalition.
- Mention of the gift or sponsorship in meeting minutes, website announcement, e-newsletter, social media post.
- Mention on print materials (posters, brochures, handouts).
- Repeated mention in several communications.
- Cross-promotion of donor events (for organizations and businesses) in coalition communications materials.
- Inclusion on static Coalition web pages for a specified period of time.
Reporting
Donors who are engaged in the work of the coalition may be interested in the impact of their gift, especially if it was significant. As appropriate, and as the Coalition’s capacity allows, the Coalition will update donors and sponsors on the activities of the Coalition and the results of initiatives to which the donor or sponsor has contributed.