Faculty Handbook

10.7 DEVELOPMENT POLICY

Revised April 1997

1.  Purpose

Increasing the academic and programmatic strength of the University of Houston-Clear Lake by attracting resources and funds from private sources is a major institutional objective. To accomplish this successfully, all development efforts of the University must be well coordinated. At the University of Houston-Clear Lake, the Office of the President is responsible for coordinating all solicitation efforts by University personnel for funding from private sources. These sources include corporations, businesses, associations, foundations, and individuals. Institution-wide development efforts are initiated and coordinated by the Office of Development and Alumni Relations under the direction of the Office of the President. The University of Houston System through the Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement serves as the central coordinating point for solicitation and administration of contributions from all campuses comprising the System. Therefore, development efforts (solicitations and gift income reporting procedures) must conform to the requirements of the University of Houston System. The President must approve all private fund-raising plans prior to any solicitation effort. The President has delegated day-to-day responsibilities for the application and approval process to the Office of Development and Alumni Relations which has the prime responsibility within the President's office for managing the overall development efforts of the University. Efforts requiring substantial assistance must be submitted for approval by the President's office through the Office of Development and Alumni Relations. Prior to its submission they must be approved by the appropriate Vice President or Dean. Priorities within their respective areas of responsibility must also be approved by the appropriate Vice President or Dean.

2. Responsibilities of Key Offices

Responsibilities of the various components of the University of Houston System and the University of Houston-Clear Lake on matters of Institutional Advancement are as follows:

2.1 UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON SYSTEM

The University of Houston System through the Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Institutional Advancement serves as the central coordinating point for the solicitation and coordination of contributions and gifts from all University of Houston campuses comprising the System. Within the Vice Chancellor's office, the Office of Gift Records has the primary function of recording all gifts from private sources, both restricted and unrestricted, and maintaining current files on all donors and pertinent information about them. This office is also responsible for issuing official receipts for all gifts, processing matching gifts and preparing the gift reports for the Board of Regents.

2.2 OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, UH-CLEAR LAKE

The Office of the President has the ultimate responsibility for direction and coordination of solicitation efforts for contributions from private sources for all personnel employed by the University of Houston-Clear Lake. To this end, the President as designated the Office of Development and Alumni Relations which is part of the Office of the President, as the central coordinating mechanism for University-wide development efforts. This includes the responsibility of reporting all UH-Clear Lake contributions and gifts to the University of Houston System, which in turn prepares reports to be presented to the Board of Regents and other appropriate University personnel.

2.3 OFFICE OF DEVELOPMENT AND ALUMNI RELATIONS

The Office of Development and Alumni Relations is designated by the President to coordinate all University development activity with private sources. The Office of Development and Alumni Relations will keep records of all transactions and related correspondence regarding the development efforts of the University. The Executive Director of Development is the initial point of contact for all inquiries for members of the University's faculty and staff. The development functions of this office are as follows:

2.3.1 Create and implement institution-wide development efforts.

2.3.2 Serve as a coordinating point for all development efforts of the University of Houston-Clear Lake.

2.3.3 Serve as a reporting mechanism to the University of Houston System Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement and the UH-Clear Lake's Vice President for Administration and Finance.

2.3.4 Provide solicitation expertise to development efforts approved by the President.

2.3.5 Serve as an information resource base regarding gifts/contributions, donor profiles, and related topics.

2.3.6 Develop procedures to implement the University's development policy.

2.4 OFFICE OF VICE PRESIDENT FOR ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE

The Office of the Vice President for Administration and Finance at the University of Houston-Clear Lake has the fiduciary responsibility regarding all contributions/gifts to the University. All contributions/gifts received and reported to the Office of Development and Alumni Relations will be transferred with the appropriate paperwork to the University of Houston System for processing and deposit unless otherwise designated. All gifts-in-kind that involve future expenditures for upkeep, maintenance, or installation must be approved by the Vice President for administration and Finance prior to their acceptance.

3. Contributions Policy

In order to facilitate a comprehensive and coordinated approach to development efforts of the University of Houston-Clear Lake, as well as fulfill the reporting requirements of the University of Houston System, the University personnel must adhere to the following guidelines. For the purpose of this policy statement, gifts/contributions are to be defined as a voluntary transfer of real or personal property without compensation. All gifts to the University of Houston-Clear Lake (restricted and unrestricted cash, checks, securities, gifts-in-kind, grants, scholarships, endowments, alumni association gifts, tax deductible organization memberships, and all other forms not herein described from any school/program or entity) are to be reported to the Office of Development and Alumni Relations in accordance with the following guidelines:

3.1 All development plans of the University must be approved, prior to their implementation, by the President and all development plans, prior to their submission to the President must be approved by the appropriate Vice President or Dean.

3.2 University personnel shall deliver to the Office of Development and Alumni Relations all information regarding contributions, checks, accompanying letters, restrictions, donor information, and any other pertinent data derived from fund-raising activity, after the President's approval of the basic plan.

3.3 Should the contribution be a matchable gift, the school, program or office receiving the gift must remit to the Office of Development and Alumni Relations the original check and the completed original matching gift form as supplied by the donor.

3.4 All offers of gifts-in-kind especially those which may involve future expenditures for upkeep, maintenance, installation and so forth must be approved prior to their acceptance by the appropriate supervisor and the Vice President for Administration and Finance. The burden of determining the value of these gifts for tax purposes devolves on the donor.

3.5 All gifts designated for the University of Houston-Clear Lake Alumni Association or function thereof shall be delivered directly to the Office of Alumni Relations. All related correspondence, donor information, and completed matching gift form (if a matchable gift) must accompany the original gift for deposit.

3.6 All gifts of securities shall be delivered to the Office of Development and Alumni Relations immediately or not later than the business day following their receipt. Additional information required for the processing of these gifts includes permission to sell stock or statement as to retention, the desired use of the proceeds (if restricted), and proper signature on stock certificates.

3.7 A special fund shall be established within the Office of the President to receive all unrestricted gifts to be reallocated at the President's discretion to the appropriate subunit receiving the gift and for other University projects.

3.8 All plans for deferred giving must be approved by the President prior to their acceptance.

4. Acknowledgement Letters

The following are guidelines for acknowledging gifts:

4.1 The Office of Development and Alumni Relations shall coordinate acknowledgment of all gifts.

4.2 The administrative subunit receiving the gift shall acknowledge its receipt and send a copy of the correspondence to appropriate officials within respective components and the Office of Development and Alumni Relations.

4.3 Other entities which benefit from a particular gift shall also make an acknowledgment and forward a copy to the Office of Development and Alumni Relations.

4.4 The President shall acknowledge all gifts valued at $1,000.00 or more. The President shall entertain special requests for letters of acknowledgment for gifts below $100.00 in value.

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