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  • 1.  Standard Corporate Gift Agreements

    Posted 11-02-2022 06:51 AM
    Good morning, 

    I am doing some research in Corporate Foundations and Relations agreements.

    Would anyone be willing to share the following:
    • Corporate Foundation and Relations (CFR) Templated Gift Agreement 
    • CFR Letter Templates
    • CFR Gift Agreement Review process 
    • CFR Review Manuals 
    • Any CFR gift agreement resources 


    ------------------------------
    Sarah Thomas
    Director Donor Services
    NC State University
    srthoma3@ncsu.edu
    ------------------------------


  • 2.  RE: Standard Corporate Gift Agreements

    Posted 11-02-2022 10:14 AM

    This question strikes me as odd because we usually don't have a foundation GA, we have a foundation award agreement that is the foundation's template, not ours. Thus, it lives outside our normal GA template process.

     

     

    Aaron Forrest CPA

    Senior Director Gift and Donor Services

    University of Rochester Office of Advancement

    585.275.2799 | aaron.forrest@rochester.edu

     




    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Standard Corporate Gift Agreements

    Posted 11-02-2022 12:09 PM
    Aaron,

    Yes, you are correct. We are having more and more foundations and corporations give us their agreement or award letter. The terms and conditions in these agreements are becoming harder to accept (aka- Return of funds, no overhead, donor control, other state laws, benefits, and etc.), but they want a tax exception as well. 

    We would like to produce a templated agreement as a choice. We are also trying to flip the script a little bit. We are going and forth, and we want to reduce that. 




    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Standard Corporate Gift Agreements

    Posted 11-02-2022 04:05 PM

    Telling a charitable foundation you don't like their terms doesn't sound like a great idea to me.

     

     

    Aaron Forrest CPA

    Senior Director Gift and Donor Services

    University of Rochester Office of Advancement

    585.275.2799 | aaron.forrest@rochester.edu

     




    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Standard Corporate Gift Agreements

    Posted 11-02-2022 04:09 PM
    Aaron, 

    This would mostly be for corporations and not for foundations. Most foundation agreements are pretty simple. We have started to do this with sponsorships and I have been told it is working well. 




    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Standard Corporate Gift Agreements

    Posted 11-02-2022 04:19 PM

    We often have foundations and corporations ask for no overhead or special reporting, and we accommodate. If they say something super whacky, we send it to Legal for review.

     

     

    Aaron Forrest CPA

    Senior Director Gift and Donor Services

    University of Rochester Office of Advancement

    585.275.2799 | aaron.forrest@rochester.edu

     




    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Standard Corporate Gift Agreements

    Posted 11-02-2022 04:34 PM
    I say grin and bear it.  Fighting corporate counsel on their grant agreements is not worth it.  Most of these conditions are manageable.  However, if they retain control or ownership then they aren't gifts at all but are contracts.

    Most of what you mention for conditions are "normal" with sponsored research grants.  For those, it's not Advancement that has to honor the conditions but Sponsored Programs.  If they are willing to live with them that is their call!

    However, if there is an agreement that includes something more arduous than what's mentioned, I would let the gift acceptance committee make the call.

    But, if you want a template, find an agreement from a major funder that you like - and with terms you live with.  If you need to push back on occasion, you could say, "Here's the sort of language we use with the Gates Foundation.  Will that work for you?"

    John


    John H. Taylor
    Principal
    John H. Taylor Consulting, LLC
    2604 Sevier St.
    Durham, NC   27705
    919.816.5903 (cell/text)

    Serving the Advancement Community Since 1987





    Original Message


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