Policies and Procedures

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 adhere to the Association of Fundraising Professionals‘ Donor Bill of Rights and E-donor Bill of Rights. We are also committed to safeguarding contributor privacy, and we operate under the set of privacy principles outlined in our Privacy Statement.

Donor Bill of Rights

The Brooklyn College Foundation adheres to the Association of Fundraising Professionals‘ Donor Bill of Rights, which states that all donors have the right to:

• Be informed of the organization’s mission, and of both the way the organization intends to use donated resources and its capacity to use donations effectively for their intended purposes.
• 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.
• Have access to the organization’s most recent financial statements.
• Be assured their gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given.
• Receive appropriate acknowledgment and recognition.
• Be assured that information about their donation is handled with respect and with confidentiality to the extent provided by law.
• Expect that all relationships with individuals representing organizations of interest to the donor will be professional in nature.
• Be informed whether those seeking donations are volunteers, employees of the organization or hired solicitors.
• Have the opportunity for their names to be deleted from mailing lists that an organization may intend to share.
• Feel free to ask questions when making a donation and to receive prompt, truthful and forthright answers.

E-donor Bill of Rights

The E-donor Bill of Rights is intended to complement the longstanding Donor Bill of Rights of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and provide further and more detailed guidance for online giving. In addition to the rights outlined in the Donor Bill of Rights, online donors should demand of their solicitors:

• To be clearly and immediately informed of the organization’s name, identity, nonprofit or for-profit status, mission and purpose when first accessing the organization’s website.
• To have easy and clear access to contact information other than through the website or e-mail.
• To be assured that all third-party logos, trademarks, trustmarks and other identifying, sponsoring and/or endorsing symbols displayed on the website are accurate, justified, up-to-date and clearly explained.
• To be informed of whether or not a contribution entitles the donor to a tax deduction and of all limits on such deduction based on applicable laws.
• To be assured that all online transactions and contributions occur through a safe, private and secure system that protects the donor’s personal information.
• To be clearly informed if a contribution goes directly to the intended charity or is held by or transferred through a third party.
• To have easy and clear access to an organization’s privacy policy posted on its website and be clearly and unambiguously informed about what information an organization is gathering about the donor and how that information will be used.
• To be clearly informed of opportunities to opt out of data lists that are sold, shared, rented or transferred to other organizations.
• To not receive unsolicited communications or solicitations unless the donor has “opted in” to receive such materials.

Privacy Statement

The Brooklyn College Foundation (BCF) operates under the following set of privacy principles:

• The only information the BCF obtains about online contributors or individual visitors to its website is that which is supplied voluntarily by contributors or visitors.
• In case the BCF may need personal information to provide visitors with customized content or to inform them about new features or services, visitors are explicitly asked for that information.
• Personally identifiable information provided by visitors (e.g., name, e-mail, home address, etc.) will not be disclosed to any other party. If, at any time, the BCF believes it would be to the benefit of site visitors and contributors to share information with other organizations, visitors will be explicitly asked for permission to do so.
• Brooklyn College Foundation Online is not designed for use by children, nor does the website seek to collect information on children who may visit the site.
• The BCF employs strict security measures to safeguard all online financial transactions. A secure server hosts files and forms that are used to complete transactions. Personal contributor information is stored in a secure database, and any data sent to third parties to complete a transaction are encrypted using Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology. To ensure the privacy of contributors, the BCF does not store credit card information.

General Information About All Users

To determine the number of visitors to our website and the most- and least-visited pages on the site, the Brooklyn College Foundation gathers statistical information on a monthly basis to understand how the public is using the site. These statistical reports do not contain any personal information about visitors to the site.

Personal Information About You

We may ask you for such personal information as your e-mail address so that we can provide news and information that you have elected to receive about such opportunities as promotions or contests or general information updates, for example. Information collected by the BCF is not shared with any other party. The foundation may use this information, however, to notify you by e-mail of additions to the website or coming events, or to convey other important information.

Corrections to Your Information

You may notify the Brooklyn College Foundation of changes in your personal information (e.g., mailing address, e-mail address, etc.) by the following means:

• E-mail us any changes in your contact information.
• Call the foundation office at 718.951.5074.
• Write to:
  The Brooklyn College Foundation, Inc.
  2900 Bedford Avenue
  Brooklyn, NY 11210-2889

Surveys

Our online survey asks for demographic information about visitors to the Brooklyn College Foundation website. The foundation tracks responses in order to improve your experience on the site. Visitors who complete the survey are not required to identify themselves or provide contact information.

External Links

In order to provide visitors with convenient access to additional information, the Brooklyn College Foundation offers links to various third-party websites. The foundation exercises no authority over linked sites, each of which maintains independent privacy and data collection policies and procedures. The foundation assumes no responsibility or liability for these independent websites.

E-mail Updates

Recipients of e-mail communications may elect to remove themselves from mailing lists by following the directions provided at the bottom of each e-mail.
If these directions are unclear, visitors may also use the following means to unsubscribe from Brooklyn College Foundation e-mail updates:

• E-mail us.
• Call the foundation office at 718.951.5074.
• Write to:
  The Brooklyn College Foundation, Inc.
  2900 Bedford Avenue
  Brooklyn, NY 11210-2889

Solicitation Disclosures

State Nonprofit Disclosures

Certain states require written disclosures for nonprofit organizations soliciting contributions. Individual state disclosures are below.

Florida: A copy of the official registration and financial information may be obtained from the Division of Consumer Services by calling toll-free, within the state, 800.435.7352 (800.HELP.FLA), or visiting the Florida Consumer Services website. Registration does not imply endorsement, approval, or recommendation by the state. Florida Registration #CH34396.

Maryland: For the cost of copies and postage, from the Office of the Secretary of State, State House, Annapolis, MD 21401.

Nevada: Contributions may be tax deductible pursuant to the provisions of Sec. 170(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, 26 U.S.C. ¤170(c).

New Jersey:: Information filed with the attorney general concerning this charitable solicitation and the percentage of contributions received by the charity during the last reporting period that were dedicated to the charitable purpose may be obtained from the attorney general of the state of New Jersey by calling 973.504.6215 and is available online. Registration with the attorney general does not imply endorsement.

New York: Upon request, from the Attorney General Charities Bureau, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271.

North Carolina: Financial information about this organization and a copy of its license are available from the State Solicitation Licensing Branch at 919.814.5400. The license is not an endorsement by the state.

Pennsylvania: The official registration and financial information of Brooklyn College Foundation, Inc. may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll-free, within Pennsylvania, 800.732.0999.

Virginia: From the State Office of Consumer Affairs in the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Affairs, P.O. Box 1163, Richmond, VA 23218.

Washington: From the Secretary of State at 800.332.4483 or online.

West Virginia: West Virginia residents may obtain a summary of the registration and financial documents from the Secretary of State, State Capitol, Charleston, WV 25305.

Wisconsin: A financial statement of the charitable organization disclosing assets, liabilities, fund balances, revenue, and expenses for the preceding fiscal year will be provided to any person upon request.

Registration with a state agency does not constitute or imply endorsement, approval, or recommendation by that state.

More information about charity disclosure statements and nonprofit state registrations.