Donations Policy

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Approved May 2003, Updated February 2010

Premise

St. Lawrence University is a non-profit institution of higher education. Its revenues derive primarily from tuition and fee payments from its students’ families and from gifts donated by alumni, parents and friends. Students and their families, as well as benefactors of the University, expect that their payments and gifts will be used to affect directly the quality of educational programming offered to students. Therefore, in general the University does not make charitable gifts to other organizations and does not, in return, solicit other charities seeking gifts to St. Lawrence.

Practice

Monetary donations: Consistent with the premise stated above, almost all requests for monetary support will be declined. These requests should be sent to the Vice President for Community and Employee Relations, who responds in a prompt and consistent manner after consulting with the President and members of the President’s senior staff.

In-kind services: Each vice president or dean has the discretion to respond positively to requests for in-kind services, up to $500 each year. However, individual requests that would equal $200 or more in value should be sent to the VP for Community and Employee Relations, who will consult with the President, respond accordingly, tracking the responses.

Special Projects

However, some requests for larger charitable gifts from the University merit further conversation. On occasion, requests for support of special projects from organizations deemed essential for the University’s well-being, or essential to the health and welfare of the University’s students or employees, can be considered by the University’s staff.

Criteria to be considered:

  • Number of students and/or employees affected by the program.
  • Location of the program, with programs in Canton (town and village environs) and programs closer to Canton as a priority.
  • Uniqueness of service—is it or can it be replicated on campus, within the regional service area?
  • Pre-existence of relationship between the University and the program, with mutuality of benefit as primary consideration.
  • Critical nature of St. Lawrence’s participation in the fundraising program.

Requests of this nature should first be discussed with the President, and if appropriate, shared with the President’s senior staff, with as much information on the criteria cited above as possible. Gift requests that remain compelling should be forwarded to the Chair and Vice Chair(s) of the Board of Trustees, who themselves may elect to present a prospective gift to the full Board of Trustees.