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 assure that philanthropy merits the respect and trust of the general public, and that donors and prospective donors can have full confidence in the not-for-profit organizations and causes they are asked to support, we declare that all donors have these rights:

I. To be informed of the organization’s mission, of the way the organization intends to use donated resources, and of its capacity to use donations effectively for their intended purposes.

II. To 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.

III. To have access to the organization’s most recent financial statements.

IV. To be assured their gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given.

V. To receive appropriate acknowledgement and recognition.

VI. To be assured that information about their donation is handled with respect and with confidentiality to the extent provided by law.

VII. To expect that all relationships with individuals representing organizations of interest to the donor will be professional in nature.

VIII. To be informed whether those seeking donations are volunteers, employees of the organization or hired solicitors.

IX. To have the opportunity for their names to be deleted from mailing lists that an organization may intend to share.

X. To feel free to ask questions when making a donation and to receive prompt, truthful and forthright answers.

The Donor Bill of Rights was created by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP), the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), and the Giving Institute: Leading Consultants to Non-Profits. It has been endorsed by numerous organizations.

Reprinted with permission from the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

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Our Commitment

The Markham Stouffville Hospital Foundation (“the Foundation”) is committed to protecting the privacy of our donors, employees and other stakeholders. We value the trust of those we work with and thereby commit to adhering to, and exceeding, where possible, the principles of the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (“PIPEDA”) to ensure the appropriate protection of all personal information shared with us in any format.

In order to raise funds and awareness to provide revenue for equipment, capital expansion, education and other needs as determined by the Markham Stouffville Hospital, the Foundation gathers and uses personal information. All personal information is held in strict confidence, and any use of a person’s information is subject to his or her prior consent and is only used for the purposes for which it was obtained.

Personal Information

Personal information is defined as any information that can distinguish, identify or contact a specific individual. This information can include an individual’s name, contact information, social status, opinions and relationships.

The exception to this is business related information such as business address, name, title, phone number and certain publicly available information which can be used for purposes for which the information was made public.

Privacy Practices

The Foundation has implemented safeguards to ensure that all personal information is never compromised. Access to personal information is only granted to employees who must use the information to perform their job/s and can only be used for the reason for which it was obtained. Measures are in place to ensure the integrity, accuracy and security of our information including the signing of confidentiality agreements by all Foundation staff, directors and third parties authorized to use personal information on the Foundation’s behalf.

The Foundation collects, uses and discloses personal information only for purposes that a reasonable person would consider appropriate. Donors are regularly given opportunities to determine how often and in what way they wish to be contacted by us. At any time, a donor can opt out of receiving information and can change his or her mailing options. The Foundation will never trade, sell, lease or share personal information with another person, entity or organization for purposes beyond those for which it was collected.

A comprehensive document outlining all of the Foundation’s privacy practices is available upon request.

Privacy Policy Updates

The Foundation regularly reviews its privacy practices and will revise this policy and other documentation as required to reflect any resulting changes.

We are accountable to you

We are committed to maintaining the highest standards of transparency and being fully accountable to you, our donors.

We recognize that each of our employees, as well as every member on our Board of Directors plays an important role in achieving this goal. As such, we have adopted a comprehensive Whistleblower Policy.

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The Association of Fundraising Professionals believes that ethical behavior fosters the development and growth of fundraising professionals and the fundraising profession and enhances philanthropy and volunteerism. AFP Members recognize their responsibility to ethically generate or support ethical generation of philanthropic support. Violation of the standards may subject the member to disciplinary sanctions as provided in the AFP Ethics Enforcement Procedures. AFP members, both individual and business, agree to abide (and ensure, to the best of their ability, that all members of their staff abide) by the AFP standards.

Public Trust, Transparency & Conflicts of Interest

Members shall:

1. not engage in activities that harm the members’ organizations, clients or profession or knowingly bring the profession into disrepute.

2. not engage in activities that conflict with their fiduciary, ethical and legal obligations to their organizations, clients or profession.

3. effectively disclose all potential and actual conflicts of interest; such disclosure does not preclude or imply ethical impropriety.

4. not exploit any relationship with a donor, prospect, volunteer, client or employee for the benefit of the members or the members’ organizations.

5. comply with all applicable local, state, provincial and federal civil and criminal laws.

6. recognize their individual boundaries of professional competence.

7. present and supply products and/or services honestly and without misrepresentation.

8. establish the nature and purpose of any contractual relationship at the outset and be responsive and available to parties before, during and after any sale of materials and/or services.

9. never knowingly infringe the intellectual property rights of other parties.

10. protect the confidentiality of all privileged information relating to the provider/client relationships.

11. never disparage competitors untruthfully.

Solicitation & Stewardship of Philanthropic Funds

Members shall:

12. ensure that all solicitation and communication materials are accurate and correctly reflect their organization’s mission and use of solicited funds.

13. ensure that donors receive informed, accurate and ethical advice about the value and tax implications of contributions.

14. ensure that contributions are used in accordance with donors’ intentions.

15. ensure proper stewardship of all revenue sources, including timely reports on the use and management of such funds.

16. obtain explicit consent by donors before altering the conditions of financial transactions.

Treatment of Confidential & Proprietary Information

Members shall:

17. not disclose privileged or confidential information to unauthorized parties.

18. adhere to the principle that all donor and prospect information created by, or on behalf of, an organization or a client is the property of that organization or client.

19. give donors and clients the opportunity to have their names removed from lists that are sold to, rented to or exchanged with other organizations.

20. when stating fundraising results, use accurate and consistent accounting methods that conform to the relevant guidelines adopted by the appropriate authority.

Compensation, Bonuses & Finder’s Fees

Members shall:

21. not accept compensation or enter into a contract that is based on a percentage of contributions; nor shall members accept finder’s fees or contingent fees.

22. be permitted to accept performance-based compensation, such as bonuses, only if such bonuses are in accord with prevailing practices within the members’ own organizations and are not based on a percentage of contributions.

23. neither offer nor accept payments or special considerations for the purpose of influencing the selection of products or services.

24. not pay finder’s fees, commissions or percentage compensation based on contributions.

25. meet the legal requirements for the disbursement of funds if they receive funds on behalf of a donor or client.

Adopted 1964; amended Oct. 2014

Reprinted with permission from the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

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