Gift Acceptance Policies

In their eagerness to increase revenue, nonprofits can easily fall into the trap of accepting gifts from controversial organizations or individuals. By developing Gift Acceptance Policies, nonprofits will be able to carefully and unemotionally evaluate the potential hazards of certain types of contributions, making the transfer of tangible items and monetary gifts easier and less traumatic for donors and the recipients. Failure to develop such policies not only violates Internal Revenue Service requirements but can put the organization in legal and moral jeopardy. Understanding gift acceptance issues is critical for volunteer and staff leadership of all nonprofits.