Background

 All nonprofit organizations require funding to achieve their goals.  Corporate donations and sponsorship are important sources of funding by which a nonprofit organization achieves its mission.  Concerns often arise that accepting corporate funds may give the appearance of or actually compromise the ethical integrity of an organization. The establishment of a Board-approved Corporate Donations Policy safeguards against such compromises by clarifying for both potential sponsors and the community at large the requisite criteria used by the organization in soliciting and accepting corporate funding.

Policy Statement

A. Corporate Eligibility

The Caring Ambassadors Program will gratefully accept monetary or in-kind donations from any business entity (“Corporation”) that meets the following eligibility criteria. 1. The Corporation is not engaged in business activities that conflict in whole or in part with the goals of Caring Ambassadors or any of its disease- or condition-specific programs. 2. The Corporation has not attempted to manipulate or influence the activities, policies, mission, and/or goals of Caring Ambassadors or any of its disease- or condition-specific programs. 3. The Corporation’s donation is unrestricted, i.e., no conditions or requirements are being proposed by the Corporation that must be satisfied by Caring Ambassadors to secure the donation.  This does not preclude a Corporation from making a donation that is earmarked for a specific purpose or program activity.

B. Conflict of Interest

In addition to the aforementioned eligibility criteria, potential conflicts of interest will be avoided by adherence to the following requisite criteria for all corporate donations. 1. Donations will not be accepted in exchange for a position on the Board of Directors of Caring Ambassadors, nor will Caring Ambassadors solicit funds in exchange for a position on the Board of Directors of Caring Ambassadors. 2. No more than 33% of members of the Caring Ambassadors Board of Directors will be affiliated with any individual Corporation donating to the organization. 3. Board members affiliated with a Corporation will recuse themselves from any Board vote related to Caring Ambassadors relationship with that Corporation. 4. Caring Ambassadors Board members and persons employed in key staff positions by Caring Ambassadors or any of its disease- or condition-specific programs may not have a financial relationship with a potential corporate sponsor such that their personal financial interests and the financial interests of Caring Ambassadors or its programs may be perceived to be or may actually be in conflict.  Serious financial conflicts of interest as described herein must be resolved before Caring Ambassadors may accept a donation from a corporate sponsor with which a conflict exists.

C. Open Disclosure

1. Caring Ambassadors will provide any Corporation that wishes to donate to the program a copy of the Caring Ambassadors Corporate Donations Policy prior to acceptance of the donation. 2. Caring Ambassadors will provide a copy of the Corporate Donations Policy to any individual or organization that requests it. 3. Caring Ambassadors will post its Corporate Donations Policy on the official Caring Ambassadors Internet site.

D. Other Issues

1. All disease- or condition-specific programs that are part of Caring Ambassadors will adhere to Caring Ambassadors  Corporate Donations Policy. 2. The program director of a disease- or condition-specific program or the corporation chair may request Board review of a proposed donation if he/she is concerned about the propriety of the donation. 3. Caring Ambassadors and each disease- or condition-specific program will establish and implement funding development policies that promote well-balanced sources of funding such that ideally, neither Caring Ambassadors or any of its programs is primarily funded by one or two corporate sponsors. 4. When Caring Ambassadors or any of its disease- or condition-specific programs send out a request for program support, requests should be sent to all potentially appropriate sponsors to avoid the appearance of or inadvertently establishing a preferential relationship with any single corporate sponsor. 5. In the event that Caring Ambassadors or any of its disease- or condition-specific programs is approached by a Corporation to partner on a special project or program, the Caring Ambassadors Board of Directors must evaluate the request.  Such projects will only be undertaken with majority Caring Ambassadors Board approval.