Gifts or Bequests to the College

Administrative Procedure 2.501

It is the general practice of Elgin Community College to offer diverse opportunities for contributed support and sponsorship of College programs and activities in accordance with College policies and procedures. 

The following procedures are to serve as a guide to all ECC staff and volunteers involved in private sector gift, sponsorship or grant solicitation or acceptance on behalf of the College. The intent of these procedures is to encourage and facilitate communication and cooperation in the seeking of private sector contributions, sponsorships and grants between the Institutional Advancement and Foundation Office of the College, which reports directly to the College President, and all other College departments and offices. Such communication and cooperation is essential to the maximization of all opportunities for private contributed support of the College and its students. 

General Guidelines 

An ECC employee must submit a written request to his/her supervisor before soliciting contributed funds, equipment or sponsorships. If the supervisor approves, he/she will forward the request to their dean or department head, who will in turn submit approved requests to the executive director of Institutional Advancement and Foundation for review fit within the advancement plan, donor strategy, and will work in coordination with the Department to facilitate. 

All cash and cash equivalent contributions and private/corporate foundation grants will be directed to the Elgin Community College Foundation. In cases where such direction has not been made by the donor, such as with unsolicited bequests to the College, upon receipt the College will transfer said funds along with the original or a copy of all documentation to the ECC Foundation, which shall in turn be responsible for acknowledgement, management, and stewardship of the gift. 

When a private or corporate foundation grant is awarded to the Elgin Community College Foundation and designated for a particular program or department, the ECC Foundation and the director of the program receiving the grant will share responsibility for day-to-day administration and required reporting. The executive director of the ECC Foundation and the Assistant Controller will retain oversight responsibility for compliance with the terms of each grant, maintaining copies of grant proposals and award documents and reports, and by reviewing required reports prior to their submission to the grantor. 

Sponsorship is defined as the provision of contributed goods or services by a business, corporation or individual in exchange for promotional displays, product giveaways, ads, listings and other forms of promotion. Sponsorship may be for one or more events, over one or more years. 

Corporate/business sponsorship of events, publications, equipment purchases, student competition travel or uniforms will be pursued cooperatively by the department seeking such sponsorship and the Office of Institutional Advancement and Foundation. Reciprocal advertising contracts with any business or corporation must be approved in writing by the executive director of Institutional Advancement and Foundation, managing director of Marketing and the vice president of Business and Finance of the College. The Marketing department will also review and make recommendation on any corporate proposals that encompass opportunities for marketing of College programs and services to the College’s targeted constituencies. 

Decisions to name facilities in recognition of a major gift to the College will be made in accordance with Administrative Procedure 6.101. 

Departmental fundraising activities must be planned and conducted with the full knowledge and advance consent of the Office of Institutional Advancement and Foundation in order to assure coordinated, planned approaches to prospective donors and sponsors. A summary plan to include the purpose of the proposed fundraising, timeframe, constituents who would be solicited, and method of solicitation must be submitted to Institutional Advancement and Foundation 60 days in advance of the activity for review and approval. Unless otherwise approved by the executive director, acceptance and acknowledgement of gifts will be done by the ECC Foundation. Prior to any fundraising, the executive director of Institutional Advancement and Foundation and Department dean/director will determine where funds will be directed. 

Student club fundraising activities are exempt from these procedures, but any club engaged in fundraising is expected to notify the Institutional Advancement and Foundation office 60 days in advance of the schedule, purpose and nature of each fundraising effort, as a courtesy. 

Procedure for Contribution 

• Contributions from private sources to the College should be made in the name of Elgin Community College Foundation, and directed to the ECC Foundation. 
• Documentation of all contributions must be provided to the ECC Foundation office for the purposes of acknowledgement, recording, financial management, and recognition. 
• Cash gifts and grants directed to the Elgin Community College Foundation may take the form of one or a combination of the following: cash and cash equivalents, stock, personal property, gifts of real estate including partial interests, and charitable bequests. 
• The President of the College, in coordination with the executive director of the ECC Foundation, reserves the right to accept (or, in cases where necessary, to decline) any commitment that is offered to the ECC Foundation for the College’s benefit. He/She also reserves the right to determine how any commitment will be credited and/or how such commitments will be recognized. 
• Gift recognition in the form of naming a facility, or area within a facility, shall be determined solely according to Administrative Procedure 6.101. The ECC Foundation will maintain a current list of such naming opportunities. 
• The ECC Foundation must individually review endowed and planned gift commitments prior to acceptance. Commitments of special designation, form, and/or schedule of payment will be carefully evaluated by the executive director of the ECC Foundation for their appropriateness. 
• Although the ECC Foundation will provide all appropriate information and assistance, the ultimate responsibility for gift valuation, tax deductibility and/or similar legal, local, state and/or federal compliance issues rests with the donor and/or such counsel as the donor may wish to retain. 
• Elgin Community College Foundation, will not knowingly seek or accept any commitment, regardless of size, tender, designation or other condition, which they believe is not in the potential donor's best interest or the best interests of the College or ECC Foundation.

This policy was last reviewed on 08/08/2024.