Financial accountability

Board Oversight

Any individual(s) soliciting and / or collecting funds, or participating in any organized event on behalf of the Umbrella Project without prior verbal and written approval by the Board of Directors, will immediately be dismissed from their service with the Umbrella Project. This includes refraining from use of Umbrella Project resources including computers, phones, equipment, and supplies.

ADVOCACY

Political Campaign Activity

The Board of Directors will not approve Umbrella Project participation in any type of political campaign activity. Board, staff or volunteers representing the Umbrella Project must not engage in activities that support or oppose candidates for public office, political committees, or political parties during hours when the individual is working, volunteering or otherwise representing the Umbrella Project. In return for its favored tax status, the Umbrella Project promises the federal government that it will not engage in “political campaign activity.”

Endorsing Candidates or Elected Officials

The Umbrella Project must not make a contribution or expenditure for the benefit of an individual candidate for public office, a political committee that supports or opposes a candidate, or a political party.

Events Organized to Promote Activism

Board and staff members or volunteers are prohibited from participating in any organized event to promote any type of activism while representing the Umbrella Project. It is prohibited to solicit and/or collect funds or use of Umbrella Project resources including computers, phones, equipment, and supplies while representing the Umbrella Project.

ETHICAL FUNDRAISING

Total Transparency

The Umbrella Project demonstrates their commitment to ethical practices by being entirely transparent with all financial information and fundraising activities. This includes disclosing the nonprofit status for all individual, group or organizational donations including documentation of all donors (names/addresses/date/donation amount, etc.).

Written Receipts

All UP representatives collecting funds on behalf of the Umbrella Project will provide board-approved written receipts to all donors, regardless of the donation amount or the event.

Distribution of Funds

All funds collected by representatives on behalf of the Umbrella Project will be immediately (within 24 hours) deposited into the Umbrella Project bank account. This includes all checks, money orders or cash donations of any amount.

OTHER ETHICAL FUNDRAISING PRACTICES

Persons Raising Funds

All Umbrella Project Board of Directors are familiar with the legal distinctions between staff, consultants, volunteers, and contract employees, and outside contractors ensures that its staff has the knowledge and ability to adequately manage and supervise all fundraising activities.

All board members donate annually to the organization to the best of their ability (volunteering time, resources, etc.) and ensure that all fundraising is implemented according to law and ethical practice.

Accountability to Donors

The Umbrella Project demonstrates accountability and respect for donors by:

• Sending timely gift acknowledgements
• Respecting restrictions on donors’ gifts
• Providing timely reports to foundations, as applicable
• Listing donors on the website in a manner in which the donor prefers to be acknowledged
• Honoring donors’ requests to remain anonymous

Anonymous Donors

Some donors ask that their gift remain anonymous, and are concerned that the Umbrella Project will sell their contact information to other nonprofits. To address these concerns, the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) has developed a Donors’ Bill of Rights that nonprofits are encouraged to adopt.

Acknowledging Donations

The Umbrella Project Board of Directors is aware that donors expect ‘thank you’ notes to acknowledge their charitable gifts. It is not only ethical to be transparent with donors about the receipt of their gifts, but it is also a legal requirement for certain gifts.

TRANSPARENT COMMUNICATION

Social Media: (per adoption of board)

Any nonprofit considering engaging in social media should adopt a social media policy. The Umbrella Project policy includes:

• The purpose and organizational goals for the use of social media
• Clear rules around the use of social media
• The person/position that oversees all social media efforts
• Procedures for using measurement tools to analyze the effectiveness of social media campaigns

Website

A fundamental transparency practice of nonprofit websites is to make it easy for visitors to find financial information, as well as information about board composition, programs, outcomes/impact, staffing, and donors.