Northern Michigan University
Fund Raising and Soliciting Gifts

PURPOSE

The NMU Foundation is the official gift-receiving agency of Northern Michigan University. Accordingly, all solicitations requesting non-governmental funds or in-kind gifts from alumni, friends, businesses, corporations or private foundations for any university-related purpose, existing or pending establishment, must be sent to the NMU Foundation for written approval prior to any solicitation being conducted or initiated by university employees or university groups. (Please see attached approval form)

APPLICABILITY

All University faculty, staff, students, and volunteers.

POLICY

The NMU Foundation must be contacted prior to any fund raising contact, mailing, promotion or event being planned which uses university logo, resources, employees or facilities.

When any university fund raising mailing, promotion or event is planned, a copy of all materials related to the fund raising effort and the name of the group, individuals, or businesses to be solicited, must be sent to the NMU Foundation for approval. Upon receipt of the proposed solicitation, the Foundation will review the material in a timely manner, approve or deny the solicitation and return it to the party initiating it. If there are any technical or legal/tax issues with the mailing, the initiating department will be notified so that necessary changes can be made.

This review is necessary to avoid duplicate solicitations, to protect donor confidentiality, to prevent over-solicitation of specific major donor prospects and companies, to ensure state funds and property are not misused and to be certain NMU remains within its legal bounds in all fund raising and solicitation efforts.

Unless granted special written permission from the President, any university faculty, staff, student or volunteer involved in solicitation or fund raising activities that do not directly benefit Northern Michigan University are not viewed to be acting on behalf of the university. Therefore they are strictly prohibited from using the university logo, property, facilities and/or resources free of charge.

Student organizations conducting fund raising must receive prior approval from the Dean of Students, but are exempt from receiving prior approval by the NMU Foundation if the project goal is under $1,000.

All charitable gifts to Northern must be deposited through the NMU Foundation. Compliance with this policy will result in an additional allocation from the NMU Foundation equal to 5% of funds raised up to $1,000 per effort.

REFERENCES

License to Solicit Charitable Contributions statement filed with the State of Michigan Attorney General pursuant to the provisions of 1975 PA169, issued License number MICS 3240.

INITIATING DEPARTMENT/DIVISION

NMU Foundation, ext. 2627.

For a copy of the fund raising and solicitation form, please click here: Solicitation Approval Form