Procedure No. 6114P

Acceptance of Gifts and Donations

1. Procedures and Criteria for Acceptance of Gifts  

General Acceptance Criteria and Limitations

All gifts accepted by the district shall:

1. be for a purpose consistent with the mission, objectives, goals, and policies of the school district;
2. be appropriate to the best interest of students;
3. not create significant, ongoing inequity of programs and/or facilities;  
4. be in support of those programs deemed a priority of the district;
5. have no or minimal continuing costs;  
6. not unreasonably add to staff workload;
7. be subject to the normal curriculum approval process prior to acceptance of curriculum materials and/or program gifts;
8. not place any restrictions on a school program or district operations;
9. not require active endorsement or promotion;
10. comply with all provisions of board policy, collective bargaining agreements, district standards and specifications and public law; and
11. not be related to directly funding district employees.

All naming agreements must be in writing, on the gift proposal form and the goals, objectives, benefits and other terms and conditions of the relationships, including length of this agreement, must be stated clearly at the outset. Additionally, the roles and responsibilities of all parties (students, teachers, parents, schools, the district, sponsors) must be clearly defined and resources provided by all parties must be clearly described.

The building principal will be the initial point of contact for gifts to individual schools. For gift amounts above $10,000, the principal and potential donor shall complete a gift proposal form and submit it to the superintendent to be scheduled for board approval.

The superintendent shall be the initial point of contact for gifts for more than one school.  The superintendent and the potential donor shall complete a gift proposal form and will consult with building and program administrators before initial presentation and scheduling of board consideration for approval and formal acceptance.

The executive director of leadership and learning and the director of  technology must review all proposed gifts of computers, software, and related technology.

All gifts of material or equipment that improve, add, or alter district facilities, structures, or real property must be reviewed as indicated on the completed gift proposal form by the Superintendent or designee and the manager of facilities prior to acceptance to ensure appropriate safety and  complies with all district, local, state and federal guidelines and standards and to determine that any installation and ongoing maintenance costs are warranted. Individuals and groups planning such gifts shall contact the Superintendent as early as possible for technical assistance.

2. Conduct of Fundraising Activities

All fundraising activities shall comply with applicable state laws and Longview School District policies and procedures.

All fundraising associated with a proposed gift to the district must be conducted to ensure that all donations are voluntary and that no person is compelled to donate. Any fundraising campaigns designed to address a potential gift must be submitted to the superintendent or designee for prior approval along with the gift proposal form associated with this procedure. 

Such requests should include:

1. a description of the purpose for the campaign;
2. any printed or electronically distributed campaign materials that will be used;
3. any proposed plans to recognize donors, including naming opportunities (Policy 6970 - Naming Facilities); and
4. identification of corporate, foundation, and other major individual donor prospects.

Donations should not create expectations of special treatment by district staff for donor’s children or other family members. No preferential treatment or expectation of preferential treatment of the donor’s children or family shall be provided by staff. The donor will place no expectations on staff related to the gift except those that are clearly stated on the gift proposal form and approved by the board. The board of directors must take final action on the proposed gift.

Once a gift has been secured for a naming opportunity, the request shall be submitted to the board for action in accordance to procedure 6970 “naming facilities.” The board of directors reserve all rights in naming of facilities as outlined in policy and does not delegate this authority under any circumstances.

Persons or organizations wishing to donate to a specific class, extracurricular group or program should work through the principal and follow internal protocols.

Initially Adopted: November 10, 2003

Adopted: March 22, 2010

Amended: November 28, 2016