Use and Release of Donor InformationUPPS No. 03.05.02

Issue No. 3

Effective Date: 02/22/2016

Next Review Date: 01/01/2019 (E3Y)

Sr. Reviewer: Vice President for University Advancement

01.POLICY STATEMENT

01.01This policy relates to all information about Texas State University donors. This information, which is owned solely by Texas State, is maintained by the Office of Advancement Services under the direction of the vice president for University Advancement. Information maintained in the university’s database ensures that the privacy of donors is protected to the fullest extent permitted by law. The information may not be given, sold, traded, exchanged, etc., to people or institutions not affiliated with Texas State.

02.DONOR-RELATED INFORMATION

02.01Donor information shall not be released except as permitted under this policy or as required by law.

02.02Donor Information includes the name, any address, telephone numbers, giving history, rating, correspondence, or other information pertaining to a donor, or potential donor, to Texas State.

03.PROCEDURES FOR ACCESS AND USE OF DONOR INFORMATION

03.01Only university employees authorized by the vice president for University Advancement, who have a need to know in order to perform their duties, may access donor information. Donor information is used solely for development purposes in accordance with applicable policies.

03.02All requests for donor information by any person or entity not authorized to receive such information should be directed to the vice president for University Advancement or The Texas State University System (TSUS) Office of General Counsel for handling, except for donors who donate in memory or in honor of someone. The names and addresses of donors who make memorial gifts or give gifts in honor of individuals may be released to immediate family members of the person memorialized or honored.

04.ANONYMITY POLICY

Advancement Services will accommodate requests for anonymity options.

04.01Complete Anonymity – typically used for selected gifts. The gift is not entered on a person’s record but instead on a generic record. Only the donor, Advancement Services, and perhaps the development officer working directly with the donor, know who actually made the gift. The only indication of the gift on any report generated using Advancement Services data is that a gift was made by an “anonymous alumni,” “anonymous faculty or staff,” etc.

04.02Anonymous Record– gifts and pledges continue to be entered on the record of an individual; however, their record is flagged as anonymous. This option is used for donors who do not want publicity regarding their donations, or any mention of their gifts outside the university community. These donors usually do not want recognition in third-party publications(for simplification). This coding remains permanent until otherwise requested by the donor. With this request, this donor is informed that removing the code will result in all prior and future gifts being available for publicity (unless individual gifts are coded as anonymous – see Section 04.03). Standard gift reports generated by Advancement Services will not show the donor’s name or address, only the fact that a gift was made by someone requesting anonymity.

04.03Anonymous Gift – a single gift that a donor does not want acknowledged outside the university community. This typically happens when someone does not want his or her spouse, or someone being honored, to know that they made the gift. On standard gift reports generated by Advancement Services, the donor’s name will be identified but the report will also indicate that the gift was made anonymously. If considering publicity for the gift, staff members should communicate with the donor to determine appropriate action.

05.PROCEDURES FOR RELEASING INFORMATION

All gift records will be released only when authorized by the donor or as required by law. A limited exception to the disclosure of the name of the donor is provided in the Texas Attorney General’s Public Information 2016 Handbook. The Seventy-eighth Legislature added Section 552.1235 of the Texas Government Code, Exception: Identity of Private Donor to Institution of Higher Education.

05.01The name or other information that would tend to disclose the identity of a person, other than a governmental body, who makes a gift, grant, or donation of money or property to an institution of higher education or to another person with the intent that the money or property be transferred to an institution of higher education is excepted from the requirements of Section 552.021 of the Texas Government Code.

05.02Subsection (a) does not except from required disclosure, other information relating to gifts, grants, and donations described by subsection (a), including the amount or value of an individual gift, grant, or donation.

05.03In this section, “institution of higher education” has the meaning assigned by Section 61.003, Education Code.

06.REVIEWERS OF THIS UPPS

06.01Reviewers of this UPPS include the following:

PositionDate

Vice President for UniversityJanuary 1 E3Y

Advancement

Director, Advancement ServicesJanuary 1 E3Y

07.CERTIFICATION STATEMENT

This UPPS has been approved by the following individuals in their official capacities and represents Texas State policy and procedures from the date of this document until superseded.

Vice President for University Advancement; senior reviewer of this UPPS

President