Who Completes This Task: Administrators, Clerks

Process

SPPS accepts gifts of goods, services and money, given with charitable intent and with no strings attached. Gifts to influence contracts, bids or purchases are not permitted. Gifts posing a conflict of interest or negative financial impact on SPPS should be refused.

Gifts may be given by churches, businesses, individuals, school PTA/PTO, community groups, etc. They may be used for instructional materials, field trips, student incentives, equipment, professional services and technical services.

All district procedures must be followed, even if the funding comes from a gift.

Gifts used to buy additional staff time must be approved by the assistant superintendent or senior staff.

Gifts involving capital improvements to any building must be pre-approved by the director of facilities.

Criteria

• Goods, services, or money given charitably
  • A service group building a playground
  • A person or group donating money to allow students to go on a field trip
  • Corporate donation of used office furniture
• Purpose is consistent with those of the school district
• Shall be offered by a donor that a reasonable person would expect to be acceptable to the board
• Shall not add to staff load without board approval
• Shall not be accepted if there are excessive costs for maintenance or installation
  • Used computers and technology equipment
  • Equipment requiring significant cost for deployment or implementation
• Shall not be accepted if they evoke a conflict of interest
  • Donation of curriculum that is not free of bias
  • Donation from a company or individual interested in doing business with the group, school, department, or SPPS
• Shall place no restrictions on the school or program
• Must not imply endorsement of any business or product
• Must not conflict with any provisions of the policy manual or state statutes
• Becomes school district property
• Does not require any reporting

The board has approved the acceptance of up to $30,000 in gifts annually for each school/program.

Steps

1. Complete a Gift Acceptance Form for each gift received
   1. For a monetary gift, attach the check to the form
   2. For a non-monetary gift, describe the gift on the form but do not put any dollar amount or value
   3. Submit the form to the Accounts Receivable (AR)
2. If the value of the gift is $5,000 or greater, submit a Board Agenda Item
3. Send all paperwork to AR with the gift
   1. Retaining a copy for personal records
   2. Contact business office management assistant
4. If a gift meets the definition of equipment or portable and attractive supplies and is valued at $1000 or greater, prior approval is needed from facilities and the business office
   1. Record the item into the property control data base
      • Use Property Control Tags procedure instructions
      • Use zero for the dollar amount
5. Type a letter of appreciation for monetary and non-monetary gifts
   1. The letter can be modified, but it must include the following wording to meet legal requirements: 
      1. Monetary -  "Keep this letter as documentation of your $________ contribution."
      2. Non-Monetary - "Keep this letter as documentation of your contribution of the items listed."
6. Send the letter to the contributor and retain a copy for your records

Documentation Required

• If a monetary gift was received, monitor the budget to verify the funds were applied correctly. Once correct, personal copies may be discarded or archived.