I. Personal and Professional Integrity
The USI Foundation has a special duty to exemplify the best qualities of the University of Southern Indiana and to observe the highest standards of personal and professional conduct. The USI Foundation promotes a working environment that values kindness, integrity, fairness, and respect without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, creed, ethnic or national identity, handicap or age. All members of the University’s Development staff and Foundation Accounting staff, Foundation Board members, and volunteers of the USI Foundation will:
Act with kindness, honesty, integrity, and openness in all their dealings as representatives of the USI Foundation;
Not maintain any vested interest in a professionally related activity that could result in personal gain without prior full disclosure and approval;
Uphold the professional reputation of other colleagues and give credit for ideas, words, or images originated by others; and
Observe these standards and others that apply to their professions and actively encourage colleagues to join them in supporting the highest standards of conduct.
II. Mission
To attract, acquire, and manage donors' charitable gifts to support and sustain the goals of the University of Southern Indiana.
The above mission statement was approved on May 18, 2000 by the USI Foundation Board of Directors, in pursuit of the public good. All of the USI Foundation's programs support this mission and all who work on behalf of the USI Foundation are encouraged to be loyal to this mission and purpose.
III. Governance
The USI Foundation Board of Directors is responsible for supporting the mission and strategic direction of the USI Foundation. This includes oversight of the finances, operations, and policies of the USI Foundation. The Board of Directors will:
Ensure that its members have the requisite skills and experience to carry out their duties and that all members understand and fulfill their governance duties acting for the benefit of the USI Foundation and the University of Southern Indiana;
Have a conflict of interest policy that ensures that any conflicts of interest or the appearance thereof are avoided or appropriately managed through disclosure, recusal, or other means;
Ensure that the President of the USI Foundation and appropriate personnel provide the Board of Directors with timely and comprehensive information so that the Board of Directors can effectively carry out its duties;
Ensure that the USI Foundation conducts all transactions and dealings with integrity and honesty;
Ensure that the USI Foundation promotes working relationships with Board members, volunteers, and program beneficiaries based on mutual respect, fairness, and openness;
Ensure that policies of the USI Foundation are in writing, clearly articulated, and officially adopted;
Ensure that the resources of the USI Foundation are responsibly and prudently managed; and
Ensure that the USI Foundation has the capacity to carry out its programs effectively.
IV. Legal Compliance
The USI Foundation, its staff, Board members, and volunteers are knowledgeable of and comply with all laws, regulations, and applicable international conventions.
V. Responsible Stewardship
The USI Foundation, its staff, Board members, and volunteers manage its funds responsibly and prudently. This includes the following considerations:
It spends a reasonable percentage of its annual budget on programs in pursuance of its mission;
It spends an adequate amount on administrative expenses to ensure effective accounting systems, internal controls, competent staff, and other expenditures critical to professional management;
It has reasonable fundraising costs, recognizing the variety of factors that affect fundraising costs;
It prudently draws from endowment funds consistent with donor intent to support the public purpose of the USI Foundation;
It ensures that all spending practices and policies are fair, reasonable, and appropriate to fulfill the mission of the USI Foundation; and
It ensures that all financial reports are factually accurate and complete in all material respects.
VI. Openness and Disclosure
The USI Foundation, its staff, Board members, and volunteers provide comprehensive and timely information to the public, the media, and all stakeholders and is responsive in a timely manner to requests for information. All information about the USI Foundation will fully and honestly reflect the policies and practices of the USI Foundation. Basic informational data about the USI Foundation, such as the Form 990, reviews and compilations, and audited financial statements are readily available to the public. All solicitation materials accurately represent the USI Foundation’s policies and practices and will reflect the dignity of program beneficiaries. All financial, organizational, and program reports will be complete and accurate in all material respects.
VII. Program Evaluation
The USI Foundation, its staff, Board members, and volunteers regularly review program effectiveness and have mechanisms to incorporate lessons learned into future programs. The USI Foundation is committed to improving program and organizational effectiveness and develops mechanisms to promote learning from its activities and the field. The USI Foundation is responsive to changes in all areas of fund development and is responsive to the needs of its donors.
VIII. Inclusiveness and Diversity
The USI Foundation, its staff, Board members, and volunteers have a policy of promoting inclusiveness, and reflect diversity in order to enrich its programmatic effectiveness. The USI Foundation takes meaningful steps to promote inclusiveness in its board recruitment and constituencies served.
IX. Fundraising
The USI Foundation, its staff, Board members, and volunteers are truthful in solicitation materials. The USI Foundation respects the privacy concerns of individual donors and expends funds consistent with donor intent. The USI Foundation discloses important and relevant information to potential donors.
In raising funds from the public, the USI Foundation respects the following rights of donors:
To be informed of the mission of the USI Foundation, the way the resources will be used and their capacity to use donations effectively for their intended purposes;
To be informed of the identity of those serving on the USI Foundation Board of Directors and to expect the Board to exercise prudent judgment in its stewardship responsibilities;
To have access to the USI Foundation’s most recent financial reports;
To be assured their gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given;
To receive appropriate acknowledgement and recognition;
To be assured that information about their donations is handled with respect and with confidentiality to the extent provided by the law;
To expect that all relationships with individuals representing the organizations of interest to the donor will be professional in nature;
To be informed whether those seeking donations are volunteers or employees of the University of Southern Indiana Development office;
To have the opportunity for their names to be deleted from mailing lists; and
To feel free to ask questions when making a donation and to receive prompt, truthful and forthright answers.
