Fundraising Policy

One of the Development Office’s primary responsibilities is to provide staff assistance and guidance for the USI Foundation, founded in 1968 as the official gift-receiving agency of the University. As an Indiana not-for-profit corporation, the USI Foundation promotes, receives, invests, and disburses gifts for the benefit of the University.

The Office of Development is responsible for developing, coordinating, and implementing a comprehensive private fund-raising program for the University of Southern Indiana under the auspices of the USI Foundation. The president of the University is the official spokesperson on all fundraising matters. The director of Development/president of USI Foundation, in concert with other administrative units, will assess University needs, identify possible private sources for funds to meet those needs, prepare plans for soliciting private sector funds, and direct the personnel and financial resources available through the office toward obtaining resources to meet those needs.

All members of the University community faculty, administrators, support staff, and students have a responsibility within the framework of their positions to participate in University fundraising from private sources within the program coordinated by the Development Office/USI Foundation. When appropriate, faculty members, deans, chairpersons, administrators, and students will be called on to assist development staff in identifying University needs, expressing these needs, preparing proposals to potential private funds sources, and generally striving to obtain resources for the University’s identified unmet needs.

The Development Office assists University personnel and students who are involved in private solicitations of any kind with detailed fundraising plans, such as dates, prospective donors, and dollar goals and serves as a clearinghouse for prospective donors, both individual and corporate. It also publishes the Annual Report and Honor Roll of Donors and provides for other donor recognition.

Under this policy, guidelines for private fundraising are:

1. Permission to seek private funds on behalf of the University must be obtained from the director of University Development, who also serves as president and chief operating officer of the USI Foundation. All solicitations of private funds, which will benefit the University or any of its departments or programs, then are coordinated by the Development Office staff.
   
   
2. The University of Southern Indiana and the USI Foundation strictly prohibit any fundraising activities which involve drawings, raffles, half-pots, bingo, lottery, charity game nights, games of chance, or any scheme for distribution of prizes among persons who are paying for a chance to obtain a prize.
   
   
3. Reservations for space by off-campus groups or individuals will not be accepted for non-profit groups or profit-making activities or for other activities that do not support the mission and purpose of the University of Southern Indiana.

This policy will apply to all private fundraising proposals and activities by all personnel of the University.

For purposes of this policy, private funding sources are individuals, alumni, friends, businesses, foundations, and other sources except local, state, and federal government agencies supported by tax-appropriated dollars.