Fundraising Policies

The purpose of these guidelines are to ensure fundraising is carried out in accordance with CRA regulations, with integrity and protection of the donor, the organization, and the beneficiaries of the funds. Although this is not a complete guide on all fundraising scenarios and the CRA regulations may periodically be updated or amended we require anyone fundraising on behalf of a Devxchange project to act with their best judgement and to seek guidance from the Executive Director when unsure.

Any questions regarding the information below should be directed to the Executive Director

Failure to comply with any of the Devxchange fundraising guidelines may result in the removal from Devxchange.

6.1. General Fundraising Principles #

• No direct support shall be sent to implementing partners or beneficiaries, monetary or otherwise, outside of Devxchange and the approved project plan.
• Fundraising events must designate 100% of funds raised to Devxchange projects unless notice and approval has been given by Devxchange. Notification should be received in writing, 30 days prior to the event.
• All fundraising costs must be disclosed to Devxchange. With the remittance, all fundraising costs must be disclosed and any deductions (expenses) reported to Devxchange.
• All funds raised must be submitted to Devxchange for accounting purposes regardless of funds being tax deductible in order to comply with Devxchange policy and CRA regulations.
• Funds collected or raised must be submitted to Devxchange within 30 days of receipt of funds.
• Any fundraising conflicts of interest must be fully disclosed to Devxchange in writing.
• The Project Lead Member is responsible to update fundraising and project plans as needed.
• The Project Lead Member is responsible for receiving approval for all fundraising activities.
• The Project Lead Member is responsible to ensure all Devxchange bylaws, policies, and guidelines are strictly adhered to at all times, this includes any volunteers working on their behalf.
• The Project Lead Member is responsible to seek clarification if unsure of any bylaws, policies, or guidelines prior to fundraising.

Fundraising Material and Messaging

• Fundraising materials and messaging must adhere to Devxchange core values and principles.
• Descriptions and usage of Devxchange logo must be accurate and reflect the true nature of the relationship between Devxchange, the member project, and the implementing partner.
• Devxchange project’s must not be depicted as a separate entity from Devxchange under any circumstances.
• Copies of all newsletters and annual reports of projects must be provided to Devxchange prior to publishing.
• Project Lead Members must receive approval on all forms of media broadcasting and must include links to the project page on Devxchange.org. This includes websites, social media, YouTube, blogs, and videos.
• Use of any imagery or photographs shall not create a false impression or exaggerate a situation. Verbal permission should be obtained before taking photos.
• Fundraising materials shall respect the dignity, values, history, religion, and culture of the people served by the programs and shall neither minimize nor overstate the human and material needs of those whom it assists.
• Fund raising solicitations shall be truthful, shall accurately describe the organization’s purpose, projects and needs, shall only make claims which the organization can fulfill, and shall avoid placing excessive pressure on donors.
• We will not undertake negative advertising or criticize other member organizations to our benefit.

Fundraising Eligibility

Volunteers and Project Lead Members may raise funds for direct project costs associated with meeting project objectives (as stated in the Project Proposal) as well as costs associated with project monitoring (project visit travel and accommodation), communication with partners, donor development and cultivation (e.g. visiting significant donors), and all fundraising costs. These costs are legitimate in order to carry out the objectives of the charity, however they must be incorporated into the project and/or project fundraising budgets

Management of Fundraising and Donor Cultivation

Fundraising and donor cultivation is the responsibility of the Project Lead Member. Devxchange will administer all funds raised on behalf of the Project Lead Member according to CRA guidelines, and facilitate the Project Lead Members tracking of donations in order to monitor achievement of their commitment and to strengthen donor relations. Donor privacy will be upheld at all times.

Commencement of Fundraising

No fundraising may occur until the Project Proposal and MOU are completed and signed by the Executive Director, the Project Lead Member, and the Implementing Partner.

Accounting & Payment Options

We’ve set up a number of payment options for donors in addition to cash.

Please note: Devxchange does NOT permit fundraising outside of the below listed methods without the approval of the Devxchange Executive Director. This includes personal PayPal accounts and personal website donation forms.

1. Cheque – cheques should be made out to “Devxchange” or “Devxchange International” and have the donor’s mailing address on it or accompanying the cheque. Donors must designate on their cheque which project or volunteer they want to support.
2. Cash – Cash donations must be safe guarded at all times. Donor information must be collected and submitted along with funds collected within 30 days. An e-transfer can be used to submit cash donations. Email to info@devxchange.org and send a separate email with spreadsheet of donors names, addresses, donation amount and eligibility for tax receipt. All cash donations that require a tax receipt must have signed receipt from donor stating amount and designated project.
3. Online – donors may pay online with a credit card through our online gateway on each project page at www.Devxchange.org. Donors are given the option of designating their donation to a project or volunteer. Note: Credit Card donations are subject to a 3% fee by the Credit Card companies. For large donations it is recommended that you advise your donors to use an alternative method.
4. Pre-authorized Remittance – (PAR) with the assistance of a local church (prefers to remain anonymous) we are able to provide a pre-authorized debit from donor’s bank accounts. Use of PAR is restricted to long-term (a year or longer) project agreement or volunteer support. The PAR form may be downloaded from Devxchange.org.
5. U.S. Donors – Please check with the Executive Director to see if your project qualifies and for instructions for U.S. donors. U.S. donations need to be sent through Devxchange for accounting purposes unless the U.S. donor is an organization with a separate agreement with the implementing partner.
6. Inter branch deposits- The Project Lead Member can request a deposit book from Devxchange if you have regular events or donors that directly give to the Project Lead Member. There is an interbranch deposit form that needs to be filled out and submitted through the dashboard for inter-branch deposits.
7. E-transfers. E-transfers are accepted under the following conditions-

• The Project Lead Member or donor is sending a large donation (over $500) and doesn’t want to use the mail or incur the fees associated with credit card donations.
• The Project Lead Member has a large amount of cash that they do not want to send through the mail. Note backup documentation must be submitted through dashboard including summary sheet and donor cash receipts.
• E-transfers can be sent to info@devxchange.org along with a separate email stating the password to receive it.

8. Direct Bank Deposits- For large donations (over $500) direct deposits can be arranged directly to the Devxchange Bank Account. This needs to be arranged directly with DevXchange including details of the donation and donor.

Donor Lists

• Devxchange does not sell, rent, or exchange the names of its donors.
• Devxchange respects the donors cultivated by each Project Lead Member.
• We do not share donor lists between Project Lead Members unless the involved members instruct us to do so.
• Devxchange reserves the right to contact all project donors for the purpose of issuing tax receipts, program updates and general fundraising.

Donations

• Ensure complete names and addresses are on cheques.
• Only donations of $20 or more are eligible for a tax-receipt.
• Donors who make cash donations of $20 or more and want a charitable receipt should fill out a signed receipt (form) showing the amount and designation on the receipt (form).
• The donor will receive one tax deductible receipt at the end of the year for all donations made to Devxchange throughout the year.
• All donated funds must be sent and processed through Devxchange whether they are tax receiptable or not.

Third Party Funding Agency

• Any appeals or proposals submitted to third party funding agencies need prior approval of the Executive Director.
• Any agreements with Funding Agencies initiated by Project Lead Member need prior approval of the Executive Director.
• It is the responsibility of Project Lead Member to meet any reporting requirements by third party funding agency following review and approval by Executive Director.

Managing Project Accounts

Each approved project and/or volunteer is given a ‘class’ code in our accounting software and funds designated for that project/volunteer are posted accordingly. Project Lead Members will be sent monthly reports on donors for their projects and a fund balance statement for their project. Project Lead members are required to keep information on their project page relevant and update information at least once a year or more if warranted.