Why it matters
Most gifts are simple. The hard ones arrive without warning: a house with a mortgage, a stake in a family business, a gift that comes with naming rights or a say in hiring. A written policy lets staff say yes or no calmly, with the board's backing, instead of deciding under pressure.
A good policy covers the kinds of gifts you accept, how non-cash gifts are valued and sold, what restrictions you will take, when legal or financial review is needed, and how you handle gifts from sources that could harm your reputation. Have your accountant and, for complex gifts, a lawyer review it.
How Steward shows it
Steward does not hold or check your gift acceptance policy. In-kind gifts are entered at the fair market value you give them, never as cash.
Related terms
- In-kind gift An in-kind gift is a donation of goods or services instead of money, such as food, equipment, auction items, office space or professional work given for free.
- Restricted gift A restricted gift is a donation the donor has limited to a specific purpose, program or time period. Your organization must use it only as the donor directed.
- Planned gift A planned gift is a gift a donor arranges now that usually reaches you later, most often through a will, a trust, or a beneficiary designation on a retirement account or life insurance policy.
The free Lost & Found audit reads a giving export in your browser and shows your lapsing donors and what they used to give. Nothing is uploaded. Then bring the same file to a 20-minute demo.