Annual Appeals

Special Events

Planned Giving

Named & Memorial Giving

Other Methods and Appeals

The Donor Bill of Rights

Code of Ethical Principles and Standards of Professional Practice

Annual Appeals:

The Rector’s Guild – An annual giving society created with the special purpose of providing a continuing source of major spiritual and financial support for the unmet needs and future challenges of the seminary. Membership in the Rector’s Guild begins at $5,000+ at the Rector’s Circle level, $10,000+ for Pace Setters, $25,000+ for Founder’s Society, $50,000+ for St. Vincent Ambassadors, and $100,000+ for the Bishop Joseph P. Hurley Visionaries. See the Rector’s Guild for more information.

Annual Alumni Appeal – This is an annual appeal to all alumni (both clergy and lay alumni) of SVDP that support the alumni association, functions and direct impact areas, such as vestments, tuition, travel and other expenses. Go to the Annual Alumni Appeal for more information.

Christmas Appeal – This appeal is made during the Holy season celebrating the birth of Christ that provides for general direct support of the Seminary’s budget.

Special Events:

Friends of the Seminary – This is the seminary’s signature and best known event. It is an opportunity for alumni, individuals, foundations and corporate donors and supporters to attend vespers, a reception and dinner on campus. There are many ways to support this event through sponsorships, underwriting, ticket sales, direct gifts and program ads.

Planned Giving:

Friends of the Seminary may choose to support the Church's mission of preparing priests and others for service by including the SVDP in their estate plans. These deferred or planned gifts include bequests by will, IRA or retirement plan, gift annuity, trust arrangement, insurance policy and other means that can be directed toward supporting seminarian formation programs. See The Legacy Society, Planned Gifts and Wills for more information.

A charitable bequest or planned gift enables you to keep control of your assets during your lifetime and make a gift to the university at your death. You will be entitled to an estate tax deduction for the fair market value of the assets bequeathed to SVDP. To ensure compliance with your wishes, it is important to document your estate commitment with the SVDP.

The Legacy Society - Donors can make a future commitment to St. Vincent de Paul Seminary in their estate plans are recognized through membership in the SVDP Legacy Society. See our special link on The Legacy Society for more information.

Named & Memorial Giving:

Many opportunities exit to make a named or memorial gift in honor of loved ones. Please contact the Office of Institutional Development for more information.

Other Methods and Appeals:

The St. Vincent de Paul Endowment – Gifts to the endowment fund, a professionally managed fund, provides an excellent opportunity to make a gift that will generate income forever.

General Operating Fund – Gifts given in support of the general fund and reduction of Diocesan subsidies.

Gifts to the Oscar P. Schorp Library - SVDP’s Oscar P. Schorp Library accepts books, audiotapes, art, religious artifacts, research materials, CDs and DVDs. Gifts are tax deductible as allowed by law. Please contact Art Quinn, Director of the Library at aquinn@svdp.edu.

Matching Gifts - Corporate matching gifts are a great way for St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary alumni and friends to maximize personal contributions to the Seminary and increase the impact of their gift. By taking advantage of a company's matching gift benefit, you may be able to double or even triple the amount of a contribution.

How do I get my gift matched?

Each company has its own guidelines for employees, spouses, retirees, and widows/widowers. Most corporate procedures are very simple:

1. Request a Matching Form from your company. (Some companies do not match gifts to non profit organizations)
2. Complete and submit the form to St. Vincent de Paul along with your gift.
3. St. Vincent de Paul will verify the completed form and return it to the company.
4. The company issues a matching gift contribution to SVDP.
   
   Completed forms can be sent with your personal gift to:

St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary
Office of Institutional Advancement
10701 S. Military Trail
Boynton Beach, FL 33426-4899

The Donor Bill of Rights

The Donor Bill of Rights was created by the American Association of Fund Raising Counsel (AAFRC), Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP), the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). It has been endorsed by numerous organizations.

Philanthropy is based on voluntary action for the common good. It is a tradition of giving and sharing that is primary to the quality of life. To ensure that philanthropy merits the respect and trust of the general public, and that donors and prospective donors can have full confidence in the nonprofit organizations and causes they are asked to support, we declare that all donors have these rights:

I. To be informed of the organization's mission, of the way the organization intends to use donated resources, and of its capacity to use donations effectively for their intended purposes.

II. To be informed of the identity of those serving on the organization's governing board, and to expect the board to exercise prudent judgment in its stewardship responsibilities.

III. To have access to the organization's most recent financial statements.

IV. To be assured their gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given.

V. To receive appropriate acknowledgement and recognition.

VI. To be assured that information about their donation is handled with respect and with confidentiality to the extent provided by law.

VII. To expect that all relationships with individuals representing organizations of interest to the donor will be professional in nature.

VIII. To be informed whether those seeking donations are volunteers, employees of the organization or hired solicitors.

IX. To have the opportunity for their names to be deleted from mailing lists that an organization may intend to share.

X. To feel free to ask questions when making a donation and to receive prompt, truthful and forthright answers.

Code of Ethical Principles and Standards of Professional Practice

The SVDP Director of Institutional Advancement is a member of AFP, the Association of Fundraising Professionals and abides by and practices the principles described in the attached documents. In addition, as a CFRE, (Certified Fund Raising Executive) for over 10 years, he is further bound to the adherence to these standards and Donor Bill of Rights.

Code of Ethical Principles

Adopted 1964; amended October 2004.

The Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) exists to foster the development and growth of fundraising professionals and the profession, to promote high ethical standards in the fundraising profession and to preserve and enhance philanthropy and volunteerism.

Members of AFP are motivated by an inner drive to improve the quality of life through the causes they serve. They serve the ideal of philanthropy; are committed to the preservation and enhancement of volunteerism; and hold stewardship of these concepts as the overriding principle of their professional life. They recognize their responsibility to ensure that needed resources are vigorously and ethically sought and that the intent of the donor is honestly fulfilled. To these ends, AFP members embrace certain values that they strive to uphold in performing their responsibilities for generating philanthropic support.

AFP members aspire t

• practice their profession with integrity, honesty, truthfulness and adherence to the absolute obligation to safeguard the public trust;
• act according to the highest standards and visions of their organization, profession and conscience;
• put philanthropic mission above personal gain;
• inspire others through their own sense of dedication and high purpose;
• improve their professional knowledge and skills, so that their performance will better serve others;
• demonstrate concern for the interests and well being of individuals affected by their actions;
• value the privacy, freedom of choice and interests of all those affected by their actions;
• foster cultural diversity and pluralistic values, and treat all people with dignity and respect;
• affirm, through personal giving, a commitment to philanthropy and its role in society;
• adhere to the spirit as well as the letter of all applicable laws and regulations;
• advocate within their organizations, adherence to all applicable laws and regulations;
• avoid even the appearance of any criminal offense or professional misconduct;
• bring credit to the fundraising profession by their public demeanor;
• encourage colleagues to embrace and practice these ethical principles and standards of professional practice; and
• be aware of the codes of ethics promulgated by other professional organizations that serve philanthropy.

Standards of Professional Practice

Furthermore, while striving to act according to the above values, AFP members agree to abide by the AFP Standards of Professional Practice, which are adopted and incorporated into the AFP Code of Ethical Principles. Violation of the Standard may subject the member to disciplinary sanctions, including expulsion, as provided in the AFP Ethics Enforcement Procedures.

Professional obligations

1. Members shall not engage in activities that harm the member's organization, clients, or profession.

2. Members shall not engage in activities that conflict with their fiduciary, ethical and legal obligations to their organizations and their clients.

3. Members shall effectively disclose all potential and actual conflicts of interest; such disclosure does not preclude or imply ethical impropriety.

4. Members shall not exploit any relationship with a donor, prospect, volunteer or employee for the benefit of the member or the member's organization.

5. Members shall comply with all applicable local, state, provincial, federal, civil and criminal laws.

6. Members recognize their individual boundaries of competence and are forthcoming and truthful about their professional experience and qualifications.

Solicitation and Use of Philanthropic Funds

7. Members shall take care to ensure that all solicitation materials are accurate and correctly reflect the organization's mission and use of solicited funds.

8. Members shall take care to ensure that donors receive informed, accurate and ethical advice about the value and tax implications of contributions.

9. Members shall take care to ensure that contributions are used in accordance with donors' intentions.

10. Members shall take care to ensure proper stewardship of philanthropic contributions, including timely reports on the use and management of such funds.

11. Members shall obtain explicit consent by the donor before altering the conditions of contributions.

Presentation of information

12. Members shall not disclose privileged or confidential information to unauthorized parties.

13. Members shall adhere to the principle that all donor and prospect information created by, or on behalf of, an organization is the property of that organization and shall not be transferred or utilized except on behalf of that organization.

14. Members shall give donors the opportunity to have their names removed from lists that are sold to, rented to, or exchanged with other organizations.

15. Members shall, when stating fundraising results, use accurate and consistent accounting methods that conform to the appropriate guidelines adopted by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)* for the type of organization involved. (* In countries outside of the United States, comparable authority should be utilized.)

Compensation

16. Members shall not accept compensation that is based on a percentage of contributions; nor shall they accept finder's fees.

17. Members may accept performance-based compensation, such as bonuses, provided such bonuses are in accord with prevailing practices within the members' own organizations, and are not based on a percentage of contributions.

18. Members shall not pay finder's fees, or commissions or percentage compensation based on contributions, and shall take care to discourage their organizations from making such payments.