DEVELOPING OFFICE PROCEDURES

1. Documenting Development Office Procedures
Cheryl J. Weissman
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3. Today’s Speaker
Cheryl J Weissman
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4. Documenting Development
Procedures
Presented by
Cheryl J. Weissman
8331 Central Ave.
Morton Grove, IL 60053
800/598-0430
Email to: cheryl.cjwconsulting.com

5. Why should we do this?
• To ensure all staff understand procedures and
policies
• To maintain consistency in data entry
• To live with “one version of the truth”
• To preserve your institutional memory

6. Policies
• Gift acceptance policies, including all types of
gifts (stock, planned gifts, in-kind, etc.)
• Security – in software access and
departmentally
• New staff orientation
• Internal training
• Privacy policies
• Recognition policies

7. Procedures
• What do you do if a credit card payment is
rejected?
• If a check bounces?
• Do you get walk-in gifts? How are these
handled?
• Scanning/filing – what to keep, how and
where
• Gift acceptance
• Gift valuation

8. Gift Acceptance Policies
• I. GENERAL
• A. Payment of commitments may take the form of one or a combination of the following:
cash, marketable securities, or real property that can be reasonably expected to be
converted to cash within a reasonable time period (1-3 years).
• B. Commitments will be publicly recognized and/or commemorated consistent with the
donor’s wishes. Requests by donors for anonymity will be honored. Permission to publicly
recognize a donor and his/her gift will be assumed unless otherwise requested.
• C. Gifts will not be accepted where there is no charitable intent on the part of the donor.
• II. PLEDGES
• A. No verbal pledges will be recognized as having been made. Either a signed pledge or letter
of intent must be in the possession of Boys & Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay before a pledge is
recorded.
• B. The normal pledge payment period for gifts will be five years.
• C. Permanent donor recognition will be based upon the full payment of pledge commitments
within the allotted pledge period.

9. Gift Acceptance Procedures
A. The BGCT President and development staff are authorized to
accept all gifts of marketable securities and cash gifts.
B. Property gifts other than real estate may be accepted in
amounts under $25,000 by the President of BGCT. Property
gifts other than real estate valued over $25,000 require
formal approval by BGCT boards of directors.
C. Gifts of real property require the formal approval of the
boards of directors.

10. Gift Valuation Policies
• A. Cash
• In cases where gifts are made in cash, the valuation is the amount of the cash.
• B. Publicly Traded Securities
• Gifts of securities will be valued at the average market value on the date the full interest in
the transferred property is transmitted or postmark date if mailed.
• C. Privately Held Securities
• Gifts of closely held stock will be valued based on a qualified independent appraisal at the
time of transfer. Generally, gifts of privately held securities will be accepted only when
conversion into cash within a five-year time frame is expected.
• D. Real Property
• Gifts of real property will be reported based on the appraised value as determined by a
qualified independent appraiser within 60 days of the date of transfer.
• E. Life Insurance
• Gifts of life insurance will be valued, for recognition purposes, based on the surrender value
as of the date of the transfer.

11. Donor Recognition Policies
I. PURPOSE
• The purposes of donor recognition policies are twofold: (1) to provide a
genuine and lasting form of recognition for the generosity of benefactors
to Boys & Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay; and (2) to encourage potential donors
to raise their level of giving in order to achieve some form of recognition.
II. PEERAGE
• One of the principles behind the successful use of donor recognition is
that of peerage. Individuals, corporations, and foundations often wish to
be seen among their peers, and this includes being viewed as peers in
their level of giving. To over-encourage anonymity sometimes diminishes
the effectiveness of donor recognition policies because of the loss of
peerage.

12. Donor Recognition Policies
III. ANONYMITY
• Benefactors will be given the opportunity to choose anonymity, and this
anonymity will be reflected in all published lists and other forms of donor
recognition. The following will be those individuals who, for reasons of
stewardship and security, will be informed of the amount of all pledges
including those who request anonymity:
– BGCT President BGCT Chief Financial Officer
– BGCT Board Chairs VP of Development
– BGCT Counsel Development Manager
– Director of Public Relations Donor Services Manager
• Donors who elect anonymity should be made aware of the select
individuals who will be informed of their pledge, before news of the gift is
communicated. Donors should then have the opportunity to further limit
this list. Donors of $5,000 or more will be reported on the organization’s
990 form.

13. Donor Recognition Procedures
A. Summary
– Provisions will be made to recognize donors of $1,000 or more to Boys
& Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay while recognizing the wishes of those who
choose to remain anonymous.
B. Forms of Recognition
– BGCT will utilize the following three forms of donor recognition: (1)
named gift opportunities; (2) donor recognition levels on the Wall of
Honor; and (3) publications.
C. Named Gift Opportunities
– Named gift opportunities are the designation of clubs, rooms and
programs in recognition of a specified and agreed upon level of
financial support.
D. Donor Recognition Levels
– Donor recognition levels are groupings of donors according to levels of
giving in

14. Data Management Standards
• How are names entered
• Address standards
• Addressee/Salutation values
• Gift entry
• Output procedures
• Mailings
• Reports

15. How do I start?
• If you have individual documents that cover
specific functions or policies
– Collect all such documents into one folder
– Print out each document
– Review carefully for accuracy and effectiveness
– Organize and compile information into one
document
– Add necessary information

16. How do I start?
• If you are starting from scratch
– Steps
• Write Overview
• List any Prerequisites
• Describe the Steps in intimate detail

17. Write the overview
• Summarize the main points of your How-To,
including how it should be used.
• Edit the overview after you have completed all
other sections, to include any critical
definitions or explanations.

18. List any prerequisites
• Inform your reader about any required
knowledge or resources they may need before
stepping through your documentation.
Helping your readers to prepare increases the
likelihood that they will continue reading.

19. Describe the steps
• Using a precise, step-by-step approach, walk
your reader through the process. Make sure
your reader can reproduce your intended
result by following your exact steps. Make the
learning process efficient by supplying
samples or details as necessary.
• Always write for the lowest common
denominator
• Use examples

20. Describing the steps
• Remember – write for the person who knows
nothing!
• Walk through a process yourself
– Write down everything you do
• Keystrokes
• Menus accessed and selections made
• Decisions made
– Document the process
• Test yourself – repeat using your documentation

21. Summarize
• In a few sentences, remind the reader what
they have just learned.

22. Inform the user
• Documenting steps and keystrokes is
appropriate for certain types of users. Keep in
mind, however, that some readers will
assimilate information better if they see it in
context.
– Provide reasons for things being done as they are
– Remember that you are documenting standards,
not just data entry

23. Don’t make it a treasure hunt
• Documentation is more likely to be used if it is
easy to use. It is usually more effective to
repeat information rather than to compel
readers to hunt for it
– For example, if you are documenting standards for
address entry, copy the standards wherever in the
documentation address entry is included.

24. Organize!
• Create a natural flow for the content
• Include a Table of Contents and Appendix
– Glossary of terms can also be useful

25. Know when to say when
• Sometimes the hardest part about
documenting something is knowing when
enough has been said. Too much explanation
can cause the reader to lose focus.

26. Resources
• Software manual
– Can help clarify
– Fills in blanks
• TechSoup
• Google
– Searching for “how to write software
documentation” returned over 6 million hits

27. Contact Information
Cheryl J. Weissman
CJW Consulting & Services, Inc.
8331 Central Avenue
Morton Grove, IL 60053
866/598-0430 (US and Canada)
847/583-9930 (outside US and Canada)
cheryl@cjwconsulting.com

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