Advancement Database Usage

The college commits to safeguarding sensitive information for its constituents, protecting a relationship of trust with donors, alumni, students, and friends.

Responsible office
Advancement
Responsible party
Vice President of Advancement
Last revision
August 2013
Approved by
The Cabinet
Approval date
August 2013
Effective date
August 2013
Last review
March 2016
Additional references
Advancement Confidentiality Statements for Employees and Volunteers

Scope

All financial and administrative policies involving community members across campus, including volunteers are within the scope of this policy. If there is a variance between departmental expectations and the common approach described through college policy, the college will look to the campus community, including volunteers to support the spirit and the objectives of college policy. Unless specifically mentioned in a college policy, the college’s Board of Trustees are governed by their Bylaws.

Policy

ºÚÁϳԹϒs Division of Advancement maintains a database of biographic, demographic, and gift/pledge information about college alumni, parents, students, and friends in accordance with the needs of the college’s fundraising and alumni relations program. On occasion, this information may be used for institutional research purposes. ºÚÁÏ³Ô¹Ï is firmly committed to protecting the privacy of its constituents. Information in the advancement database should be utilized solely to further the fundraising and alumni relations mission of the college and accessed by those employees who have a need to conduct college business or volunteers working in an official capacity to further fundraising and alumni relations objectives.

The president of the college delegates administration of the college’s Advancement Database Usage policy to the vice president of advancement.

Procedures

Access to the Advancement module of Banner is limited to college employees whose positions require it and is granularly defined based on job role.  Information contained within the database is also made available to volunteers, faculty members, and administrators working in an official capacity to further ºÚÁϳԹϒs fundraising and alumni relations mission.

Outside the Division of Advancement, lawful and legitimate information requests may be submitted by college-affiliated entities, including, but not limited to the following.  In cases of dispute about whether an organization has a legitimate affiliation with the college, the final determination rests with the Vice President for Advancement:

  • administrative, academic, and athletic units of ºÚÁϳԹÏ;
  • executive administration;
  • alumni chapters affiliated with the Alumni Association
  1. Requests for information or constituent lists from departments outside of advancement should be sent to the assistant vice president for advancement operations for review and approval.  Advancement will make information available for college-related activities that support the college’s fundraising or alumni relations mission.  In cases of dispute about what constitutes an approved purpose, the final determination rests with the vice president for advancement.
  2. Information from the database may be shared with companies who provide a business service related to the mission of the Advancement Division (e.g. data-processing consultants, direct-mail vendors, marketing and merchandise firms, and alumni benefit offers).  The vendor must agree to use the information only for the purposes intended. The college requires third parties to protect personally identifiable information.
  3. ºÚÁÏ³Ô¹Ï may share the following information with other colleges or universities seeking the location of alumni with degrees from both ºÚÁÏ³Ô¹Ï and the requesting institution: full name, address, telephone number and email address; degree and date of degree awarded by ºÚÁϳԹÏ; major field of study; and employer address and telephone number.
  4. When ºÚÁÏ³Ô¹Ï receives requests for contact information from an outside individual, information will not be directly shared with requestor.  However, staff may offer to make contact with the constituent (unless the constituent is coded as “no contact”) and, with the permission of the requestor, will provide the requestor’s contact information.  This is a courtesy that should be extended freely but with discretion.
  5. Aggregate data which does not identify specific individuals or their personal information may be shared with funders, government organizations, peer institutions, and other groups. 
  6. Donor information may be shared with funders at the discretion of the vice president for advancement (e.g., list of top donors to satisfy terms of charitable grant).
  7. The college may share or transfer information in its database to comply with financial audit procedures; to respond to a judicial process; to comply with state, federal or local laws; or to provide information to law enforcement agencies to the extent required by law.

 

Definitions

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