Refund Policy

Policy: This Gift Acceptance and Valuation Policy (GAVP) provides guidance to Christine’s Place personnel regarding the planning, promoting, receipting, accepting, and disposing of charitable gifts.
All gifts accepted by Christine’s Place shall comply with charitable giving procedures in compliance with all provincial and federal laws and regulations.
This GAVP will be reviewed by the Executive Director and Treasurer on an annual basis or as circumstances may require. Revisions or recommendations to the policy are to be approved by the Leadership Team.

KEY TERMS AND DEFINITIONS:
The “Leadership Team” is comprised of the Executive Director; Chair, Treasurer, and other members of the board. ; and Administration.
 A “donor” is any individual, partnership, corporation, foundation, or other legal entity that makes a charitable gift to Christine’s Place.
 A “gift” is a voluntary transfer of property without consideration.
 An “inter vivos gift” is a gift made from one or more persons of property that were transferred while the gift-giver was living.
 An inter vivos gift is known as a testamentary transfer – a gift given after the gift-giver has passed away. A testamentary transfer would typically be something named in a will.
 The “Fair Market Value (FMV)” is generally considered the highest price, expressed in a dollar amount, that the property would bring in an open and unrestricted market between a willing buyer and a willing seller who are knowledgeable, informed, prudent, and are acting independently of each other.
 A gift that is “unusual” is generally a non-cash gift, other than publicly traded securities.
 “Unreasonable” is generally considered beyond the normal scope of using good judgment.
CATEGORIES OF GIVING
Outright gifts generally include:
• cash and cheques
• publicly traded securities
• real estate
• personal property
Deferred gifts generally include:
• bequests
• pooled income funds
• endowment funds
• life insurance policies
(Refer to Section IV, Gift Acceptance Guidelines, for a detailed list of outright and deferred gifts.)
The gift stewardship programs at "Ministry A" generally consist of these categories:
1. Non-donor-restricted gift support
2. Donor-restricted gift support for special projects (like the Building Fund)
3. Donor-restricted gift support for long-term purposes, hold specific restrictions as to the application and use of the gift’s principal and its income (e.g., 10-year gifts)
4. Donor-advised gift support, which holds specific advice on the application and use of the gift’s principal and its income
III. SPECIAL POLICY NOTATIONS

Acceptance and Distribution of Gifts: The Leadership Team shall delegate to the designated personnel of Christine’s Place the ability to accept gifts on behalf of Christine’s Place. The Leadership Team shall have the sole and absolute discretion on gifts received which hold unclear, impossible, inadvisable, or impractical instructions for distribution. The Leadership Team shall also have the ability to recover costs for gifts that require additional administrative and/or other professional advice.

Compatibility: All gifts must align with the charitable purposes and objects of Christine’s Place.

Prior Approval: All gifts that are unusual in nature should be referred to the Leadership Team for prior approval. Christine’s Place reserves the right to seek the advice of a lawyer and/or other appropriate professional counsel prior to making any final acceptance decisions.
Fundraising Appeals: The Leadership Team will establish and approve any appeal for the solicitation of gifts.

Internal Records: All documentation regarding donors must be maintained and controlled by the Executive Director, Stewardship Services. All donor information is confidential and unavailable to the public unless prior written consent of the donor is obtained or otherwise required to be disclosed by law.

Fees or Commissions: Christine’s Place will not pay fees to any person for directing a gift (i.e. incentive-based fundraising). "Ministry A" holds a comprehensive policy on ethical fundraising and financial accountability.

Professional or Appraisal Fees: If professional or appraisal fees are necessary, Christine’s Place shall use its best efforts to estimate the reasonableness of fees prior to payment and will ensure disclosure of same to the donor. Appraisals, where necessary, will be completed by individuals who are competent and qualified to appraise the property and who have no conflict of interest.

Gift Acknowledgement: All accepted gifts will be acknowledged immediately with an acknowledgment letter, which will include an official tax receipt, if applicable. All official tax receipts for gifts will comply with the Income Tax Act (ITA) and Regulations. For acknowledgment and recognition purposes, in regard to gifts given by Christine’s Place to qualified donees at the original donor’s request, Christine’s Place will disclose such donor’s name, except for those gifts specifically indicated by such donor as anonymous.

Gift-in-Kind: The date of “fair market value” will be established for inter vivos gifts as the date of title transfer. In the absence of any ability to determine valuation, the donor’s acknowledgment will carry a stated gift value of zero ($0). The proper valuation processes are set forth in Section V, Gift Valuation Guidelines, page 7 of this GAVP. A Gift-in-Kind Information Form will be used for the purpose of accepting all gifts-in-kind for Christine’s Place, except for gifts of securities.

Conflict of Interest: Christine’s Place will be cautious in all dealings with donors in order to avoid even the appearance of impropriety. If a direct or indirect conflict of interest is disclosed to Christine’s Place employee, that employee will refer this to the Leadership Team.

Gift Valuation: Christine’s Place will follow standard practice guidelines for the industry in valuing all outright and deferred gifts. The proper process of valuing non-cash property will be made pursuant to Section V, Gift Valuation Guidelines of this GAVP.

Gifts that cannot be accepted: Christine’s Place reserves the right to decline a gift. The following examples justify such an action, although other situations may also result in a declined gift:
• Any gift with features contrary to the charitable purposes and objects of Christine’s Place
• Any gift that violates any provincial or federal laws
• Any restrictive clause that may bring unwarranted pressure or embarrassment to Christine’s Place, the Board of Directors, or its employees
• Any gift that contains unreasonable conditions, liens, or other encumbrances
• Any gift that presents exposure to unacceptable liability
• Any gift that could financially or morally jeopardize the donor or Christine’s Place
• Any gift where an appropriate “fair market value” cannot be determined or will result in unwarranted or unmanageable expense for Christine’s Place
• Any gift that could jeopardize Christine’s Place's charitable status
• Any gift that could improperly benefit any donor
Any gift that holds a condition that is revocable in any way.
IV. GIFT ACCEPTANCE GUIDELINES
Gifts can be generally categorized as either outright or deferred. Christine’s Place recommends that individuals seek Independent Legal Advice (ILA) prior to making any significant outright or deferred gifts.
Christine’s Place donor-restricted gift policy:
Spending of funds is confined to programs and projects approved by the Christine’s Place Pregnancy & Family Support Centre Board Executive. Each restricted contribution designated toward such an approved program or project will be used as designated with the understanding that when the need for such a program or project has been met or cannot be completed for any reason determined by the Christine’s Place Board Executive, the remaining restricted contributions will be used where needed most.
Non-restricted funds will be added to the general fund and used where most needed. Gifts are acknowledged and receipted with an official receipt for income tax purposes at the end of each calendar year unless otherwise requested.
Cash and Cheques. This shall include electronic fund transfers and credit cards. All cheques shall be made payable to Christine’s Place. Cheques made payable to an employee or a Director for credit to Christine’s Place will not be accepted as a gift to Christine’s Place.
• Publicly Traded Securities. Christine’s Place will accept only publicly traded marketable securities that are to be sold immediately without restriction.
• Real Estate. All gifts of real estate will be referred to the Leadership Team for prior approval. Prior to any acceptance of a gift of real estate, Christine’s Place may require the completion of the following, if appropriate:
o arms-length appraisals
o title search
o a marketability checks
o an on-site evaluation
o an environmental survey
o determination of other costs or concerns
• Personal Property. Unique gifts will be considered by the Leadership Team. Acceptance is entirely at the sole discretion of the Leadership Team.
DEFERRED GIFTS:
• Estate Gifts. Consist of bequests to Christine’s Place through a Will or Testamentary Trust. Christine’s Place reserves the right to decline any gifts from the estate of a deceased donor that are not in compliance with this GAVP.
• Planned Gifts. Deferred gifts may also consist, but are not limited to, the following types of planned gifts:
o Donor-Advised Pooled Funds. A minimum initial contribution ($100,000) is required. Any exceptions to this minimum will be referred to the Leadership Team.
o Donor-Advised Pooled Funds - 10-Year Gifts. A minimum initial contribution ($500,000) is required. Any exceptions to this minimum will be referred to the Leadership Team. All agreements relating to these types of gifts must balance the obligations of Christine’s Place in administering the funds and provide flexibility for future conditions which may impact the donor’s intent for the funds.
V. GIFT VALUATION GUIDELINES
ESTABLISHING THE DATE OF THE GIFT:
Generally, the date of any contribution will be defined as the date on which the donor irrevocably relinquishes control of the property to " Christine’s Place. If the donor is deceased, the valuation date is the day prior to death. The Estate Trustee Information letter must be retained.
If the date of the gift cannot be determined, the following guidelines will be used:
• Personal Property. Gifts of tangible personal property, no matter how delivered, are deemed to be accepted by Christine’s Place when the title is transferred to Christine’s Place.
• Credit and Debit Cards. Credit and debit card gifts are deemed to be accepted on the day Christine’s Place account is credited, providing funds have sufficiently cleared the banking system.
• Real Estate: A gift of real estate is accepted when the Deed is registered in the name of Christine’s Place.
• Gift of Securities. Based on delivery method:
o Electronically Transferred – The date the shares are received in Christine’s Place brokerage account. A copy of the brokerage activity sheet must be retained.
o Hand-delivered – The date the physical certificates, the Authorization to Transfer Publicly Traded Securities, and Request for Charity Beneficiary Forms are received at Christine’s Place office. The stamped date with this notation must be retained.
o Mailed – The date the physical security certificates, and the Authorization to Transfer Publicly Traded Securities Form are postmarked. The envelope with the postmark must be retained.
ESTABLISHING THE VALUE OF THE GIFT:
Christine’s Place must be able to determine the FMV of any non-cash gifts. Should Christine’s Place not be able to reasonably determine the FMV of a gift, the donor’s acknowledgment will state a value of zero ($0). If the FMV of an item can be easily determined (cash register receipt for a new purchase), a third-party appraisal may not be required. The FMV of a gift-in-kind does not include taxes paid on purchasing the item.
Exceptions may be referred to the Leadership Team; however, Christine’s Place will be guided by the following:
• Donations are valued at less than $1,000. A person with sufficient knowledge may establish FMV, documenting the basis used for the estimate and any other pertinent information.
• Donations are valued at $1,000 and over. FMV will be based on an independent appraisal completed by a qualified third party.
• FMV. Gifts of property are subject to a deemed FMV rule, which applies to any property donated within three years of acquisition or acquired through a gifting arrangement. The deemed FMV is the lesser of the actual FMV or the donor’s cost to acquire the property, or in the case of capital property, the adjusted cost base, with the following exceptions:
o gifts made as a consequence of a donor’s death
o inventory
o real property situated in Canada
o certified cultural property
o gifts of publicly traded securities
o ecological gifts

• Gifts of Securities. FMV is based on the closing price of the units or shares recorded on the day the securities are received into Christine’s Place brokerage account.
VI. CONCLUSION
The policies set out in this GAVP are intended to assist and provide guidance for employees at Christine’s Place involved in receiving and receipting gifts on behalf of Christine’s Place. All exceptions to this GAVP must be referred to the Leadership Team at Christine’s Place, especially those gifts that
• might expose Christine’s Place to uncertain liability
• are precedent-setting or may involve sensitive issues
• are perceived to come from illegal or unethical activities
• are from individuals or organizations whose philosophy and values could be considered inconsistent with the overall philosophy and values of Christine’s Place.
This policy shall be reviewed annually. It may also be amended upon recommendation and approval by the Board Leadership Team.