As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, the Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation (TSAHC) relies on grants and private donations, leveraged with earned revenue from programs, to meet the housing needs of low-income Texans. Supporting TSAHC is an excellent way for housing industry professionals, corporations, foundations, and other entities and individuals to demonstrate their commitment to expanding the availability of affordable housing opportunities in Texas. We consider our donors to be partners in our efforts to create a Texas where all have access to safe, decent and affordable housing.
To ensure our programs and activities are in line with our purpose stated under state and federal law, TSAHC cannot accept donations from corporations or other entities whose practices contradict the values contained in our mission to serve the housing needs of low-income Texans. Examples of these entities include, but are not limited to, for-profit credit repair organizations and high-cost financial services providers (e.g. payday loan providers).
TSAHC will publicly acknowledge donors by including the name of the donor on TSAHC’s website www.tsahc.org; annual report; and program communications, webpages and other marketing materials, as may be appropriate. Donors contributing $500 or more will also receive recognition on TSAHC’s social media sites and will be invited to submit a logo and/or website link for inclusion on TSAHC’s website and in one issue of TSAHC’s monthly e-newsletter.
Donors may opt out of this public acknowledgement by requesting that their donations remain anonymous at the time of the donation. While TSAHC staff will work with donors to obtain appropriate names and/or logos for recognition purposes, unless specifically solicited, donors will receive no other input into TSAHC’s programs or operations.
TSAHC is also committed to honoring the privacy of our donors, and we have adopted the policy below to guide TSAHC staff and volunteers on how to handle personal information collected from donors. This policy may be updated as necessary.
TSAHC collects various types of personal information from donors when it is voluntarily provided to us. This information includes: 1) contact information (name, address, telephone number, and email address), 2) donation amount and frequency, and 3) any other personal information provided to us.
TSAHC does not publish, sell, trade, rent or share donor information to outside parties. TSAHC uses contact information (email, telephone number and address) of donors for these purposes only:
1. To thank donors and distribute receipts for donations
2. To inform donors about TSAHC program updates and fundraising activities
3. To inform donors about changes to this policy
4. For internal record keeping and reporting
5. For reports to relevant government agencies, as required by law
To process online donations securely, TSAHC partners with Blackbaud Merchant Services, an online donation processor. To enhance credit and debit card data security, Blackbaud Merchant Services is compliant with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) and the Payment Application Data Security Standard (PA-DSS). Donations will show up on credit card statements as TSAHC. Blackbaud Merchant Services does not provide TSAHC with donor financial information, including credit card information.
Donor financial information that is provided to TSAHC directly via pledge card or other source will be immediately entered by TSAHC staff into the secure online processing system powered by Blackbaud Merchant Services. TSAHC limits staff access to donor financial information only for the sole purpose of processing the donation. Once donor financial information is entered into Blackbaud Merchant Services, the pledge card or other information is stored in a secure location until after the need for such information to comply with auditing standards has expired. At that time, the donor financial information is shredded to ensure it is not exposed to unauthorized staff use.
Donations made to TSAHC by cash or check are handled by the Chief Financial Officer and/or her designees and are processed immediately into the appropriate TSAHC account.
TSAHC subscribes to the Donor Bill of Rights, which was which was created by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP), the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), and the Giving Institute: Leading Consultants to Non-Profits.
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.
© 2013, Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), all rights reserved. Reprinted with permission from the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
