1. When to Obtain Donor Prospect Clearance
Any person, unit or University entity wishing to solicit prospective donors, on behalf of Memorial University, for a philanthropic gift valued at $1,000 or more during a major campaign or for $5,000 outside of a campaign, must submit the names of the prospects (whether individuals, foundations, corporations or other organizations), and apply to the Office of Development and Alumni Engagement via the Donor Prospect Clearance From for clearance to proceed with cultivation and solicitation. See Gift Acceptance policy.

In addition, solicitation of groups of 100 or more individuals for any gift amount (e.g., professional associations) must be cleared in order to avoid multiple solicitations of the same individuals.

Acedemic and non-academic leadership or any faculty member, staff member or volunteer involved in fundraising initiatives will regularly consult with the Office of Development and Alumni Engagement.

No one may make commitments to donors on behalf of the University without due authorization and/or without first consulting with the Office of Development and Alumni Engagement.

2. The Donor Prospect Clearance Process
Requests for Prospect Clearance may be submitted at any time using the Donor Prospect Clearance form and forwarded to the designated contact indicated on the form, in accordance with the Procedure to Apply for Donor Prospect Clearance.

Submissions will be reviewed regularly by the Donor Prospect Clearance Committee. Consideration will be given to the number of clearances granted to each individual to ensure solicitations occur in an appropriate timeframe with appropriate supports.  The Donor Prospect Clearance Committee will also assign a development staff member as liaison to Applicants at that time, if the Applicant is not a Development/Campaign Staff member. Being assigned more than 20 prospects will require the Executive Director's approval.

Requests for new/second Donor Prospect Clearance for donors already cleared for a period of time will be considered on a case-by-case basis, with the understanding that generally only one clearance at a time will be approved.

3. Clearance Period
Applicants will be notified of the decision of the Prospect Clearance Committee normally within one week of the meeting in which the submission is considered. In the case of a favourable decision, the Applicant will be advised of the duration for which clearance has been granted and the projects for which a donor may be solicited. (typically for a period of not more than 180 days.) Upon expiration of the Clearance Period, or if the Applicant has been unsuccessful in securing a donation commitment, the prospective donor will be returned to the prospect pool.

4. Reporting and tracking progress of donor cultivation and solicitation

The applicant will inform the assigned development staff member of any activities involving assigned prospects during the clearance period and the results of these activities.

If, as a result of the original cultivation or solicitation the donor indicates a preference for other projects, the Applicant is required to notify the assigned development staff member so that a solicitation strategy targeted to the donor's stated preference can be constructed.

The development staff member will assist in solicitation strategy. Meetings with Applicants and assigned development staff will be held regularly to review cultivation/solicitation progress on assigned prospects. The assigned development staff will ensure activity is properly documented in the donor database.

5. Requests for Extension of the Clearance Period
At the end of the Clearance Period, a request for an extension of Prospect Clearance may be submitted to the Prospect Clearance Committee. The decision to grant an extension, and the duration of any extension, will be assessed based upon the cultivation progress that has been made, or the status of discussions with the prospective donor. Typically, the extension would be for 3 months. In addition, the Prospect Clearance Committee, in extenuating circumstances, may need to change the status of any Prospect Clearance after consultation with appropriate parties.