Gift Acceptance Policy

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, BIO Girls gratefully accepts tax-deductible sponsorships to support its mission relevant activities. BIO Girls has developed this Gift Acceptance Policy to ensure that any accepted gifts will allow BIO Girls to maintain its integrity, impartiality, as well as the appearance of impartiality, and to maintain public confidence in the organization. BIO Girls will not solicit or accept sponsorships or gifts from corporate entities whose practices, policies, or operations are deemed unacceptable and contrary to the values implicit in its mission.

Statement of Policy
BIO Girls actively solicits and encourages the business community, service clubs, and other organizations to become sponsors and donors of BIO Girls events, programs, and services. BIO Girls enters into sponsorship agreements with sponsors and accepts donations from organizations it deems appropriate. Sponsorship agreements may vary by sponsor. This policy is designed to be mindful of BIO Girls’ status as a nonprofit organization under the law. BIO Girls reserves the right to refuse or decline any offer of sponsorship at its absolute discretion or to negotiate with the sponsor concerning any aspect of a proposed sponsorship.

A sponsorship is defined as a mutually beneficial exchange arranged in advance whereby.

BIO Girls obtains financial support for a specified activity.
Sponsor receives acknowledgement in return for cash and/or products and services-in-kind to BIO Girls.

A donation is defined as a contribution to BIO Girls for support of its mission, programming and events.

BIO Girls obtains financial support for specific activity.
Donor does not receive public acknowledgement in return for cash and/or products and services-in-kind to BIO Girls.

Sponsorship and Donor Guidelines
BIO Girls welcomes sponsorship and donors in support of its organizational efforts subject to the following guidelines:

BIO Girls will not accept sponsorship that reflects in a negative manner on the organization, does not align with its mission statement, or is not in the best interest of the health and safety of the organization as determined by decision-making parties listed below.
BIO Girls works with children. Therefore, we do not accept sponsorships for certain categories of products and services, including but not limited to:

Alcohol products
Illegal drugs and drug paraphernalia
Weapons
Tobacco products or establishments
Sexual escort services
Gambling opportunities or casinos
Weight-loss products or plans
Plastic surgery or body augmentation
Adult Novelty Products and Services

BIO Girls does not endorse, directly or by implication, any products, services, or ideas promoted by sponsorship or donor organizations.
Individual staff should not receive any substantial benefit from association with sponsors or donors. Any commissions, substantial gifts, or other financial benefits should be brought to the attention of a supervisor.

BIO Girls must retain control over any sponsored program and sponsors should not have any input into operational matters relating to a project they have sponsored.

This policy is not applicable to philanthropic contributions, grants, or unsolicited donations in which no benefits are granted to the sponsor and where no business relationship exists.

Sponsor or donor does not receive any special program benefits, priority treatment or governance over BIO Girls programming.

BIO Girls reserves the right to determine appropriateness of linking to the Sponsor or Donor from the BIO Girls web and social media properties. If sponsor or donor website includes any of the following either implicitly or explicitly, acknowledgement will be made but a link back to the sponsor/donor site will be prohibited:

Sex, Sexual Products, Sexual Enhancements
Nudity or partial nudity
Alcohol or street drugs
Weapons
Gambling

No Endorsement
BIO Girls, by accepting a sponsorship or donation, is not giving an implied or real endorsement of that donor. All public communications regarding philanthropic engagements are subject to prior agreement by BIO Girls and the donor. No third-party entity, including a corporation, may use BIO Girls name and/or trademarks without explicit written permission.

Right to Terminate
BIO Girls retains the right to terminate a philanthropic engagement for reasons relating to actual or potential reputational harm or legal compliance, breach of an agreement, and misuse of BIO Girls intellectual property including its name or brand.

Gift Acceptance Review
BIO Girls’ Board of Directors will convene as needed to review and make determinations regarding a potential gift(s). BIO Girls reserves the right to refuse any gift it believes is not in the best interest of the organization. All decisions to solicit and/or accept potentially controversial gifts will be made by the Board of Directors.

Restrictions on Gifts
BIO Girls will not accept gifts that (a) would result in BIO Girls violating its mission, (b) would result in BIO Girls losing its tax-exempt status as a charitable organization under Section 501(c)3 as recognized by the Internal Revenue Service, (c) are too difficult or too expensive to administer in relation to their value, (d) would result in any unacceptable consequences for BIO Girls or (e) are for purposes outside BIO Girls’ mission. Decisions on the restrictive nature of a gift, and its acceptance or refusal, shall be made by the Board of Directors. In order to be honored, gifts with restrictions on use of funds are required to be in writing and state the specific restrictions. If BIO Girls is not able to honor the restrictions, BIO Girls will work with the donor to come to a mutually-agreeable solution.

Gifts Generally Accepted Without Review

Gifts from donors that explicitly share the mission and values of BIO Girls
Gifts from donors with which BIO Girls has an established and beneficial funding relationship
Gifts from non-controversial donors

Gifts Accepted Subject to Prior Review
Certain forms of gifts or donations may be subject to review prior to acceptance. Examples of gifts subject to prior review include, but are not limited to:

Gifts from institutional donors (including foundations, foreign government agencies, corporations, corporate foundations, or for-profit entities) that might not implicitly or explicitly share the core values of BIO Girls
Gifts that require review by legal counsel: E.g. securities, tangible personal property, life insurance proceeds, or real estate
Gifts that could lead to conflicts of interest
Gifts that include significant restrictions

Use of Legal Counsel
BIO Girls will seek the advice of legal counsel in matters relating to acceptance of gifts when deemed appropriate. Review by counsel is recommended for:

Gifts of securities that are subject to restrictions or buy-sell agreements.
Documents naming BIO Girls as trustee or requiring BIO Girls to act in any fiduciary capacity.
Gifts requiring BIO Girls to assume financial or other obligations.
Transactions with potential conflicts of interest.
Gifts of property which may be subject to environmental or other regulatory restrictions.
Non-cash gifts if the donor is willing to cover legal review costs, if necessary and costs related to bringing donation to completion.
Gifts involving use of Charitable Remainder Trust and other comparable strategies.
Gifts of art or other collectible items.

Gifts In-Kind
BIO Girls accepts gift-in-kind donations that provide added benefit to the organization’s work and mission. BIO Girls will provide an official acknowledgement to donors for their accepted gifts, but in accordance with IRS regulations, the organization cannot provide gift valuation and the donor is responsible for determining the value of the gift. If an in-kind donation does not further the organization’s goals, BIO Girls reserves the right to decline the gift and/or send the donation and donor contact information to another charitable organization.