The Brown University Gift Announcement Policy establishes requirements that ensure public announcements of philanthropic gifts to Brown align with established University protocols and policies for gift acceptance and reflect Brown’s principles for accepting gifts in support of its educational and research mission. This policy establishes that the final decision about a Public Announcement for any Gift to Brown will be made by the Division of Advancement in consultation with Brown’s central Office of University Communications.

This policy applies to all members of the Brown community. This includes academic and administrative units; faculty members and individuals with an academic appointment at Brown; staff members on behalf of their academic or administrative unit; student organizations recognized by Brown’s Student Activities Office; members of the Corporation of Brown University and members of a Standing Committee of the Corporation; and any recognized affiliates of Brown seeking to make a Public Gift Announcement.

Brown has well-established practices in place to guide its work with donors, including a Gift Acceptance Policy and written gift agreements that formalize all commitments made by both the donor and the University. Individual donors of gifts of any amount make decisions about the details they wish to share publicly about their gifts. When desired, specified details are shared in a Public Gift Announcement.

Public Gift Announcements include, not only formal news releases, but also any notice of any length about a Gift to Brown — of any amount — not previously made public shared in any medium [See Definitions].

Public Gift Announcements require review and approval by the University’s Division of Advancement. The Division of Advancement stewards all public announcements of philanthropic gifts, working in partnership and consultation with stakeholders in offices and departments across Brown. Advancement manages announcements in partnership with Brown’s central Office of University Communications and consults, as appropriate, with the Office of General Counsel and the relevant academic or administrative unit or program that will benefit from the gift.

The Division of Advancement works with Brown stakeholders to ensure the following prior to any Public Gift Announcement:

• Any Gift to Brown has been accepted in line with the University’s Gift Acceptance Policy and satisfies all conditions for gifts requiring approval.
• Gifts of $1 million or more have been approved formally by the Corporation of Brown University, the institution’s highest governing body.
• The University has secured from the donor prior consent for making a Public Gift Announcement.
• Details regarding the donor’s name and size of the gift are made public only with the donor’s prior consent.
• Any announcement for a Naming Gift — for which a building, faculty or staff position or fellowship, or academic or administrative program or activity reflects investment by a donor or donors — follows the University’s policy on Naming or Renaming University Buildings Spaces, Programs and Positions.

For the purpose of this policy, the terms below have the following definitions:

Gift to Brown: A voluntary, non-reciprocal charitable donation of financial value — whether in recognized legal tender or currency, or other form of property or resources — in exchange for which nothing in return is promised, expected, implied or forthcoming to the donor.

Naming Gift: A Gift to Brown that bestows on a Brown facility, personnel appointment, program or activity the name of a donor, donor family, or some other individual/organization for whom the gift is named or whom the gift honors.

Public Gift Announcement: Any communication or message — or portion of a message — purporting to be on behalf of the University, one of its academic or administrative units, or any member of the Brown community, and distributed, disseminated, posted online or otherwise shared via mass distribution with Brown constituencies or the public sharing with the target constituency details not previously made public of a Gift to Brown.

All individuals to whom this policy applies are responsible for becoming familiar with and following this policy. University supervisors and employees with student oversight duties are responsible for promoting the understanding of this policy and for taking appropriate steps to help ensure and enforce compliance with it.

The Office of Advancement Communications will help ensure that communications directors across the University’s academic and administrative programs are aware of the policy and provide updates as any revisions to the policy are made.

Failure to comply with this and related policies is subject to disciplinary action, up to and including suspension without pay, or termination of employment or association with the University, in accordance with applicable (e.g., staff, faculty, student) disciplinary procedures.

Brown University is a community in which employees are encouraged to share workplace concerns with University leadership. Additionally, Brown’s Anonymous Reporting Hotline allows anonymous and confidential reporting on matters of concern online or by phone (877-318-9184).

The following information complements and supplements this document. The information is intended to help explain this policy and is not an all-inclusive list of policies, procedures, laws and requirements.