Charitable Donations Acceptance Procedure

Releasing Potential is happy to accept charitable donations from organisations and/or individuals.

Our Charitable Donations Acceptance Procedures provide guidance to donors and their advisors about how charitable donations can be made to and, accepted by the charity.  Releasing Potential values the generosity of its benefactors and supporters and wishes to demonstrate this with integrity and accountability. Funds are managed through our charity (Charity No. 1097440) which makes provision for the needs of the charity and the school. The Education Sub-Committee, Trustees, Executive Team and Senior Leadership Team undertake to treat all donations, gifts and bequests with the highest level of care and respect in support of the charitable aims of Releasing Potential. Releasing Potential is immensely grateful to those who support its work.

General Charitable Donations

1. Releasing Potential receives gifts from individuals, corporations, charitable trusts and foundations.

2. Donors can make gifts to Releasing Potential by donating in/by:

• Cash
• Cheque(s)
• Bank transfer
• Tangible personal property
• Real estate (property and land)
• Legacies
• Shares
• Gifts in kind (the acceptance of Gifts in Kind will be reviewed on a case by case basis)

3. Releasing Potential’s Chief Financial Officer is responsible for facilitating, soliciting, and accepting gifts which are made to the charity.

4. Releasing Potential thanks all donors for gifts made to the charity. This process (where appropriate) includes a written thank you letter from the Chief Financial Officer which states the donor’s name, address, value of donation, and the fund the donation is directed to. This letter is provided to the donor on Releasing Potential headed paper which details Releasing Potential’s address, telephone number, website, company number, and registered charity number

5. Donors are also acknowledged, unless anonymity is requested, in the Releasing Potential Annual Charity Report, where appropriate.

6. The gift(s), donor details and related correspondence is recorded and stored in accordance with all fundraising regulation and legislation. Releasing Potential will ensure that receipt of gifts and donations complies with fundraising regulation and legislation.

7. Donors who wish to donate a gift valued at £25,000 or more are required to complete a Statement of Intent. In the Statement of Intent the donor is asked to declare the amount they wish to donate, to which fund they wish the donation to be directed, and to detail how they intend to make the donation.

8.  Releasing Potential will ensure that accepted unrestricted charitable donations or gifts (i.e. those given with no specific purpose)                will be used at the discretion of the Chief Executive Officer in accordance with the charity’s aims. For the period 2017-2019, all                  unrestricted donations/gifts will be purposed for use by Releasing Potential Enterprises.                    

Larger charitable donations and requests

Our benefactors and donors have the right:

• To be informed of how Releasing Potential intends to use donations.
• To know that Releasing Potential is committed to using all donations effectively.
• To know that any gift made for a particular purpose will be used for that purpose. Should this no longer be feasible at a future date, every effort will be made to consult the donor (or their representatives) and their wishes taken into account as to any redirection of funds.
• To feel confident that the Trustees and Senior Leadership Team at Releasing Potential will invest and use their donations wisely and appropriately, acting at all times in the long-term best interests of Releasing Potential.
• To receive regular and candid information, including progress reports, on work they have supported.
• To receive prompt and honest answers to any enquiries they may make, whether before or after making a gift.
• To be informed whether those seeking donations are volunteers or employees of Releasing Potential and to be confident that they will always observe the highest professional standards.
• To be confident that any request for anonymity will be observed and their rights to privacy will be respected
• To receive a prompt acknowledgment and appropriate recognition of their donation in accordance with their wishes. As Releasing Potential is committed to the highest standards of integrity and to academic excellence, no gift will be accepted if a condition of such acceptance would compromise these fundamental principles.

Charitable Giving Policy

Releasing Potential believes firmly in promoting social justice, and, from time to time we make ‘in kind’ donations to other charities or organisations supporting this aim. As a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee (Charity Number 1097440, Company Number 4622100) we are governed by rules on charitable giving set down by Companies House and the Charities Commission. This means that any donations we make need to contribute to meeting our own objects.

Releasing Potential’s objects are:

1. a) to advance the education of young people including but not by way of limitation those who have special needs and/or those who are excluded from mainstream education in such ways as the trustees may from time to time think fit;
2. b) to provide training for other individuals and/or groups to equip them to provide education for such young people as provided in clause a) above and clause c) below;
3. c) to advance and relieve the social needs of young people through:
4. The provision of recreational and leisure time activities provided in the interest of social welfare, designed to improve their conditions of life;
5. Providing support and activities which develop their skills, capacities and capabilities to enable them to participate in society as mature, responsible individuals.

Releasing Potential Amended Articles of Association, February 2012

All charitable donations given by Releasing Potential are at the charity’s discretion and can be recalled or withdrawn if it is felt they are not being honoured in the manner or spirit they were intended for.

Releasing Potential regrets that we are unable to consider requests for donations for private individuals.