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Donor Charter

What is the Donor Charter?
The University of Melbourne celebrates the important role of philanthropy at the University and is committed to outstanding levels of donor stewardship and ensuring that donors have fulfilling experiences when supporting the University. We will implement gifts as agreed with a donor and seek to create meaningful opportunities to nurture a donor’s lifelong relationship with the institution, while providing accurate and timely information pertaining to the investment, use and impact of their gifts.

The University of Melbourne makes the following Commitments to Donors:

To be transparent, informative and professional

  • The University of Melbourne adheres to the Universities Australia Code of Practice for Australian University Philanthropy.
  • A donor can expect to be informed of the University's mission, the way the University intends to use the gift and the identity of key personnel involved in managing the gift.
  • Individuals representing the University will act in a professional manner, and will inform prospective donors if they are volunteers, students or University staff.
  • No program, agreement, trust or contract will be pursued with potential donors at the expense of the donor’s best interests and motivations.
  • The University and its staff will actively and positively provide relevant information on the University, and the use of, and progress with, the gift.

To respect the privacy of donors

  • Donors’ details will be treated confidentially and will not be shared with any organisation outside the University for their own purposes without express permission.
  • Requests for anonymity will be respected, honoured and confidentially enacted.

To use gifts effectively and ethically in line with donor wishes

  • The University is committed to ensuring that philanthropic gifts are managed in an efficient, effective and ethical manner for their intended purposes.
  • Should it become impractical or impossible to carry out the expressed purpose(s), or where the University reasonably believes that the original expressed wishes are no longer a suitable and effective means of using the gift, the University will communicate with the donor or the donor’s nominated representative.
  • As part of our commitment to responsible management and oversight of philanthropic gifts, the Gift Committee helps University Council to monitor how the University receives, tracks and applies gifts based on the wishes expressed by donors. The Committee reports annually to Council on the administration of philanthropic income of the University.

To acknowledge and recognise donors and celebrate philanthropy

  • All donors will receive an official receipt, and appropriate acknowledgement, recognition and publicity.

A pdf copy of the Donor Charter can be found here.

More information:
Megan McPherson
Head of Donor Relations
University of Melbourne Advancement
+61 3 9035 5817
megan.mcpherson@unimelb.edu.au