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Trinity Development & Alumni

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Donor Charter

Our pledge is to treat all our donors with respect, honesty and openness.

We commit to being accountable and transparent so that our donors and prospective donors have full confidence in Trinity Foundation (Trinity Development & Alumni*) hereinafter referred to as ‘the Foundation’.

We commit that our donors and prospective donors will:

  • Be dealt with in an open and transparent manner, be informed of the Foundation’s contact details, charitable status and Board of Trustees.
  • Experience a charitable Foundation which is governed according to best practice.
  • Receive fundraising solicitations and stewardship reports from the Foundation that accurately describe the Foundation's activities and the intended / actual uses of donated funds.
  • Be treated with respect and professionalism by all individuals representing the Foundation.
  • Be assured your gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given.
  • Receive appropriate reporting, acknowledgment, recognition and publicity for their donation or to have requests for anonymity respected.
  • Be assured that your right to privacy will be respected, including the right to request the deletion of your details from the Foundation’s database. All personal information will be handled in strict accordance with the Data Protection Act, 2018 and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), ensuring your data is processed lawfully, fairly, and transparently. For more information on how we protect your privacy, please refer to our TDA Privacy Statement which outlines our full data handling practices.
  • Be made aware of the agreed procedures for making and responding to complaints.
  • Be assured the Foundation complies with the Charities Act, 2009 and adheres to the guidelines and requirements of the Charity Regulatory Authority.

All donations will be:

  • Used solely to deliver the objectives and priorities of Trinity College Dublin.
  • Transferred in full to the School or Project nominated by the Donor; the Foundation’s running costs are funded in full by the University.
  • Handled with the highest level of accuracy and transparency and financial records will be kept ensuring accountability and tracking.
  • Applied to that purpose to which they were donated. Where the gift cannot be used as the donor wishes, where practicable, the Foundation will discuss with the donor how else she/he would wish to use the funds within the University. When un-designated gifts are received, they will be used for such purposes as the Foundation and University determine will best advance the University’s priorities.
  • Acknowledged promptly, unless no acknowledgement is requested, or insufficient contact details are provided.
  • Subjected to an annual audit by a firm of independent Auditors, and will be included in the Foundation’s annual accounts filed with the Charities Regulator.
  • Maximised where possible and where permission has been granted by the Donor, through the reclamation of tax relief.

Trinity Foundation Staff will:

  • Be polite, courteous, transparent, accurate and honest.
  • Respond where necessary to email, letters and telephone enquiries, in a prompt manner.
  • Achieve the highest standards of professionalism at all times.
  • Carry out due diligence on prospective donors and donations in line with the University’s Gift Acceptance Policy.
  • Seek to minimise costs relating to fundraising and stewardship activities.
  • Treat feedback and complaints seriously whether made by telephone, letter, email or in person and deal with them quickly and appropriately.
  • Adhere to the guidelines and responsibilities for management and staff contained in the Guidelines for Charitable Organisations Fundraising from the Public.
Trinity Foundation

Trinity Foundation was established as an independent legal entity in 1994 as the engine for Trinity College's philanthropic fundraising. In 2015, Trinity Foundation, while remaining a separate legal entity, was integrated into Trinity College Dublin and renamed as Trinity Development & Alumni internally as part of a programme to further embed fundraising and alumni engagement activities in the College.