Donor Bill of Rights

The Donor Bill of Rights was created by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP), the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), and the Giving Institute: Leading Consultants to Non-Profits. It has been endorsed by numerous organizations.

The Donor Bill of Rights

Philanthropy is based on voluntary action for the common good. It is a tradition of giving and sharing that is primary to the quality of life. To assure that philanthropy merits the respect and trust of the general public, and that donors and prospective donors can have full confidence in the not-for-profit organizations and causes they are asked to support, we declare that all donors have these rights:

To be informed of the organization's mission, of the way the organization intends to use donated resources, and of its capacity to use donations effectively for their intended purposes.
To be informed of the identity of those serving on the organization's governing board, and to expect the board to exercise prudent judgment in its stewardship responsibilities.
To have access to the organization's most recent financial statements.
To be assured their gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given.
To receive appropriate acknowledgement and recognition.
To be assured that information about their donation is handled with respect and with confidentiality to the extent provided by law.
To expect that all relationships with individuals representing organizations of interest to the donor will be professional in nature.
To be informed whether those seeking donations are volunteers, employees of the organization or hired solicitors.
To have the opportunity for their names to be deleted from mailing lists that an organization may intend to share.
To feel free to ask questions when making a donation and to receive prompt, truthful and forthright answers.

Administrative Fee

The Valley Hospital Foundation is committed to providing the best service possible to ensure that gifts are used according to our donors’ intentions. Like other organizations that depend on philanthropic support, the Foundation needs to cover administrative costs incurred in responsibly managing its fundraising operations. As approved by the Valley Hospital Foundation Board of Trustees in March 2019, the current administrative fee assessed on all temporarily restricted gifts is 15% of the total gift amount.

Opt-Out of Foundation Communications

You have a right to opt-out of fundraising solicitation and your decision will have no impact on your treatment or payment for services. If you do not want the Foundation to contact you for fundraising, you may call the Foundation at 201-291-6300, send an email to the Foundation at vhf@valleyhealth.com or by contacting the Foundation in writing at The Valley Hospital Foundation, 4 Valley Health Plaza, Paramus, NJ, 07652.