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 whether those seeking donations are volunteers, employees of the organization or hired solicitors.

We do not employ hired solicitors and rely entirely on our volunteer board and our staff.

To be assured their gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given.

Our most recent annual report, highlighting how we have put donations to work, is provided to all donors and can also be found here.

To receive appropriate acknowledgment and recognition.

All donations are promptly acknowledged within seven days. Donors who have not requested to be anonymous are recognized in our annual report.

To be assured that information about their donations is handled with respect and with confidentiality to the extent provided by law.

Our privacy policy can be found here.

To have the opportunity for their names to be deleted from mailing lists that an organization may intend to share.

We provide an “opt-out” on all donor gift cards and remove those names from mailing lists that we might share.

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.

Our strategic plan “The Way Forward: Action Plan for 2010-2015” guides our program work and can be viewed at this link.

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.

Our board of trustees and their affiliations is available here.

To have access to the organization's most recent financial statements.

Our most recent annual financial statements are available online.

To expect that all relationships with individuals representing organizations of interest to the donor will be professional in nature.

River Network staff has embraced a “Compact" of shared values. You can find it here.

To feel free to ask questions when making a donation and to receive prompt, truthful and forthright answers.

We encourage you to call our office 503-241-3506 x 380 if you would like a hard copy of any of the above documents or any time you have questions.