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Accountability

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 ensure that philanthropy merits the respect and trust of the general public, and that donors and prospective donors can have full confidence in the nonprofit 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.
  • 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.
  • Have access to the organization’s most recent financial statements.
  • Be assured their gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given.
  • Receive appropriate acknowledgement and recognition.
  • Be assured that information about their donation is handled with respect and with confidentiality to the extent provided by law.
  • Expect that all relationships with individuals representing organizations of interest to the donor will be professional in nature.
  • Be informed whether those seeking donations are volunteers, employees of the organization, or hired solicitors.
  • Feel free to ask questions when making a donation and receive prompt, truthful, and forthright answers.
  • The Donor Bill of Rights was created by the American Association of Fundraising Counsel (AAFRC), Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP), the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). It has been endorsed by numerous organizations.

Adopted by the St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital Foundation as a founding principal.

Imagine Canada
Canadian Association of Gift Planners
Association of Fundraising Professionals
Association for Healthcare Philanthropy

Privacy and Confidentiality

The St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital Foundation is committed to protecting the personal information of its employees, volunteers, members, customers, donors, and other stakeholders.

Policy Statement

The St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital Foundation (the ‘Foundation’) meets all legislative requirements with respect to protecting the privacy of its employees, volunteers, donors, and other community stakeholders and their personal information. We also comply with the Donor Bill of Rights developed by the American Association of Fund Raising Counsel, the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy, Council for Advancement and Support of Education, and the Association of Fund Raising Professionals. We are also accredited with Imagine Canada’s Standards Program and adhere to 73 standards in the areas of board governance, financial accountability & transparency, fundraising, staff management, and volunteer involvement.

Procedure

The intent of the Foundation’s Privacy Policy is to explain how we collect, use, share and safeguard information in office and for users who have access to the STEGH Foundation website. We reserve the right to amend our Privacy Policy at any time and for any reason.

Personal information is collected for the following purposes:

  1. to comply with Canada Revenue Agency requirements
  2. to help us process and receipt donations
  3. to provide donors with periodic stewardship information
  4. to provide donors with appropriate recognition
  5. to provide donors and other stakeholders with information about the Foundation and opportunities to support patient care excellence at STEGH

The information we collect:

The Foundation may collect the following information voluntarily provided by the user including: 

Profile Information:

  • First name
  • Last name
  • Job title
  • Industry
  • Company Name

Communication between the user and the Foundation including:

  • Emails
  • Direct messages

How we collect information:

We only collect personal information that is shared voluntarily by the user through the following means:

  1. Registering for our newsletter(s)
  2. Filling out sign-up forms on social platforms and/or the Foundation website(s), including:
    LinkedIn Lead Generation and Sponsored Content advertisements
    Facebook lead generation forms
    Instagram lead generation forms
    STEGH Foundation website contact us form(s)
    Product and Service landing page form(s)
  3. Registering for an event
  4. Submitting comments through our contact form(s) or through email
  5. By direct contact:
    Providing business contact information
    Verbally requesting to be added to our database

How we use personal information:

By providing your personal information through the above means, you agree to receive communications from us.

We may use your personal information to:

  • Provide information related to our services
  • Provide general information
  • Respond to inquiries or concerns
  • Notify you about company updates, news, and events
  • Provide technical support

Methods of communication include:

  • Newsletters
  • Direct Mail
  • Phone calls
  • Emails
  • In person meetings

User privacy is important to us, and we adhere to strict privacy protocols to ensure information is stored securely and safely. Any personal information collected by the Foundation is kept strictly confidential and is not shared with any third parties.

Users may request their personal information be removed from our database at any time by unsubscribing from our newsletters or by contacting our office. Users have a right to their personal information and may request updates or removal at any time.

Usage and Analytics Data

In order to provide our users with the best experience possible, we use Google Analytics, a third party service provided by Google, Inc. to automatically gather and store certain information about your visit to our website(s). This information is anonymous and used to provide general statistics about our website(s) for analysis. This information may include, but is not limited to:

  • IP address
  • Type of device and browser
  • Pageviews

You can opt-out of having your site activity available to Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.

Additional information about Google’s privacy policy can be found by following this link: https://policies.google.com/privacy. More information regarding Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager policies can be found here: https://www.google.com/analytics/terms/us.html.

Dispute Resolution

If you encounter any issues or questions regarding this privacy policy, please contact us info@steghfoundation.ca directly and we will attempt to resolve the issue.

Future Changes to the Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to make changes to the outlined privacy policy at any time. We recommend users familiarize themselves with the policy on a regular basis.

Any changes to the privacy policy which affect the outlined policy protocols detailed above will be communicated directly with users in advance, and users will have the option to opt out of the new protocols by formally requesting removal of personal data from our database.

By using our website you signify your assent to our Privacy Policy.

Personal information collected by the Foundation is kept confidential and only disclosed where necessary to meet the above purposes.

Foundation staff are authorized to access personal information if it is required for the purpose it was collected. Safeguards are also in place to ensure that personal information is not disclosed or shared beyond what is necessary. The Foundation does not rent, exchange, sell, or otherwise share its donor list.

The Foundation honours donors’ and prospective donors’ requests to:

  1. Limit the frequency of contact;
  1. Not be contacted by telephone or other technology;
  1. Receive printed Foundation materials;
  1. Discontinue contact; and
  1. Remain anonymous.

Ensuring Safeguards for Personal Information

The Foundation will train and communicate to staff and agents information about privacy policies and practices.

The security safeguards will protect personal information against loss, theft, unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use, or modification. The Foundation will protect personal information regardless of the format in which it is held.

The methods of protection will include:

  • Physical measures, for example, locked filing cabinets and restricted access to offices;
  • Organizational measures, for example, limiting access on a "need-to-know" basis, and
  • Technological measures, for example, the use of passwords, encryption and audits.

The Foundation uses password protocols and encryption software to protect personal and other information we receive when a donation is made online. Our software is routinely updated to maximize the protection of this information

Review

The Privacy Policy will be reviewed every three years.

In the interim, this policy may be revised or rescinded if the Board of Directors deems necessary.

If this policy is revised or rescinded, all secondary documents will be reviewed as soon as reasonably possible in order to ensure they comply with the revised Policy or, in turn, are rescinded.

References

Donor Bill of Rights

Imagine Canada

Policy Title: Privacy Policy

Effective Date: January 2022

Revision Date: new

Next Scheduled Review: January 2025

Reviewed By: Governance Committee

Approved By: Board of Directors

Mission Statement: To partner with the community to support our Hospital in the delivery of an excellent patient care experience

Vision Statement: To inspire a lifetime of philanthropic support for our Hospital

Values: Integrity, Leadership, Community, Results

Complaints Policy

POLICY STATEMENT

 The St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital Foundation (the ‘Foundation’) is committed to providing a high level of service to Hospital and Foundation employees and volunteers, contractors, subcontractors, agents, vendors, donors, members of the public, and other community partners in the act of delivering on our Mission, Vision and Values.

This policy is intended to ensure that issues raised by any of these stakeholders are responded to promptly, transparently and fairly.

DEFINITIONS

Complaint: an expression of dissatisfaction about the service, actions, or lack of action by the Foundation as an organization, as a staff member, or as a volunteer acting on behalf of the Foundation.

Examples of complaints include but are not limited to:

· A perceived failure to do something agreed upon;

· A failure to observe policy or procedures;

· An error made by a staff member and/or volunteer;

· Unfair or discourteous actions/statements by a staff member and/or volunteer;

· Unwanted solicitations.

PROCEDURE

Guiding Principles

It is in the best interests of all parties that complaints are dealt with promptly and resolved as quickly as possible.

A review of complaints should be fair, impartial and respectful to all parties.

The process for registering complaints will be documented on the website.

Complainants are advised of their options to address their complaint with a more senior staff person, if they are dissatisfied with their treatment or outcome.

Complainants are provided clear and understandable reasons for decisions relating to complaints.

Updates are provided to complainants during review processes.

Complaints are used to assist in improving services, policies and procedures.

All complaints received are confidential.

Complaint Receipt and Handling

All complaints received by the Foundation Office shall be addressed by the appropriate staff person. In all cases, the Executive Director shall be advised.

Resolving the Complaint

Every effort should be made to resolve complaints in a timely fashion. When receiving a verbal complaint, staff should listen, seek to understand the complaint, and attempt to resolve it immediately.

Complaints received in writing (e-mail and letter) shall be acknowledged within 24 hours, if not sooner, and staff should attempt to resolve the matter within ten (10) business days or as soon as possible.

Where a complaint cannot be easily resolved by front-line staff, it will be brought to the attention of the Executive Director. If the Executive Director cannot resolve the complaint, it will be brought forward to the Executive Committee and, if required, the Foundation’s Board. If the complaint is about the Executive Director, it will be handled by the Chair of the Executive Committee. Complainants will be kept informed of the status of their complaint. Every attempt will be made to resolve escalated complaints within an additional ten (10) business days so that all complaints are resolved within a month of having been received.

In the case of a complaint made about a Hospital program, service, staff member or volunteer, the complaint will be re-directed to the Patient Experience Office.

Documenting the Complaint

It is necessary to keep a record of any complaint that involves a dispute over money as well as any complaint that cannot be resolved immediately (on the same day it is received).

The Executive Director will maintain a tracking record of all complaints, which will include the date the complaint was received, a description of the complaint, who handled the complaint, what was done to resolve the complaint, and a description and date of the resolution.

An annual record of complaints received including number, type and disposition will be provided to the Foundation’s Board.

REVIEW

The Complaints Policy will be reviewed every three years.

In the interim, the Complaints Policy may be revised or rescinded if the Board deems necessary.

If this Policy is revised or rescinded, all secondary documents will be reviewed as soon as reasonably possible in order to ensure they comply with the revised policy or, in turn, are rescinded.

References

Code of Conduct – Staff & Volunteer Policy
Fundraising Practices Policy
Gift Acceptance Policy
Imagine Canada. Standards Program for Canada’s Charities & Nonprofits
Volunteer Canada. The Canadian Code for Volunteer Involvement.
Volunteer Engagement Policy
Workplace Harassment Prevention and Resolution Policy

STEGH Foundation does not engage Board Members for products or services in which the Board Member is an owner, partner or senior manager and would receive payment.

Please contact the Foundation office if you'd like to view more Foundation policies.

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