• Outright Gifts
• Special Purpose Endowment Funds
• Cash Gifts
• Gifts of Securities
• Non-Traditional Investments
• Real Estate
• Tangible Personal Property

• Final Approval, Acceptance, and Execution by the Foundation
• Corporate Matching Gifts
• Annual Gifts
• Campaign Gifts
• Memorial and Honorary Gifts

Outright Gifts
Outright gifts are those placed with the Foundation for the immediate disposal by the University and in which the donor retains no interest. They may be either restricted or unrestricted in purpose.

Special Purpose Endowment Funds
The Foundation may approve the establishment of a special purpose endowment fund upon receipt of gifts or commitments that meet the approved funding levels and criteria established for the endowment. There are several types of endowments. The most commonly accepted are:

• Endowed Chair -A fully endowed academic chair may be established with total commitments of $1 million.
• Endowed Professorships - A fully endowed academic professorship may be established with a total commitment of $500,000.
• Fellowships - A fellowship may be established with a minimum endowment of $10,000.
• Scholarships - An endowed scholarship may be established with a minimum endowment of $10,000.
• President's Distinguished Scholarship - May be established with a minimum endowment of $50,000.
• Distinguished Graduate Fellowship - May be established with a minimum endowment of $50,000.
• Others - The Foundation will work with prospective donors on the terms and conditions of other endowment funds provided they support traditional academic activities or functions. An endowment may be established with a minimum commitment of $10,000.
In all cases, the establishment of any endowment fund requires the approval of the Foundation president or a Foundation vice president. The Foundation president must approve any exceptions to the above guidelines.

• If circumstances should arise in the future that make it illegal, impossible, or impracticable to use the gift for the purpose specified above, then the President of the University may submit a request for modification of this purpose to the Board of Trustees of the Oklahoma State University Foundation. If, in the best judgment of the Trustees, such modification is deemed prudent and in keeping with the original intent of the donor, they may authorize the use of the spendable income from the Fund for the modified purpose. In the event of such modification, the name of the donor will continue to be associated with the fund.

Gifts of Securities
Publicly traded securities, shares of stock in closely held companies, bonds, and government issues may be given to the Foundation for the University.

• Methods of Valuation of Securities
  • Publicly Traded Securities. These are securities regularly traded on a public stock exchange. The value of the gift will be the mean of the highest and lowest selling prices quoted for the security on the day of the gift.
  • Closely Held Securities. These are shares of securities in entities that have been organized for profit-making purposes, and are rarely traded on stock exchanges. Donors may give shares of closely held corporate securities to the Foundation for the University in the same manner as publicly traded securities. The value of closely held securities in excess of $10,000 will be determined by a qualified independent appraiser as required by the IRS. Gifts of $10,000 or less may be valued at the per share cash purchase price of the most recent transaction. Normally, this transaction will be the redemption of the stock by the corporation. It is the Foundation's policy to convert closely held securities to cash. While it is permissible for the donor or donor's company to purchase the securities at fair market value, there can be no redemption agreement, either formal or implied, prior to the gift. To ensure that donors of closely held securities receive the tax benefit of such a gift and that both the donor and the Foundation comply with applicable IRS regulations, special handling is required. Gifts of closely held securities may only be accepted by the Foundation president.
• Methods of Delivery and Effective Date of Transfer
  • Hand Delivery - If securities are hand delivered to the Foundation, the value of the gift will be its fair market value on the date of delivery. Donors should endorse stock certificates only upon delivery to the Foundation. For securities that are hand delivered, the gift date is the date the securities are delivered to the Foundation except in the case where ownership of the security is transferred by a transfer agent and a new certificate is issued in the name of the Foundation. In this case, the date of the gift will be the transfer date indicated on the newly issued certificate.
  • Mailing - If the securities are mailed to the Foundation, the value of the gift will be its fair market value on the date the securities were postmarked except in the case of securities transferred via a transfer agent as described above. Donors should obtain a stock power, signing it exactly as it appears on the certificates, and have their signature guaranteed by their banker or broker. The stock power and a letter of instruction should be mailed to the Foundation under separate cover from the stock certificate(s). The Foundation should be designated on the stock certificate(s), stock power, or related instruments of transfer as Oklahoma State University Foundation. The stock certificate(s) should be sent by registered mail, return receipt requested, to the Foundation. Unendorsed stock certificates are non-negotiable. The postmark date on the stock power will be used as the gift date when the stock certificate and stock power are mailed under separate covers.
  • Electronic Transfer - If securities are electronically transferred from a donor's brokerage account to an account held in the name of the Foundation via the Depository Trust Company (DTC), then the value of the gift will be its fair market value on the date on which the securities are transferred to the Foundation account. Donors may contact the Foundation to obtain DTC instructions that they will then give to their broker along with a letter of instruction regarding the specific securities to be transferred. A copy of the letter of instruction should be sent to the Foundation in order that the donor may be receipted properly.

Non-Traditional Investments
The Foundation may accept gifts of non-traditional investments, such as partnership interests, after a thorough review of the following factors:

• Marketability
• Nature of any applicable restrictions
• Legal and other liabilities associated with the asset
• Carrying costs such as administrative and legal fees
• Exposure to unrelated business income tax liability

  Appraisals
  All appraisals of real and personal property contributed to the Foundation shall be made in accordance with IRS Publication 561. Expenses incurred obtaining an appraisal will be the responsibility of the donor unless special circumstances exist that make it appropriate for the Foundation to share the cost. Any appraisal cost borne by the Foundation must be approved by the Foundation president.

Real Estate
The Foundation may accept gifts of real estate, including houses, condominiums and commercial properties, farmland, rental property and undeveloped land, after a thorough review of the following factors:

• Usefulness of the property for the University purposes
• Marketability of the property
• Existence of restrictions, reservations, easements, and/or other limitations
• Existence of encumbrances, such as mortgages and mechanics liens
• Carrying costs, such as property owner's association dues, taxes, insurance, and other maintenance expenses
• Fair market value in relation to the costs and limits listed above as determined by a qualified appraisal conducted in accordance with the IRC and regulations.

Prior to the acceptance of any parcel of real property, an assessment of the potential environmental risks will be conducted. This assessment shall include the following:

• An inquiry of the present owner regarding his, her or its knowledge of the history of the property
• A title search to determine who the prior owners might have been
• A consultation with federal, state, and local environmental agencies to find out whether the property has any history of hazardous waste contamination
• A visual inspection of the property for any evidence of environmental hazards The Foundation may also require an environmental audit conducted by a professional service. The decision to accept gifts of real estate requires the approval of the Foundation's President.

When the Foundation receives a gift of real estate property from an estate, the Foundation Controller will ensure that policies in regard to accepting gifts of real property are followed. The Foundation may disclaim ownership of the real property based on an evaluation by the outside consultant in the event a determination is made that potential problems exist.

Tangible Personal Property
The Foundation may accept gifts of tangible personal property, including works of art; jewelry; antiques; coin, stamp and other collections; automobiles; manuscripts; and books. Such gifts may be accepted only after a thorough review indicates the property is readily marketable or may be used by the University. An essential issue for donors to consider before contributing a gift of tangible personal property is whether they would like the University to use or display the property. Prospective donors should be advised that the Foundation reserves the right to sell or otherwise dispose of the personal property in question, if such action is financially advisable or necessary.

For all goods-in-kind donations, the Foundation must be furnished with the following information:

• Donor's name, address, and telephone number
• Contact person if the donor is a corporation
• Donor's social security number or federal tax identification number
• Brief physical description of the donated asset, including an explanation of the method used to determine the fair market value
• Date the University department acquired the asset and method of acquisition

Goods-in-kind donations (GIK) in excess of $5,000 and for which donors are eligible for a charitable gift deduction in accordance with current IRS regulations will be reported on the date of transfer at the fair market value placed on them by an independent appraiser employed by the donor. Gifts of $5,000 and under may be reported at the value declared by the donor or placed on them by a qualified expert on the faculty or staff of the institution. If a value as specified above is not placed on a GIK, the value on the donor's record will be $1.

If the Foundation receives a GIK contribution from a donor who does not want a gift receipt or who does not want to claim the gift as a charitable contribution for federal income tax purposes (thus eliminating the need for the donor to comply with IRS regulations concerning gifts of property other than cash), the Foundation will use reasonable means to value the asset for internal financial reporting purposes in an effort to properly state the Foundation's financial statements.

Final Approval, Acceptance, and Execution by the Foundation
Documents effectuating the acceptance of all gifts, the creation of endowment programs, and the transfer of real or tangible personal property to the Foundation must be approved by Foundation legal counsel and executed by the Foundation president or a vice president.

Corporate Matching Gifts
All matching gifts received by the OSU Foundation as the result of employee or employees contribution(s) will be directed to the same fund as the donor's gift unless specified otherwise by the donor or the contributing corporation.

Campaign gifts
Campaign gifts are designed to raise substantial funds, usually over a number of years, to finance major projects or programs of the University. Such gifts are considered to be above and beyond a donor's annual giving level.

Memorial and honorary gifts
Memorial and honorary gifts are encouraged by the Foundation as generous and thoughtful ways to recognize people's lives and accomplishments. When a memorial gift is made, the deceased individual's next of kin is notified by the Foundation. When an honorary gift is made, the honored person is notified.