Purpose and Application
1) This policy establishes procedures for the acceptance of gifts to the Lunenburg Public Library.
2) The Lunenburg Library Board of Trustees appreciates offers of gifts, donations, and bequests, and views charitable giving as valuable to the Library’s well-being and future.
3) The purpose of this policy is to develop uniform standards for the acceptance of grants and gifts so as to ensure that the intent of the donors can be carried out in an efficient and consistent manner.
4) This policy shall apply to all gifts of personal property, services and money given to the Library Board of Trustees.
5) Any gift or donation not subject to this policy shall be administered in accordance with applicable law, policies and procedures of the recipient and/or any terms or conditions imposed by the donor. Select Board or Town Meeting approval may be required.
6) The Trustees or Library Director shall recognize any gift accepted under this policy, in writing, by thanking the donor within 30 days of the acceptance of any gift by the Library Director or Board of Library Trustees.
Definitions
Gift or Donation: The terms “gift” and “donation” shall be synonymous and may be a contribution of money, securities, tangible personal property, equipment, goods, or services that the Town accepts and for which the donor does not receive anything in return.
Gift Acceptance Process
1) Offer. All gifts, or offers of gifts, shall be accompanied by a letter or electronic communication from the donor indicating the offer, its monetary value, if there is an intended purpose for the gift, and any restrictions on the use of the gift.
2) Review/Recommendation. Gifts offered to the Lunenburg Public Library shall be reviewed by the Library Director, and a recommendation will be forwarded for approval to the Library Board of Trustees (if the gift has a value of $500 or more) for final determination or the Library Director will make a determination (if the gift has a value of less than $500).
3) Determination. Upon receipt of a recommendation by the Library Director, the Library Board of Trustees (for gifts valued at $500 or more) or the Library Director (for gifts valued at less than $500) will determine whether the gift is appropriate for the mission and needs of the Library and whether the gift should be accepted, accepted with conditions or rejected.
4) Right to Reject. Notwithstanding anything in this policy to the contrary, the Trustees have the right to reject any gift or donation.
5) Final Disposition. The donor will be notified in writing of the Trustees or Library Director’s decision. If the gift is rejected, any funds or property already received by the Library will be promptly returned to the donor.
6) Valuation. Monetary gifts shall be at face value. On-going or frequent gifts from the same donor and for the same purpose may be assigned the total value of all the gifts expected within the same fiscal year for the purpose of determining whether the gift requires approval of the Library Board of Trustees (because the total value is $500 or more). The Library reserves the right to assign such value to an item of tangible personal property as it deems appropriate, provided that it may require an appraisal for gifts of tangible personal property if the Library cannot assign a value to a gift. The donor is responsible for obtaining an independent appraisal of the item.
7) Record of Receipt. Upon acceptance of a gift, the Library Director will provide a completed Gift Acceptance Receipt to the donor and will be copied to the Treasurer of the Trustees.
8) Conditions of Acceptance. Upon acceptance of any donation by the Library, the donor shall relinquish all rights, ownership or control over the donated property or funds, except as set forth in the terms of the donation, and any gifts given to the Library shall not be refunded to the donor under any circumstances after acceptance in accordance with this policy.
9) Expenditures. No expenditure of gifted funds shall be permitted until the Library Director or Library Board of Trustees have accepted the gift in the manner deemed appropriate by this policy. All expenditures of gifted funds must be made through the Town’s financial policies and are subject to the Town’s purchasing regulations and accounts payable/warrant processing procedures.
Gift Acceptance Criteria
1) In determining whether to accept a gift, the Library Director or Library Board of Trustees may consider whether:
a. The gift is appropriate to the mission and needs of the Library.
b. Use of the gift is restricted or unrestricted.
c. The gift is irrevocable.
d. Future financial impact on the Library would result from the gift, including ongoing operations, maintenance, or capital costs.
e. The gift terms permit the Library to apply the gift to another purpose should the original intent become impracticable.
f. Terms proposed by the donor are in the Library’s interest.
g. Accepting the gift is in conflict with any Library policy, Town policy or any applicable state, federal or local law.
Voluntariness of Gifts
Gifts to the Library are to be voluntary, and are not to be given in lieu of payments, fees, or services otherwise due to the Library.
Reporting/Record Keeping
1) All gifts of funds donated to the Library shall be accounted for in accordance with applicable laws and standard accounting and record-keeping procedures.
2) Revenue Turnovers: The Library Director who receives grants or donations of funds shall turn said funds over to the Treasurer in accordance with the Town’s financial management policies and procedures.
Anonymous/Confidential Donations
In certain situations, a donor may prefer to make a confidential or anonymous donation to the Library. The Town Manager may evaluate this type of gift and is authorized to accept it on behalf of the Library, without public notification of the donor’s name, as long as all other requirements are satisfied and to the extent permitted by law.
Valuation of Gifts
Appraisals for tax and any other purposes are the sole responsibility of the Donor.
Approved by the Library Board of Trustees May 21, 2026