Glossary

Acknowledgments: When a donor sends a gift in memory of (IMO) or in honor of (IHO) someone, Gift Processing sends an acknowledgment to the next of kin or the person being honored, respectively. These are also known as tribute acknowledgments.

Adjustments: Occasionally gifts and pledges need to be corrected in the Development (Access.smu) system due to booking error, an error in the documentation received, or if the donor asks for the a change in the application of their gift.

Benefits: Sometimes a donor receives a non-tax deductible item, such as a t-shirt or dinner for their donation. We call this a “benefit,” which is split from the entire gift amount, the remainder being booked as the actual gift.

Current Logs: These are electronic files in .pdf (Adobe Acrobat) format, which show the detail for a particular day’s booking in Gift Processing. They include the current daily gift log, the current daily adjustment log, and the current weekly pledge log.

Gift (Document) Imaging: Gift Processing scans all gifts and pledges into the EC-Image document imaging system. However, if you have a non-gift related document to be scanned, please send it to Constituent Records.

Gifts: These are tax-deductible donations to the University. They can be in the form of cash (currency and/or coinage), checks, credit cards, wire transfers, securities, gifts-in-kind, etc.

Gifts-in-Kind: GIK’s are non-cash donations of tangible materials or long-lived assets. These might include: equipment, software, printed materials, cars, bricks, artwork, Astroturf, bleachers, event tickets sold back to the University, etc. The burden of proving the value of a gifts-in-kind lies with the donor. Note that, by IRS regulations, tax receipts for gifts-in-kind show no dollar amount. GIK’s can only be accepted if they will benefit the University. If a gift-in-kind is valued in excess of $500, an IRS Form 8283 must be filled-out. You can download an 8283 from the IRS at this website: www.irs.ustreas.gov/formspubs/index.html

Please note that gifts of service cannot be booked, as CASE (Council for Advancement and Support of Education) guidelines dictate that they cannot be counted as gifts in Development figures.

Matching Gifts: Some corporations have programs that match employees’ gifts to non-profit entities such as SMU. Under one of these programs, the donor sends us a matching gift form with their donation. Gift Processing then fills out this form and mails it to the corporation’s foundation. After a period of review, the foundation will validate the match and send a check later. The ratio at which they match donors’ gifts as well as their distribution schedules vary widely from foundation to foundation.

Please note that matching gifts cannot be applied as pledge payments. While it is true that we would not have received a matching gift if it were not for the donor, the matching gift is the company's money and not the donor's. Therefore, the donor does not have the right to assign where the money should be designated, and cannot use it to fulfill their prior obligation to the University. In addition, applying a matching gift to a personal pledge will violate the guidelines of most matching gift companies.

Online Giving: Online giving is a quick and easy way of making a gift, pledge or a pledge payment to SMU through a secure site. The donor may choose any school or area of the University to support. The billing address on both the gift and the credit card must match for the transaction to be successful. Online gifts are retrieved by Gift Processing on a weekly basis, and they are booked immediately upon retrieval by our department.

Payroll Deductions (.doc): These are donations made via a deduction from an SMU faculty or staff member’s paycheck, which are received from the Payroll Department and are then entered into Access.smu by Gift Processing.

Pledge: These are guarantees made by donors to fulfill a financial obligation to the University over a period of time. Pledges can be made to multiple designations.

Pledge Payment: A pledge payment is a donation that is applied to an existing schedule of payments to be paid over time. Please note that a matching gift cannot be applied to a pledge.

Securities: Otherwise known as stock gifts, these are investments in companies (in the form of shares) that can be transferred as gifts. Gift Processing does not see the actual stock certificates. These are usually received by the President or Vice President of DEA and sent to the Treasurer’s Office. The Treasurer then sends notification of the gift to the Gift Processing Department for booking. If stocks have appreciated in value, it can be beneficial from a tax standpoint to give the security as opposed to selling it and giving the University a check.

Soft Credit: When donors give money through their company, association, or foundation, GP will soft (or dual credit) the individual for the gift in order for them to appear on reports as donors. In addition, the gift will appear on both the organization and individual giving histories.

Tax Receipts: This is a receipt sent to the donor detailing the amount of their gift, the gift date, and the designation. SMU is required by IRS regulations to send a gift receipt to a donor for tax purposes.

Transaction Register: This is the easiest and most complete way to view a donor’s giving in the Access.smu system. Navigation: Manage Contributor Relations > Analyze Giving History > Inquire > Transaction Register (or Transaction Register – Org to view giving from organizations).

Wire Transfers: These are non-cash deposits, made electronically from one bank account to another, without hard cash or a check. Please note that donations by wire transfer are not distinguishable from wire transfers for other purposes. Therefore, if you know of a wire gift coming in, it is crucial that the amount, date and identify of the donor is relayed to Gift Processing.


Where to Reach Us
PO Box 750402
Dallas TX 75275-0402