Policies

The American-Scandinavian Foundation (ASF) serves as a vital educational and cultural link between the United States and the five Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. A publicly supported, nonprofit organization, the Foundation fosters cultural understanding, provides a forum for the exchange of ideas, and sustains an extensive program of fellowships, grants, training/internships, publishing, and cultural events. Incorporated in 1911 and headquartered at Scandinavia House in New York City, the ASF has members throughout the United States, and alumni and donors worldwide.

The ASF raises funds from donors in the United States and abroad. Individual donors are an important source of funds, along with corporations, foundations, and, on occasion, governmental sources. The ASF respects its donors and has put in place a Donor Relations Policy to clarify its policies and procedures regarding recognition of gifts, donor privacy, and honoring donor intent.

The ASF does not sell, rent, trade, or share its donor list with any other organization.

The ASF does not send out mailings on behalf of other organizations.

It is the policy of the ASF to communicate with donors according to their expressed preferences whenever possible. The ASF will discontinue or change the method used to contact any person upon that person’s oral or written request to the organization.

The ASF shall maintain a record of all requests by persons who indicate to the ASF that they do not wish to be contacted by or on behalf of the ASF. Upon receipt of a request that the ASF discontinue further contacts, the person’s name and address will be promptly modified in the ASF donor database to ensure that no further contact is made with the person.

The ASF will maintain an electronic record of all requests for discontinuance of contacts, effective with the adoption of this policy by the ASF’s Board of Trustees. Oral requests will be noted in writing by the staff of the ASF and then permanently recorded in the electronic donor database. The records of persons who have made such a request will be maintained by the ASF to the extent necessary for legal or liability purposes.

The ASF recognizes donors’ contributions by various means, respecting the desire of those donors who wish to remain anonymous. Listings of donors may be included in printed materials, including Scandinavian Review, annual reports, press releases, newsletters, proposals, and reports, as well as in pieces on the ASF or Scandinavia House websites.

Gifts accepted by the ASF shall be acknowledged in writing to the donor, and in accordance with the Internal Revenue Code and United States Income Tax Regulations.

Leadership gifts towards particular projects or campaigns may receive recognition for a specified term of years or in perpetuity as agreed upon in each case.

Donors who wish to avoid any public recognition of their contributions may inform the ASF when making a pledge or gift. The request for anonymity shall be honored by the ASF until the donor informs the ASF otherwise. In the absence of such a request for anonymity, the ASF may at its discretion recognize and publicize a donor’s contribution.

All records of donations to the ASF are maintained by the organization according to the applicable standards of record retention in effect at the time of the donation.

All records will be maintained in a secure location of the organization.

The ASF collects and maintains the following types of donor information when it is voluntarily provided to us:

• Contact information such as name, address, telephone number, and email address
• Giving information
• Information on publications received, events attended, and special requests for information
• Information provided by the donor in the form of comments and suggestions

Every reasonable precaution shall be taken to protect and conserve the confidentiality of such personal information. Donors’ personal information is collected to establish and manage the ASF’s relationship with donors, to analyze giving patterns, process gifts, and provide donors with documentation of their charitable contributions. In addition, personal information is used to publicly recognize and thank donors for their generosity.

The ASF’s Document Retention/Destruction Policy specifies how important documents (hard copy, electronic, or other media) of the Foundation should be retained, protected and, if appropriate, made eligible for destruction. The policy also ensures that documents are promptly provided to authorities in the course of legal investigations or lawsuits.

The policy was approved by the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees on January 23, 2013. The full text of the Policy and its addenda are available for viewing here.

The American-Scandinavian Foundation (ASF) does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender expression, age, national origin/ancestry, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. These activities include, but are not limited to, hiring and firing of staff, selection of volunteers and vendors, consideration of members, visitors, fellowship applicants and recipients, intern and training program applicants and recipients, and cultural and educational program participants.

We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment in accomplishing ASF’s mission in accordance with the principles stated above. The full statement is available for download here.