Donor Bill of Rights

Mercy by the Sea (MBTS) is grateful to the following professional groups for their work on developing the basis for our policies below: the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.

MBTS understands that we are entrusted by our donors to steward their donations of time, funds, and goods to meet the mission of welcoming individuals and groups of diverse faiths and backgrounds to a peaceful place of natural beauty for personal, spiritual and professional renewal and growth.  To assure the continued trust of our current donors and future donors, MBTS abides fully by the following donor bill of rights: 

Our donors have the right: 

I. To be informed of Mercy by the Sea’s mission, of the way MBTS intends to use donated resources, and of our capacity to use donations effectively for their intended purposes.

II. To be informed of the identity of those serving on MBTS’s governing board, and to expect the board to exercise prudent judgment in its stewardship responsibilities.

III. To have access to MBTS’s most recent financial statements.

IV. To be assured their gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given.

V. To receive appropriate acknowledgement and recognition.

VI. To be assured that information about their donation is handled with respect and with confidentiality to the extent provided by law, while honoring those requesting anonymity.

VII. To expect that all relationships with individuals representing organizations of interest to the donor will be professional in nature.

VIII. To be informed whether those seeking donations are volunteers, employees of the organization, or professional solicitors.

IX. To be assured that Mercy by the Sea does not share donor mailing lists.

X.  To feel free to ask questions when making a donation and to receive prompt, truthful and forthright answers.

Privacy of Donor Information

Mercy by the Sea records donor information when it is voluntarily provided to us, including:

• Contact information (name, address, phone number and e-mail address)
• Giving information

Donor information is maintained in a secured database, and only authorized personnel have access to this information and only for appropriate business purposes. Your name and address and other information you provide will be used to keep you informed and up to date on the activities of MBTS, including programs, services, funding needs, and opportunities to volunteer or to give. Information is also kept on file for IRS purposes and for MBTS budget planning purposes.  Mercy by the Sea does not under any circumstances sell, rent, trade or share its donor mailing list with any other organization.  MBTS never sends out mailings on behalf of other organizations.

Discontinuing contact upon request

It is the policy of Mercy by the Sea to communicate with donors according to their expressed preferences whenever possible.  MBTS will discontinue or change the method used to contact any person upon that person’s oral or written request directed to the organization. To review personal information collected and/or request changes, please contact our office at 203.245.0401.

Upon a person’s (or a person’s authorized representative’s) request that Mercy by the Sea discontinue further contacts, the person’s name and address will be promptly modified in the MBTS donor database.