5.1.4 - Private, Corporate, and Non-Profit Support Procedures | Park District of Oak Park CAPRA Accreditation

Standard: Where feasible and appropriate, the agency shall solicit private, corporate, and non-profit support to supplement agency funding through an established procedure to research, coordinate and implement alternative funding options. Prior to acceptance of support the agency shall evaluate the terms of acceptance and how the implementation and management process will be coordinated.

Suggested Evidence of Compliance: Provide the procedure to solicit private, corporate and non-profit support along with a summary of such support received by the agency for the past five years including identification of the following: project descriptions, grantor/sponsor, date awarded, and value of the contribution and method of recognition.

Agency Evidence of Compliance:

The Park District of Oak Park consistently reviews possible support opportunities from private, corporate, and non-profit entities. The Park District provides numerous opportunities for organizations and individual to support the organization in variety of ways ranging from event sponsorships to dasher board sales at the ice rink to private donations. The Park District has developed policies and procedures to guide staff through this process that outline how the Park District should request aid, the criteria to be a sponsor, and payment requirements for sponsors and donors.

The Sponsorship Policy¹ explains the difference between a sponsorship and a donation, sets guidelines for acceptable sponsorships, determines staff approval levels and sets limits on a sponsor's commercial advertisements as they relate to the sponsorship. The Procedures for Securing a Sponsor² provides additional direction to staff regarding the basic steps required to secure a sponsorship. The Agency Gift Acceptance Policy³ provides guidance to the Board and staff regarding the acceptance of gifts (any form of cash, tangible property, real estate, or miscellaneous charitable items that do not fall within the parameters of the Park District's Sponsorship Policy).

The Park District actively pursues support of this type from the community. The Sponsorship and Ad Sales⁴ spreadsheets include the total sponsorships, dasherboard sales, and ad sales secured by the Park District in the past five years. Sample Sponsorship and Ad Sales Agreements⁵ demonstrate examples of recognition methods.

The Park District has also received additional support in the forms of financial donations. For example:

In 2010, a private donor gave $90,000, which was combined with a gift of $140,000 from the Friends of Oak Park Conservatory (FOPCON), for the construction of the Conservatory Garden. Per the agreement⁵, the garden was named after a family member of the donor who had substantial ties to the Conservatory and a marker commemorating the donation was place.
In 2012, a private donor gave $54,000 to the agency to the Cheney Mansion south garden restoration project. Per the agreement⁶, the Park District added and will maintain a marker in the South Garden to commemorate the gift.
In 2014, the Friends of the Oak Park Conservatory donated $200,000 raised from fundraising and individual donors to fund the creation of the East Avenue Garden⁷.

Documentation:

Agency Self Assessment: MET