Internet Society Gift Acceptance Principles

The Internet Society is a public charity. We rely on donations for our operations, and solicit and accept funding, gifts, and contributions consistent with our mission and vision.

Our goal is to attract support from a diversity of funders to enable us to carry out our core programs to further our mission.

To ensure the independence and integrity of our organization, we always act independently from the sources of our funding. We operate in the Internet’s best interests, where our relationships with funders do not influence our actions, positions, or behaviors.

When considering whether to solicit or accept gifts, we will consider the following factors:

Values

Contributions must support and enhance the mission and purpose of the Internet Society. We do not accept contributions that compromise our organizational independence, or any funding that is given in an attempt to influence our priorities, policy positions, advocacy efforts, regions of focus, or activities.

Compatibility

Contributions expressly intended for one purpose may not be used by us for another purpose. The restriction of a contribution made by a donor and its use by the Internet Society in pursuit of its mission must align.

Reputational Impact

Contributions should not create risk for the Internet Society’s reputation (in general and concerning specific programmatic work areas).

Form of Gift

Contributions or gifts should be in a form that the Internet Society can use without incurring substantial expense or difficulty. We cannot accept charitable contributions of non-liquid assets or assets that cannot be easily, securely, and quickly exchanged for legal tender unless otherwise determined by the CEO.

Risk to Staff or Operations

We will not accept contributions that present a substantial risk to the safety of our staff, or that potentially place the ongoing continuity of the Internet Society at risk.

All decisions to solicit or accept potentially controversial contributions will be made by the CEO in consultation with senior management. The primary consideration will be the impact of the contribution on the organization and our mission.