University of Oxford Donor Charter

Updated in July 2024

The University of Oxford is deeply grateful to all donors for their support of the collegiate University and is dedicated to treating donors with the highest level of care and respect. Oxford is an institution that, since its very beginning, has relied on philanthropic support to advance its mission and sustain academic freedom. Such generosity allows intellectual curiosity to flourish, leading to breakthroughs that can benefit us all and help to maintain Oxford as a world-class teaching and research university.

At the heart of the University lies the commitment to academic freedom. The University values and safeguards its autonomy and the freedom of inquiry by students and staff, and does not accept gifts when a condition of such acceptance would compromise these fundamental principles.

The University welcomes support from individuals, trusts, foundations, and organisations and is delighted to discuss ways to foster relationships with potential donors.

We will:

Acknowledge all donations promptly.
Inform donors of how we intend to use donated resources and our commitment to using donations effectively for their intended purposes.
Keep donors updated about the impact of their philanthropy and the University’s evolving needs and priorities.
Provide the University’s most recent published financial accounts in an easily accessible format.
Commit to maintaining donors’ confidence and trust concerning their privacy. Our principles are simple - we will be transparent about what data we collect about our donors, where that data comes from, how we use the information, and the choices donors can make. For more information, please visit our full privacy notice – https://www.development.ox.ac.uk/privacy-notice
Appropriately recognise and publicise donations in consultation with donors, and respect anonymity where requested.
Provide updates to donors on supported activity.
Keep donors informed of the recruitment process and appointment, where they have supported an academic post. As part of our commitment to academic freedom, Oxford reserves the right to nominate candidates and manage the search and selection process.
Keep donors informed on the selection processes and outcomes, where they have provided support for students. As part of our commitment to academic freedom, Oxford reserves the right to approve student funding awards and scholarships.

How your donation will be used:

Undesignated donations will be used for such purposes as the University judges will best advance its academic priorities.
Where donors wish to express a preference for the application of their donation, the University will take the greatest care to ensure that such wishes are carried out.
Where donors restrict the application of their donation, the University will endeavour to apply the gift to the purpose originally intended. The academic priorities of the University will change from time to time. Should this happen, alternative uses for restricted donations will be discussed with the donor or the donor’s representative.
Like many global higher education institutions and non-profit organisations, the University of Oxford applies a one-time assessment to all gifts made after 1 August 2024. The Planning and Resource Allocation Committee (PRAC) determines the amount of the assessment, which is currently 2.5% up to a maximum of £250,000 per donation. The assessment supports development and alumni engagement at the University to help deliver institutional priorities. One hundred percent of all gifts advance the University of Oxford’s charitable mission to promote, assist and secure the advancement of education, learning, teaching, scholarships and research.

Please visit the University of Oxford Development and Alumni Engagement website to read about the impact of philanthropy: www.development.ox.ac.uk

Freedom of Information

The University is subject to the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Further information regarding the Act can be viewed at www.development.ox.ac.uk/foi

Data Protection | Privacy Notice

How we use your data

The personal data you provide on this form will be used by the University of Oxford to process your donation in accordance with our contractual and legal obligations, and to meet our legitimate interest of alumni and supporter engagement, fundraising and stewardship. We will use your data to: record information about your giving, including any gift agreements, memberships, or correspondence relevant to your donation; communicate with you about the impact of your donation and other appeals that may be of interest to you; record your updated contact details and mailing preferences: record your preferences regarding the external reporting of your donation: and record information about your willingness and capacity to support our charitable objectives, which may be provided by you or from information in the public domain.

Who has access to your data

The data you provided will be stored and shared across the collegiate University of Oxford, including with its relevant clubs and societies if appropriate, in accordance with the University’s policies and procedures via our shared relationship management system. You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data at any time. The University and participating colleges are both “data controllers”, meaning you can contact either the University or your college if you have questions about your data. We may also need to share it with third parties supporting the processing of your transaction. We will only do this in appropriate circumstances, for specified purposes, by secure means, using the minimum amount necessary, and with the relevant data sharing agreements in place. We do not and will not sell your data.

How long we keep your data

We consider our relationship with our donors, supporters and alumni to be lifelong and we will retain most of your data indefinitely unless you request otherwise.

Your rights

You have the right to opt-out of direct marketing at any time. You also have the rights to request access to and correction or erasure of your data; to request the transfer of your data to another party, or to object to the processing of your data or request that such processing is restricted. For full details on how we treat your information, including your rights, please see our privacy notice at www.development.ox.ac.uk/privacy-notice or you can request a hard copy from our Database team. If you would like to exercise your rights, opt-out, or are dissatisfied with the way we have used your information, please contact us at database@devoff.ox.ac.uk or telephone +44 (0)1865 611530. You may also contact our Information Compliance Team at data.protection@admin.ox.ac.uk If you remain dissatisfied, you may lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk/concerns

Charitable Status

All gifts are processed by the University of Oxford Development Trust Fund (OUDT). Your kind gift will be held in the specific OUDT fund whose purposes most closely correspond to the area you wish to support and shall then be applied in accordance with the purposes of the relevant fund. Details of the funds can be found at governance.admin.ox.ac.uk/university-of-oxford-development-trust-fund-oudt Wishes expressed shall not give rise to new trusts or other legally-binding obligations.

The objects of OUDT are to procure, assist and secure the advancement of education, learning, teaching, scholarship and research at or in connection with the University of Oxford, its colleges and societies. OUDT is administered by the University and established for a special purpose in connection with the University. It is, therefore, an exempt charity for the purpose of charity legislation. As such, it has full charitable status; albeit it is exempt from the requirement to register as a charity with the Charity Commission, and therefore does not have a Charity registration number. OUDT’s HMRC reference number is XN80595.

Contact

If you would like to discuss any aspect of the Donor Charter or the experience of making a gift to the University, please contact:

Andrea Roger, Head of Donor Relations,
Development and Alumni Engagement,
University Offices, Wellington Square, Oxford OX1 2JD, UK

T: +44 (0)1865 611651
E: andrea.roger@devoff.ox.ac.uk