NSW Audit Office - Financial Reports – 2002 - Volume 5 – Compliance Review of Donations and Bequests

Auditor-General’s Report to Parliament 2002 Volume Five 5 Compliance Review of Donations and Bequests The review was conducted to gauge how each agency accounts for donations and bequests received and the level of compliance with its policies and procedures, where they exist. The review was conducted at five universities, seven agencies in the health portfolio and three agencies in the arts portfolio. In value, agencies in the health sector were the major beneficiaries of donations and bequests. For further information on what this review covered, see Background at the end of this commentary. KEY FINDINGS There were instances among the agencies reviewed where: ¤ conditional donations or bequests were: • retained by the agency even though the donor’s instructions could not or would not be followed • treated inconsistently as to whether interest earned should be credited to each donation received • held but due to poor record keeping the donor’s wishes were not known ¤ funding appeals were conducted and the agency: • gave incorrect taxation advice regarding the donation • failed to spend the funds in line with the promotional material used to attract the donations ¤ their policy and procedure manuals did not cover procedures for accounting for donations and bequests. A number of universities have established fund raising entities to receive and spend donations and bequests. One university maintains that it does not control the entity it ...