GiveWell UK Policy on Accepting Gifts

Published: 19 May 2022

Objective

The purpose of this policy is to provide GiveWell UK staff and trustees with general guidance on what gifts are and are not appropriate to accept in connection with their responsibilities at GiveWell UK.

Glossary

• Nominal: minimal, insignificant

Scope

This policy pertains to all GiveWell UK employees and trustees.

Terms

GiveWell UK employees and trustees may not accept in connection with their position at GiveWell UK gifts of more than a nominal value. Prohibited gifts include, but are not limited to, meals or accommodation paid for by a grantee or grantee representative. If rejecting a grantee’s offer would materially negatively impact a staff member's ability to do their job or impose undue burden on the grantee (e.g., if the grantee would have to duplicate effort to share information with GiveWell UK that is otherwise being shared at an event), offers may be accepted but must be reimbursed by GiveWell UK. For example, if a GiveWell UK trustee attends a conference hosted by a grantee or grantee representative, GiveWell UK will reimburse the grantee for the cost of attendance or a reasonable estimate thereof.

All gifts received by trustees must be reported to the point of contact listed below. Trustees collectively must not receive gifts worth more than £1,000 in any financial year.

If you have questions about what can be accepted or reimbursed, please direct them to the designated point of contact listed below.

To reimburse a grantee for an otherwise prohibited gift, please email the bookkeeper, describe the gift, and provide a receipt (if available) or an estimate of the cost so that a payment can be initiated.

Remedy

Failure to comply with this policy can result in discipline deemed appropriate, up to and including termination or removal from the board of trustees. If there is any doubt as to whether a gift falls within this policy, the receiving individual must disclose it to the designated point of contact listed below and seek guidance rather than fail to disclose.

Effective Date

8 February 2022

Additional Resources

Examples of acceptable nominal gifts:

• A charity gave a GiveWell UK person a set of children’s books and a rattle for her kids. Estimated value: £18.
• A charity gave one GiveWell UK person a nice notebook. Estimated value: £14.
• A charity gave a GiveWell UK person locally made placemats during a site visit. Estimated value: £5 each, £20 total.
• A vendor sent a group of GiveWell UK persons a bottle of wine as a token of appreciation. Estimated value: £22.
• A consultant bought a GiveWell UK person a coffee during a meeting. Estimated value: £5.

Examples of gifts that would be reimbursed:

• A charity invites a GiveWell UK person to a private lunch at a restaurant with other funders. GiveWell UK will reimburse the charity for the actual (if known) or a grossed up estimate of the cost of their portion of the meal, regardless of the estimated per person cost.
• A charity hosts a GiveWell UK person at their guest house during a site visit. GiveWell UK will reimburse the charity for the actual (if known) or a grossed up estimate of the cost of that accommodation.

Point of Contact

Whitney Shinkle
UKoperations@givewell.org