GENERAL (applies to both the Matching Gift and Volunteer Grant Programs) 1. What type of organizations are eligible for the Charitable Giving Programs? 2. What type of gifts are eligible for the Charitable Giving Programs? 3. Why does NETSCOUT require efficacy information from charitable organizations? 4. How long does it take for a matching gift or volunteer grant to be processed? 5. Why is an organization is listed as outside guidelines? 6. Who decides the program s guidelines? 7. Why was my Matching Gift or Volunteer Grant request declined? MATCHING GIFT 1. What if I make more than one donation to an organization in a given quarter? 2. How do you determine my annual donor limit? 3. My team or office has collected money for a charity. Will NETSCOUT match that? VOLUNTEERING 1. Do I have to submit a time card for my volunteer hours? 2. What kind of volunteer work is eligible for a grant? 3. Why isn t support of a fundraising event eligible for a volunteer grant?
GENERAL 1. What type of organizations are eligible for the Charitable Giving Programs? a. NETSCOUT s Charitable Giving Programs are open to a variety of charitable and educational organizations that meet the eligibility guidelines of the program. Please refer to the Program Guidelines for detailed information. b. Generally, the following types of organizations are NOT eligible i. Any religious organization or program ii. Any political organization, candidate, or program iii. Organizations that do not meet efficacy requirements iv. Gifts to individuals; restricted gifts such as scholarship funds; gifts to or from a family or other private charitable foundation or trust; gifts to the donor advised funds of public charities. v. Any nonacademic, extra-curricular activities such as bands and sports teams; booster clubs; national or local alumni groups; Parent Teacher Associations (PTA, PFA, PTO, etc.); fraternities, sororities or similar social organizations. 2. What type of gifts are eligible for the Charitable Giving Programs? a. Gifts include cash, check, credit card, or in the case of volunteer service, your individual personal time. Please refer to the Program Guidelines for detailed information. b. Generally, the following types of gifts are not eligible for a Matching Gift or Volunteer Grants i. Gifts of stock, property, or goods. ii. Gifts that are not from the donor s personal funds. iii. Dues; pledges; membership fees; subscription fees for publications; payment for tuition, books and similar fees. iv. Gifts from which the donor, donor s family, or selected individuals receive a benefit. 3. Why does NETSCOUT require efficacy information from charitable organizations? a. NETSCOUT takes its philanthropy seriously and wants to ensure that the organization is sustainable and majority of its contributions are used for the programs and services that directly support the charitable mission of the organization and therefore have the greatest impact in the communities. b. Please refer to the Program Guidelines for detailed information on efficacy requirements.
4. How long does it take for a matching gift or volunteer grant to be processed? a. It really depends on how quickly the organization responds. If the organization does not provide organization details, efficacy or perform online certification of the matching gift request within thirty (30) calendar days, a second request is sent to the organization. If the organization does not respond to the second request within thirty (30) calendar days, then the matching gift or volunteer grant request is declined, and both the donor and organization are notified. b. It is most cost-effective for the company to approve and pay requests in batches, so our policy is to issue payment for approved Matching Gifts and Volunteer Grants on a quarterly basis per the following schedule. Fiscal Quarter Request validated by Payment date Q1 1-Jun 30-Jun Q2 1-Sep 30-Sep Q3 1-Dec 31-Dec Q4 1-Mar 31-Mar c. The matching gift process includes validating that the organization meets our program guidelines and contacting the recipient organization to verify the matching gift. If the recipient organization does not respond to the verification request by the cut-off date, the gift will be rolled over to the next quarter for payment. 5. Why is an organization listed as outside guidelines? There may be several reasons for that status, including a. The organization did not meet eligibility requirements, including 501(c)3 status or efficacy requirements b. The organization did not provide the required organization information The status of organizations previously approved or declined may change if new information is received regarding their tax status, change in mission, efficacy, or there is other information that indicates the organization now falls within or outside of the program guidelines. Please contact heartofgiving@netscout.com with questions. 6. Who decides the program s guidelines? a. The program guidelines are established by the Charitable Advisory Committee and reviewed annually. If you have questions or suggestions, please contact heartofgiving@netscout.com. 7. Why was my Matching Gift or Volunteer Grant request declined? a. There could be several reasons why your request is declined, such as i. The organization did not meet eligibility requirements, including 501(c)3 status or efficacy requirements
ii. The organization did not acknowledge receipt of your matching gift iii. The organization did not provide the required organization information iv. The organization did not provide efficacy information as part of the organization validation process v. Your gift did not meet eligibility requirements, such as not a personal donation, or included membership fees, etc. b. It is important to review the Program Guidelines to understand eligibility requirements for gifts and organizations, and administrative procedures.
MATCHING GIFT PROGRAM 1. What if I make more than one donation to an organization in a given quarter? a. You should submit separate requests for each donation you made. Each gift is a separate transaction and therefore requires appropriate documentation. Separate requests maintain consistent records among the donor, recipient institution and NETSCOUT. b. One payment is issued to the recipient organization that combines all of the contributions during the quarter, including those from other employees. This combined payment helps both NETSCOUT and the organization reduce overall administrative expenses, and reduced expenses allow more of our corporate giving budget to be used for contributions. i. Your matching gift will be acknowledged on the web site that the organization accesses to verify the gift. 2. How do you determine my annual donor limit? a. Your annual donor limit is determined by the actual date of your contribution. For example, if you donate $100 on March 31, 2016 and submit your matching gift request in May 2016, the matching gift award is applied to your FY16 limit. b. All requests for matching gifts must be submitted no later than 6 months from the date of the gift. Requests received later than 6 months from the date of gift cannot be matched. 3. My team or office has collected money for a charity. Will NETSCOUT match that? a. No, group fundraising in not eligible for matching gifts. The matching gift program is considered an individual employee benefit, and the gift must be from your own personal funds. b. Each individual employee could make a personal donation and request a matching gift.
INDIVIDUAL VOLUNTEER GRANT PROGRAM 1. Do I have to submit a time card for my volunteer hours? a. You will be asked to provide the dates of service and number of hours worked during that time period, but the company does not request official time cards. This keeps the administrative burden low for both NETSCOUT and the charitable organization. b. You must request a volunteer grant no later than 6 months from the date of service. 2. What kind of volunteer work is eligible for a grant? a. The volunteer hours must be for active, hands-on volunteer work that helps deliver the organization s programs or services, or participation in executive committee meetings as a member of the charitable organization s board of directors or other appointed position. i. The time you spend participating in a fundraising event, such as walks, runs, and bike rides is not considered active hands-on volunteer service. b. All volunteer work must be performed outside of normal working hours; e.g. volunteering that qualifies for a grant should generally take place during evenings, weekends, or holidays. c. Volunteer service sponsored by the company (such as Boston Cares projects or Habitat for Humanity events) or performed at during the work day (such as organizing a Toys for Tots drive for your location) is not eligible for a grant. 3. Why isn t fundraising eligible for a volunteer grant? a. Volunteer Grants are intended to supplement the active hands-on activites that helps charitable organization actually deliver their programs and services, or the expertise provided as a member of the Board of Directors or other appointed position that helps the organization to further its mission. b. The time you spend participating in a fundraising event, such as walks, runs, and bike rides is not considered active hands-on volunteer service. i. Please note that when you help raise funds for a charity, your personal contributions could be matched through the matching gift program.