Our Pledge

Fund-Raising Guidelines
We at Generation Xcel™ and our parent entity Community Solutions, Inc. believe that the way we manage our finances reflects our integrity in every arena. We have, therefore, established strict limitations on the way our resources are used.

1. Generation Xcel exists in the public trust to benefit inner city communities and their residents, not any of our founders, directors, or officers. We stand neither as a monument to any one individual or group of individuals nor as a legacy to any individual's memory. Our leadership and staff are public servants dedicated to urban renewal and community uplift.
2. We will strive to earn the public trust and will honor the privilege and corresponding responsibilities associated with that trust. We consider public support a benchmark of that trust and will use it to devote every ounce of energy to the task at hand.
3. We consider the contributions we receive to be "blood money" sent from compassionate people who have sacrificed to make their gifts possible. Our obligation, therefore, is to utilize those resources conservatively and wisely in continuing the mandate of our public service. We will never spend finances lavishly and will instead stretch every penny as far as possible to serve the needs of our community.
4. During lean times we will make our obligations known to our partners and friends but will not beg, scratch, or claw for contributions. We will never resort to what we consider to be disrespectful and dishonorable methods of fund-raising, even when the needs are serious.
5. Although from time to time it is necessary to borrow finances for large capital expenditures, we will seek to repay loans as soon as possible.
6. We will receipt all donations, including the fair market value of any in-kind gifts, in order to help contributors determine the proper amount of their tax-deductions.
7. When we make a purchase, we will pay the invoice within 30 days if possible. We do not intend to use money or resources that do not belong to us.
8. We will try not to raise more money than we need.
9. We will never sell or rent our mailing list without consent to those wishing to use the names and addresses of our supporters. We beieve that our supporters partner with us in good faith and assume that if they want to be contacted from other agencies that they would hve contacted those groups directly. We will maintain the tightest security possible on our list of friends and supporters.
10. We will conform our accounting practices to the standards set forth by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, and our annual report will be available to anyone upon request.

To summarize, we will attempt to remember always that we exist in the public trust and we will operate in order to earn and maintain that trust. The public therefore is our possessor and our dispossessor.