Very true. Past Perfect has a form for temporary custody, which makes this very easy. You can print off blank forms and leave them at your admissions area. It has a place to check that it is an unconditional donation, etc. as well as contact info. and a signature. However, donors should be very strongly discouraged from leaving things without speaking with someone in collections - that's how we end up getting stuff from the 20th century left when we're a 19th century museum! Very annoying. In any case, Past Perfect's form is helpful to use. Sabrina Henneman Registrar Genesee Country Village & Museum www.gcv.org -----Original Message----- From: Lucy Sperlin [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: Thursday, July 07, 2005 11:32 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Returning Deed of Gifts Sabrina, you're right. I've had that happen. Heirs often think that they can claim things their parents or grandparents "left at the museum" long ago, so you do need to have some proof of legal ownership. The older the collection, the more likely you will have to field such requests from later generations. From a long ago seminar on legal aspects of museum work, I learned that a good way to back up that nicely typed Deed of Gift which makes the donor feel that you have made much of his gift, is to have the donor sign a Gift Receipt when the donation is brought in. It would be the paper on which you get the donors address and information about the item(s) when the donation comes in, often, especially with large groups of items, prior to making a decision about actually accessioning into the collection. That way, if the donor doesn't return the typed DOG, (as someone pointed out most return it the first try, more on the second, but a few never do) you still have a signature stating that it was given to the museum as an unrestricted donation. The Gift Receipt is usually hand written and sometimes messy as you have made notes by listed items, adding in the information they give you about where, how and by whom the item was used, etc., so it is still an important PR thing to send the nice looking Deed of Gift document for your (and their) permanent records. The Gift Receipt should also record their preference about disposition ("dispose of as museum sees fit", etc.)in case the museum decides not to take all the offered items and gives you a clear record of accountability should you be unable to get them to return to pick up non-accessioned items. Lucy Sperlin The Patrick Ranch Chico, CA -----Original Message----- From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Sabrina Henneman Sent: Thursday, July 07, 2005 10:32 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: Returning Deed of Gifts I agree. I'd think that without a deed of gift, which is really a legal document, that a donor or other family members could easily come back and say that the museum was wrong- it was a loan, not a gift, etc. and that just because we have a letter from the museum saying it's a gift doesn't prove their intent...and so forth. I guess I'll have to take a look at the RCAAM-L archive. Sabrina Henneman Registrar Genesee Country Village & Museum www.gcv.org -----Original Message----- From: Amanda Thompson [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: Thursday, July 07, 2005 1:14 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Returning Deed of Gifts Janice: Do you know if this is true in all states? This seems extremely simplified to me. If this were true, why is there a section for museums in the Texas abandoned property code? Thanks! Amanda Dyer Curator Bell County Museum -----Original Message----- From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Janice Klein Sent: Thursday, July 07, 2005 10:27 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: Returning Deed of Gifts This topic has been much discussed on the Registrars listserv (RCAAM-L). A Deed of Gift is not a legal requirement, it is "only" museum policy/procedure. For a gift to be legally valid three things need to happen: 1. an offer needs to be made 2. the offer needs to be accepted 3. the object needs to be physical transfered to you If you have all three of those things, the object is legally yours. The Deed is a Nice Thing to pull all three of these together, but it is not required. If you have a piece of paper (even a temporary receipt) that says the object was offered as a gift, a letter thanking the donor for the gift and the object itself, you have all that the law requires. Having said that, I usually don't send out the IRS 8283 Form until I have a signed Deed. But if the donor doesn't want the IRS form and doesn't send back the Deed, I don't bug them. janice Janice Klein Director, Mitchell Museum of the American Indian [log in to unmask] www.mitchellmuseum.org -----Original Message----- From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of [log in to unmask] Sent: Thursday, July 07, 2005 10:06 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Returning Deed of Gifts I sometimes have a hard time of donors returning Deed of Gifts. I include a self addressed, stamped envelope, but that doesn't seem to be enough. Would appreciate any advice on the matter, or a link to previous discussions. Regards, Joshua K. 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