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Vacation Donation Bank Leave Sharing Program

The College’s Vacation Donation Bank Leave Sharing program is a temporary initiative allowing staff members to donate a portion of their accrued vacation hours to a donation bank to be used by colleagues who have experienced hardships related to the COVID-19 pandemic and have exhausted all paid leave available to them. 

This program will be in place until the declaration of COVID-19 as a national disaster is lifted, or until all donated leave time has been awarded. In the event that the bank is depleted and there is a need for additional leave donations, we may consider a special request for contributions. In the event that there is still donated time in the bank at the program’s end, it will be returned to donors.  If you have any questions about this program, please reach out to our team at humanresources@swarthmore.edu.

Contributions | Eligibility

Contributions

All benefits-eligible employees, exempt and non-exempt, may make voluntary donations of their vacation hours to the leave bank so long as they retain a minimum balance of at least 10 vacation days after the donation. In addition: 

  • A staff member may contribute no less than one day (7–8 hours) and no more than one week (35–40 hours) to the bank each calendar year. The contribution will be taken from their vacation leave balance. 
  • Staff members may contribute to the vacation bank once during each calendar year. 
  • Leave which has been contributed to the bank cannot be restored to the donor unless they have applied for and met the eligibility for a withdrawal (see below).  
  • Contributing staff members may not designate a particular staff member to receive their donation.

To make a donation, please complete this form.
 

Eligibility and Withdrawal Process

If you have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and have exhausted all leave time available to you, you may be eligible to apply for a withdrawal from the vacation donation bank. Staff members applying for a withdrawal must meet the following criteria:

  • They must be a non-exempt, benefits eligible staff member.
  • They must have been employed by the College for at least 90 days at the time of the request.
  • They must have depleted their sick and vacation leave balances prior to their request.
  • Prior leave history may be considered in determining eligibility.
  • They must have experienced a hardship related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • A contribution to the bank is not a prerequisite for applying for a leave withdrawal, and will not affect eligibility. 

All requests to withdraw from the bank should be sent to Human Resources using this form. Please keep in mind that: 

  • The amount of leave time, if any, granted for each hardship will be determined by Human Resources. The amount of leave time awarded will be determined based on the number of hours available in the bank and the number of overall requests.  
  • The leave bank can be used for intermittent leave or in the event that the staff member’s hours have been reduced. 
  • In some cases, a physician's statement may be required to indicate the anticipated date when the staff member will be able to return to work, the duration of time the staff member is needed to care for a qualified family member, or other pertinent information. Human Resources may consult with others as appropriate prior to making a determination. 
  • In the event that the staff member returns to work, any unused balance of bank leave awarded to them will be returned to the bank.  
  • In the event that a staff member who has been awarded donated hours leaves the College, they will not be eligible to receive payment for their donated balance.