Sponsorship Resources

• Sponsorship funds must be deposited into an existing Foundation fund that supports programmatic or discretionary items.  
  • If proceeds are intended to go to a scholarship, they can be moved over to a scholarship fund at completion of the event/sponsorship timeline. 
• 5% of all total event sponsorship proceeds must remain in the designated fund.
  • Keep this in mind when developing your sponsorship levels.
  • This money remains in your area’s foundation fund for use, it is NOT a fee from the Foundation.
• Kent State University (through an index) will receive the funds and handle vendor payments.
• Student and Faculty/Staff awards must be issued by the university. 
• If sponsorships are tied to ticketed events, the minimum ticket price must be $5.
• A sponsorship will only count as a gift (with tax deductibility) when it’s made by an individual. Any organization participating in a sponsorship will count as voluntary service credit and will not receive tax benefits. 
• DPAE will determine the tax deductibility amount based on the value of goods and services received for the sponsorship. 
• The Foundation cannot issue a 1099 for a student or faculty/staff award. 

• Putting on an event or program that you can’t pay for from a university index if you don’t raise enough sponsorships. 
• Asking an individual to “make a gift” that involves a term sponsorship naming. This will not be a gift.  
• Setting sponsor levels too low, complicating covering your costs plus five percent fundraising. 

• Reach out to your area’s DPAE Project Manager 
  • Share with Office of Corporate Engagement if not done already 
• Identify which Foundation fund you will raise money into
•  Propose sponsorship levels that cover your costs and include leaving a minimum of 5% of total raised in the Foundation fund
• Organize the list of goods and services received for each sponsorship level
• DPAE will provide tax deductibility amounts and confirm your sponsorship levels
• Your Project Manager will work with you on:
  • Requesting the list for outreach 
  • Creating an online sponsorships page 
  • Drafting email outreach 
  • Creating sponsorship flyers/printed materials (if needed) 
• In most cases, you will conduct the outreach to request sponsorships. DPAE and Corporate Engagement have right of first refusal regarding outreach to individuals and corporations with pre-existing relationships 
• PA will fill out a Case for Sponsorships for all event sponsorships. 
• PA will fill out the Sponsorship Contract form for all term sponsorships and will attach that to their Sponsorship Case submission. 
• After event, submit request for funding to appropriate university index. 

What if there is no existing fund? 

If no fund exists, you may establish a new one with a $1,000 transfer from your discretionary fund in the Foundation. 

What about term sponsorships? 

A term sponsorship is when someone gives a set amount of money for a set number of years and in exchange receives naming recognition for that term on a select item/place/location. A term sponsorship will count as voluntary service credit and not a tax-deductible gift. 

Term sponsorships will be turned into DPAE on the provided Sponsorship Contract (link to case request) form. 

Will this sponsorship be deemed a charitable gift? 

When an individual is providing the money for a sponsorship opportunity, it can be deemed a gift and will be added to their Banner record as such. They will receive a tax receipt that represents the tax-deductible amount of the gift (minus benefits received). 

When an organization or business (corporation, foundation, LLC) is providing the money for a sponsorship opportunity, the sponsorship cannot be deemed a gift by CASE guidelines and will be counted as voluntary service credit amount. Soft credit will be allocated.

Contact your area’s Project Manager for guidance on managing sponsorships. 

View Project Manager List