Holiday Closure
Our offices will be closing at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 3rd in advance of the July 4th holiday and will reopen Monday, July 8th.
Our offices will be closing at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 3rd in advance of the July 4th holiday and will reopen Monday, July 8th.
Effective date: 09/15/11
Questions related to conference and official function sponsorships should be directed to the respective campus controller. Questions about fundraising event sponsorships should be directed to the Fundraising Events and Gift Compliance Specialist in the Office of University Controller.
A sponsorship is support of a University event or activity by a company or individual in which there is no arrangement or expectation that the company or individual will receive any substantial return benefit. Support may include a payment of money, transfer of property, gift in kind, or the provision of services. In return, the sponsor's name and/or logo may appear on event brochures, banners, or other promotional materials. When the promotional benefit received by the sponsor exceeds the mere acknowledgement of the payment, then the sponsorship becomes advertising income to the University. This advertising income, in turn, can result in unrelated business income tax (UBIT) for the University since advertising does not fall within the education and research mission of most organizational units at the University.
Types of sponsorships that will not result in UBIT include, but are not limited to:
Types of sponsorships that may result in UBIT include, but are not limited to:
As a rule, sponsorships are considered to be a business or promotional expense, rather than a charitable donation, on the part of the company or individual offering the sponsorship payment to the University. In return for their sponsorship, the company/individual receives the benefits accorded to them as listed on the sponsorship agreement or associated with the articulated support levels (e.g., platinum, gold, silver sponsorships). The University does not issue a gift tax receipt for this type of payment. Sponsors are not offering the University a gift; they are sponsoring the event and receiving no substantial benefit in return. For assistance in determining insubstantial or substantial return benefit for an event, contact the appropriate campus controller.
Follow the procedures below when accepting a sponsorship and depositing the payment:
If a sponsor of a University event does request a gift tax receipt, then the organizational unit must treat the payment as a gift. For official functions and conferences, the University Treasurer's Office will issue the gift tax receipt to the sponsor. The receipt will reflect the total amount of the contribution, less the fair market value of any goods and/or services received from the University. For fundraising events, the Fundraising Events and Gift Compliance Specialist in the Office of University Controller will issue the gift tax receipt.
Follow the procedures below when accepting a sponsorship as a donation and depositing the payment:
The CU Foundation may accept sponsorship monies on behalf of the University. Generally, University Development staff would solicit these sponsorships for an organizational unit event, with intent to deposit to the CUF. If the CUF is accepting a sponsorship payment and issuing the gift tax receipt, it is the responsibility of Development and organizational unit staff to communicate to and coordinate with the CUF, any gift/non-gift components of the sponsorship payment for proper gift tax receipt acknowledgement. Multi-year sponsorship agreements are more appropriately handled by the CUF.
Fundraising event sponsorships should be placed in the gift fund 34 Speedtype set up specifically for the event.
University organizational units at Anschutz Medical Campus must follow compliance rules and regulations that restrict industry partnerships. When considering entering into a sponsorship agreement, keep in mind that:
Generally speaking, Learfield Sports Media/Buffalo Sports Properties administers all sponsorship agreements for the Athletic Department at the Boulder Campus. Questions related to athletic sponsorships on the Boulder Campus should be directed to the Office of Athletics Business Affairs.
Athletics, University of Colorado at Boulder and University of Colorado at Colorado Springs - NCAA Compliance and Other Sponsorships
University Athletic Departments have additional compliance rules and regulations that govern their operations. Please seek additional information from your campus Athletics Compliance Office. The sponsorship guidance contained in these procedures is intended to provide a reference solely for event sponsorships that fall under the University definition for a conference, official function, or fundraising event.
Unless approved by the Associate Vice President/University Controller, there are no exceptions to this procedural statement.
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